Should you stop eating carbs? Should you aim for 45 minutes of cardio every day? Or is weight loss only possible if you feel hungry half the day?

If you’re asking yourself these questions, you may be holding onto nutrition myths that are likely preventing you from actually losing weight and reaching your fat loss goals.

In today’s overwhelming world of weight loss advice online, it’s easy to feel frustrated or even lost.

In this article, I’ll deconstruct three myths I’ve heard repeatedly while coaching clients in the gym and help you understand why they’re probably harmful to your fat loss journey.

Myth 1: "Eating less is the only way to lose weight"

Not only is this approach ineffective, but it can also be harmful to your weight loss goals. The last thing you want when trying to lose excess fat is to feel hungry all the time, which is exactly where starving yourself will lead you.

It’s well known that restriction only leads to frustration. And frustration leads to temptations and cravings. Even with a lot of willpower, your brain will eventually trick you into reaching for those delicious cookies someone just brought to work.

I’m sure you’ve experienced it — trying your very best to “resist” temptation, but after a few days, it feels impossible. This happens because restriction drains your willpower until it’s empty, making it difficult to make healthy choices.

Eating less is a mistake; what you want is to eat fewer calories, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat less food. That’s the key to debunking this myth.

There are plenty of high-volume, low-calorie foods that you can use to fill your plate without overloading on calories. Foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat dairy allow you to feel full without consuming excess calories.

By using these foods to increase the volume of your meals without significantly adding calories, you can manage hunger and lose weight without constantly feeling deprived.

Myth 2: "You have to do boatloads of cardio to lose weight"

If the thought of drowning in your own sweat on a treadmill on a Saturday morning sounds like a nightmare, good news… you don’t have to.

Cardio has great health benefits; it keeps your cardiovascular system in top shape. However, it’s not the most effective tool for fat loss. In fact, doing cardio for the wrong reasons can even be counterproductive, especially if you’re aiming to lose a significant amount of weight.

Here’s why: when you’re in a calorie deficit, your body doesn’t just lose fat - it also loses muscle mass (which is definitely something you want to avoid).

The problem with cardio is that it doesn’t support muscle preservation as effectively as strength training does. In addition, a high volume of cardio while in a deficit can lead to burnout.

If your goal is to lose fat while preserving or even building muscle, consider reducing the amount of cardio you’re doing and focus on incorporating strength training sessions into your routine.

Myth 3: "Carbs Make You Fat / Bloated"

Honestly, I have no idea where this myth comes from. If you actually look at the caloric profile of each macronutrient (carbs, protein, and fats), carbohydrates aren’t even the most calorie-dense macronutrient.

A gram of carbs contains 4 kcal, the same as a gram of protein, while fats contain more than double that amount (9 kcal—please don’t start thinking that fats make you fat either :( …).

Rather than villainizing one macronutrient, it’s far more important to look at the bigger picture and move away from simplistic, unnuanced myths.

The most important thing when it comes to weight loss is the number of calories that you’re eating during the day and how many calories your body burns in order to sustain your activity.

Your body’s priority when it’s in a deficit is not to look at everything you’re eating and decide “oh … okay, a bagel, cheerios and pasta, let’s turn all those carbs into fat”

Instead, it calculates the total amount of calories you’re eating and stores any excess energy as fat in case it’s needed later.


I could spend the whole afternoon debunking myths, but by now, I think you understand that the key to getting in shape and losing unwanted belly fat isn’t in overly simplistic myths but in finding balance and being intentional.

If you have a clear nutrition and training plan tailored to your goals, you’re setting yourself up for success, and the whole process becomes much simpler. You won’t fall prey to these misleading myths that overcomplicate your weight loss.

And if you don’t have a plan or feel like you’re lacking structure, meet with us, and we’ll make sure you have the help you need to get started and truly achieve your goals this time.