What do items such as chia seeds, flaxseeds, apple cider vinegar, massage, sauna, dark chocolate and various varieties of green tea have in common? They are all believed by many to be miracle weight-reducing agents. What they also have in common is the fact that, whatever other benefits they may have– and they have many– none of them remotely answers to the description of miracle weight reducer. The perception lives on regardless; and advertisers and salesmen– who are hardly the most conscientious of beings you could ever meet– are not complaining in the least. In a perfect world one would expect this breed to be a little more upright than usual when it comes to matters of medicine and health; but it is not a perfect world, as you probably have guessed already.
While one cannot rule out the efficacy in this regard of chia seeds and the like in some parallel universe; in the universe that we happen to inhabit, weight management is about calorie balance and calorie balance alone. An intake-expenditure surplus makes you gain weight; a deficit makes you lose weight; while an equilibrium means constant weight. Weight loss is then as much about not doing (not consuming certain things at all, and not eating anything in excess) as it is about doing (working out). In fact, much more so; for such is the calorie-intensity of some of the foods (and drinks) on offer that three hours of workout can easily be offset by indulgence of ten minutes or less. While one’s diet and exercise regimen help, complement and reinforce one another immensely, the two are all there is to it when it comes to weight management.
This obvious and simple fact (despite its simplicity, or probably because of it) cannot be stressed enough. That is, in the final analysis, you lose weight as a result of two things and two things alone: exercising and eating/drinking less (not more). Do not let anybody tell you otherwise, no matter how fit or pretty. It is usual for models and actresses to give health and fitness tips on TV and the internet that revolve around eating this or drinking that. Whether they do it as part of a planned marketing campaign or because they do not want to give away the real ‘secret’– the way they have done it (i.e. exercise and careful diet), is neither here nor there. If you allow them to convince you that you can slim down by eating/drinking certain things, you are in for endless frustration because that is simply never going to happen.
Unfortunately, there is nothing in this world that makes an individual shed excess kilograms by the simple (and pleasant) act of getting outside it. It is safe to say that had anybody discovered such a magic substance, there would not be so many overweight people everywhere. Except water and fibre, everything one eats or drinks comes with calories of its own (whether more or less), and needs to be included in the balance sheet. If you refuse to account for it, your body certainly will; and the results will be there for all to see. ‘There is no free lunch’ may be a figurative expression but it is literally true as well.
Things other than exercise and diet can be significant too, but only indirectly so. Support and encouragement from friends and loved ones are crucial because they keep one focused in the face of temptations of junk food and laziness. Appreciation also motivates one to keep it up when one is doing well on the diet and work-out fronts. Having genuine interests and avocations in life go a very long way towards helping maintain this sort of discipline.Â
Things other than exercise and diet can be significant too, but only indirectly so. Support and encouragement from friends and loved ones are crucial because they keep one focused in the face of temptations of junk food and laziness. Appreciation also motivates one to keep it up when one is doing well on the diet and work-out fronts. Having genuine interests and avocations in life go a very long way towards helping maintain this sort of discipline. Continuity of purpose in life helps like nothing else can. as all these things undeniably are; from the perspective of weight management, they are important, not in themselves but, because of how they affect one’s lifestyle (quality and quantity of one’s diet and workout regimen).
Similarly, sufficient sleep is a great help too. But not because there is something intrinsically weight-reducing in it, but because of the decreased appetite levels it causes (leading to less consumption as a result). No to mention all the trips to the refrigerator you do not make on account of being asleep. The same goes for dark chocolate, boiled vegetables and the like. They help you slim down not because there is some mysterious or magic ingredient in them, but by virtue of (and strictly to the extent of) making you feel satiated enough to keep the more calorie-rich items at bay.
Massage is an especially tricky one. There is no denying the various scientific studies that have demonstrated its efficacy as a weight reducing activity. The source of the misconception surrounding it is probably the fact that most people fail to appreciate the rather subtle point that according to all studies it is the masseur who ends up shedding weight; never the individual enjoying the massage.
