When it comes to fat loss, social media is rife with advice, much of which is either misguided or outright incorrect. This article aims to dissect some common fat loss myths and provide viable alternatives to help you achieve your goals effectively.
With that said, this list of 7 fat loss strategies from influencers that don’t work were explained by Thomas DeLauer. He is a celebrity trainer and health author. His YouTube Channel has 3 million subscribers and he has been on the cover of numerous international magazines.
So let’s check out what you might have been misled to believe, in DeLauer’s opinion.
7 Fat Loss Strategies from Influencers That Don’t Work
1. Cold Plunging
Cold plunging is often touted as a fat-burning technique. However, there is no scientific evidence supporting the claim that cold plunging significantly increases your resting metabolic rate.
Thomas DeLauer states, “I have not seen a single double-blind randomized controlled trial where we put someone in a metabolic ward and put them in a cold plunge and actually see a legitimate increase in their resting metabolic rate.” While it might offer benefits for mental resilience and recovery, it does not contribute to fat loss. Instead, consider using a sauna, which has been shown to increase heart rate and promote lipolysis.
DeLauer suggests, “Alternatively, a sauna does burn fat. It’s an exercise mimetic; you’re increasing your heart rate, you’re in there for 20 or 30, 40 minutes. That does have impacts on lipolysis and that has been demonstrated.”
2. Eating Multiple Meals to Boost Thermogenesis
Many believe that eating multiple small meals throughout the day boosts metabolism due to the thermic effect of food (TEF). In reality, the increase in calorie burn from TEF is minimal compared to overall daily energy expenditure.
Thomas DeLauer explains, “Thermogenesis is such a small amount of the overall big spectrum of things in a given day. Most of our calories are just burned up by living.” Focusing on clear, defined meal breaks allows insulin levels to drop and glucagon levels to rise, facilitating fat mobilization and oxidation. DeLauer advises, “What you may want to consider doing is having clear defined breaks in between meals, whether you decide to have six meals or you decide to have three or two or one.”
3. Increasing Fat Intake
The notion that eating more fat helps burn more fat is misleading. While low-carb diets can shift your body to burn more fat, simply increasing fat intake without reducing carbohydrates can lead to higher calorie consumption and weight gain.
DeLauer clarifies, “You do not eat fat to burn fat. All that’s going to happen if you increase your fat intake is you’re going to consume more fat, and there’s a good chance you’re going to consume more calories.” Instead, focus on increasing protein intake, which has a higher thermic effect and supports muscle maintenance during weight loss.
“You know what you do add to burn more fat? Protein,” suggests DeLauer, emphasizing the metabolic benefits of protein consumption.
4. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) vs. Continuous Cardio
While HIIT is popular for its potential to burn calories and improve cardiovascular fitness, it doesn’t necessarily burn more fat than continuous moderate-intensity cardio if calorie expenditure is matched. Thomas DeLauer explains, “If intensity levels are matched, if calorie burn is matched, there’s nothing magic that is happening with an interval other than the fact that you can restore and maintain intensity better.”
Continuous cardio can often be sustained longer and may result in greater overall fat loss due to prolonged calorie burn. “If you went out for a fast-paced run for 30 minutes at 70% of your V2 Max or something like intense and you compared that to 20 minutes of HIIT, your calories might be matched a little bit more and you might even get more fat loss out of the run because you never have the come-down effect,” says DeLauer.
How to Combine HIIT and LISS to Lose Fat Faster
5. Eating More to Lose More
The strategy of eating more to boost metabolism only works if accompanied by increased physical activity. Simply increasing calorie intake without adjusting activity levels will lead to weight gain.
Effective fat loss involves a balance of adequate calorie consumption and increased physical activity. DeLauer states, “Eating more to get that thermic effect, that doesn’t help you. Like, if you were to say, ‘I’m going to slowly start increasing my calories by like 100 calories per day to get my metabolism to rev up,’ newsflash: it doesn’t work like that.”
6. Cardio Timing Relative to Workouts
Whether you do cardio before or after strength training, the difference in fat loss is minimal. The key is to maintain a caloric deficit and consistency in your exercise routine. Segregating cardio and strength training sessions might help you perform better in each, leading to more effective workouts overall.
DeLauer suggests, “One situation where it might work a little bit better is if you’re predominantly following a lower carb diet that would make sense because you are utilizing more of your glucose that might be a minimal amount and then you’re putting yourself in a situation where you’re utilizing the rest as fats.”
7. Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy claims to burn hundreds of calories in minutes are exaggerated. While it may have benefits for inflammation and recovery, it does not contribute significantly to fat loss. DeLauer comments, “Cryotherapy really makes some ridiculous claims… some will say that you burn six or 700 calories in a few minutes of cryotherapy.”
A more effective approach would be regular exercise combined with a balanced diet. “Freezing your entire limbs off is not going to make you burn more calories,” adds DeLauer.
Understanding what doesn’t work for fat loss is as crucial as knowing what does. Avoiding these common pitfalls can save you time, effort, and frustration. Focus on scientifically backed methods such as maintaining a caloric deficit, increasing protein intake, and engaging in regular physical activity for sustainable fat loss.
By following these guidelines, you can achieve your fat loss goals more efficiently and healthily. Remember, consistent effort and a balanced approach will yield the best results.
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This content is originated from https://www.boxrox.com your Online Magazine for Competitive Fitness.