6 Myths About Weight Gain

Tried everything to put on weight, but nothing really seems to work? Fret not! You’re not alone. Weight gain is as much a struggle as weight loss, or maybe even more. Yes, you got that right. With so much information available to us, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The result? Most of us give in to commonly heard weight myths ending up making our transformational journey hard to finish.

Myth : Stop exercising to stop calorie burn #

Fact #

• People with high metabolism struggle a lot with gaining weight.

• Feeling so, most people stop hitting the gym thinking that it can pause calorie burn.

• But that doesn’t really work.

• Indulging in some sort of workout is not just healthy for your overall well-being, but also exercises can actually boost your appetite and can help increase muscle mass.

• Regular strength training helps in toning and giving the right shape to your body.

Myth : Eating fats makes you fat #

Fact #

• We all have been brainwashed to believe that if you eat fatty foods, you will get fat.

• In reality, this is not scientifically true.

• In most cases, people are eating less fat than ever only to end up getting fatter.

• The rationale is low-fat diets are mostly rich in salt and starchy or sugary carbohydrates which raise insulin and promote weight gain.

Myth : Having more protein helps get bigger muscle #

Fact #

• People around you could be recommending a high-protein diet for muscle gain.

• The truth is entirely different.

• Building muscle mass includes two things, progressive overload to stimulate muscles beyond their normal levels of resistance and having more calories than you can burn off.

• With all the hype surrounding high protein diets lately and knowing that muscles are made of protein, it is simple to believe that protein is the best fuel for building muscle.

• However, muscles work on calories which must predominantly be obtained from carbohydrates.

Myth : Vegetarians or vegans can’t make muscles #

Fact #

• Being a vegetarian or vegan is a lifestyle choice.

• However, that doesn’t mean people who are off a non-veg diet can not make muscles.

• Right strength-based training coupled with soy protein supplementation has been seen to increase body weight the right way.

Myth : Use artificial sweeteners #

Fact #

• We all gorge on diet soda or beverages thinking them to be healthy.

• A label that reads no sugar is not doing you any good.

• According to one research by Purdue University, rats who were given artificial sweeteners before they ate, finished eating more calories.

Myth : You should eat high-calorie junk food to gain weight. #

Fact #

• Eating junk will always bring you more harm than good.

• Junk or processed food is loaded with ingredients that can make your hormones go haywire and lead to lifestyle disorders.

• Devgan says, “A better way is to increase more quality protein in your diet.”