Connie Guest Blogs: Breaking Myths on Dieting and Obesity

This Guest Blog Post is from Connie Liu, one of Dr. T’s Health Psychology students:

There have been countless statements made about obesity that society has believed in, when in reality, these “facts” are merely just myths not backed up by reliable medical evidence. One myth, which you may be familiar with, is that eating less or exercising more will lead to massive weight loss over time. This assumption is based on the idea that “3,500 calories are equal to one pound” (so if a person eats 100 calories less than normal every day for one year, they would mathematically lose at least 10 pounds by the end of the year). However, this equation was only used for short-term experiments and therefore, does not apply to long-term conditions. Another myth dieters believe in is that setting up attainable, gradual goals results in weight loss. However, studies have actually found that dieters who set the most ambitious goals lost more weight, which suggest that psychological attitudes play a prominent role in successful weight loss. These are just two out of several weight loss mythbusters. For more, you can read on over here.