Weight Loss myths continued

 

As discussed in our previous post, one of the most difficult things about weight loss is the amount of misinformation available. If we do not have access to reliable and well-founded information, it will be difficult to make the choices we need to in order to become healthier. Previously we talked about how often times people have unrealistic expectations about how long healthy weight loss will take. If you want to make a real change in your life, make sure that you do it the right way. Losing weight in a healthy way will take a while. In this post, we will address another myth, which is the myth that your weight is a direct reflection of your willpower.

Myth 2: your weight is a direct reflection of your willpower

Unfortunately, weight loss and gain is a product of some rather complicated biology. If you take 100 people and put them through the exact same routines, their bodies will respond in 100 different ways. Most people understand that there are medical conditions that will affect the way that the body stores energy. For example, the thyroid is a gland located in your neck. It produces hormones, which are small chemical messengers that your body uses to send signals internally. Individuals with hypothyroidism will often gain weight, as the decrease in thyroid hormones will lead to a slowing of their metabolism. This isn’t the only condition that can lead to weight gain either. Scientists still don’t fully understand all of the factors at play, but we do know that there are many of them. For example, epigenetics are molecular markers which tell your body how to read your DNA. Things such as how your parents lived their lives can affect the way your body will react to exercise and diet. Additionally, your intestines contain a rich diversity of bacteria, which are involved in the breakdown and processing of food. If you do not have enough good bacteria, your gut has been implicated in all manner of health problems. Understanding these things will take time, and so there is not a whole lot we can do yet to use this information. However, we can understand that everyone is different, and what is easy for someone might be hard for others. Ultimately, being more understanding will help everyone to be healthier. If we judge others based on their weight, we make their weight loss journey even harder.

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