JJ Virgin wrote a post on Rodale Wellness that reveals seven modern myths of weight loss and how these myths can have a negative effect on the human body. These range from thoughts on agave, to exercise, to the notion that the phrase “everything in moderation” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Weight Loss Myth #1:  Going Slow

Virgin says that the line “slow and steady” doesn’t actually work for weight loss. She refers to a study by the National Institute of Health that found that people who quickly lost weight were more likely to keep it off than those who lost weight slowly.

Weight Loss Myth #2:  Eating Small

When we eat small meals or snack, Virgin notes that we are probably eating snacks filled with a lot of sugar. She instead suggests eating well-balanced meals spread over 4-6 hours that don’t have sugar.

Weight Loss Myth #3:  Moderation

Eating in moderation, according to Virgin, only stalls weight loss, and gives you permission to eat foods that you shouldn’t be eating. She notes that there is no such thing as “moderate” for unhealthy foods like artificial sweeteners, trans fats, or high-fructose corn syrup.

Weight Loss Myth #4:  Getting More Exercise

Virgin says that in order to be healthy, we should first focus on our diet. Once we have adjusted our food choices and stabilized our diet, we can then move on to exercise.

Weight Loss Myth #5:  Agave

Although billed as an alternative to artificial sweeteners, “sugar is sugar is sugar,” as Virgin points out.  This means foods like agave can still be unhealthy for you.

Weight Loss Myth #6:  “Skinny” Foods

Food that is marketed as “lite” or “skinny” may still be unhealthy for you, and contain a lot of sugar.

Weight Loss Myth #7:  Relying on Calories Alone

If we look at food only as calories, then we ignore the other healthy or unhealthy aspects of the food we are eating. Virgin notes that there’s a difference between eating 500 calories worth of salmon and spinach versus the same number of calories found in a fettuccine Alfredo dish.

Want to learn more?  Read the full article here:  “7 Myths That Are Total Garbage.”