The Weight-Loss Myths You Thought Were True

I've been in the weight-loss field for over 15 years and not a day goes by when I'm not asked a question about weight loss. Most of these questions deal with eight common weight-loss myths. Here are the myths — and the real truth:

1. Your genes determine your metabolism and body weight.

I've heard thousands of people say they can't drop pounds because their weight is genetically predetermined. Do you know what percentage of your body weight is truly determined by your genes? Only 25 percent — the rest is determined by your behavior. Please believe me: At any time in life, you can drastically change your body weight by combining low-calorie eating and exercise. You can increase your metabolism at any age by performing strength-and-resistance exercises. If you don't believe me, ask the experts at Tufts University. In one case study, they found that individuals in their 90s who strength-trained three times a week for eight weeks increased their strength by 300 percent. No, that is not a typo. Individuals in their 90s increased their strength by 300 percent. If you increase your strength, you're increasing your lean muscle tissue. Increase lean muscle tissue and you increase your metabolism. It's just that simple.

2. By performing strength-and-resistance exercises, women will bulk up.

This is totally untrue. Men have 20 to 30 times the muscle-building potential that women do. This is because of the male hormone testosterone. In all my years offering fitness instruction, I've never witnessed a woman bulking up. On the contrary, those who follow my exercise prescription and perform minimal cardiovascular exercise followed by intelligent strength-and-resistance exercises typically look lean and thin.

3. You can spot-reduce to lose weight.

I've witnessed women performing hundreds, if not thousands, of lunges and squats in a desperate attempt to slim their legs, hips, and gluts. While I love squats and lunges, they don't spot-reduce body fat. On the contrary, the way to achieve leaner legs, if that's where you're carrying your body fat, is to increase your lean muscle tissue throughout your body. By working all your muscles, you increase metabolism. Up your metabolism and exercise caution with your eating, and you'll start looking the way you want to.

But here's one surprising benefit of strength-and-resistance exercise: A study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham showed that women ages 61 to 77 who strength-trained three times a week lost more fat from their midsections than their male workout partners. So, if you are a woman interested in losing fat from the midsection (and by the way, a million crunches will not help you reduce your waist; they will only help strengthen that area), start strength training today. And for those of you under 61, why wait?

4. To build muscle, you should lift heavy weights/Xertubes and perform few repetitions, but to tone a muscle you should perform more repetitions with lighter weights.

The first part of this sentence is true. The way to achieve a toned muscle is to build the muscle and burn the fat. You can do it by lifting heavy weights/Xertubes and performing no more that 10 to 12 repetitions. Lifting lighter weights and doing more repetitions won't do much of anything. You're not stressing the muscle enough to stimulate it to change and grow. Think about all the time you wasted in exercise classes with names like "body sculpting." Those classes urged you to perform dozens if not hundreds of repetitions with light weights. Did anything change on your body? I'll let you be the judge.