The 121 Most Common Health and

Fitness Myths – Busted with Science!

By Stefan de Kort | Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved.

While the internet offers a lot of information on how to reach your health and fitness goals, there’s one problem… Most of it is wrong! So, to make sure you don’t have to waste your time and energy with that misinformation, let's use science to bust the 121 most common health and fitness myths. Here are the categories we’ll cover:

• Nutrition myths

• Exercising myths

• Supplementation myths Let's dive right in!

Nutrition Myths

Myth 1: Low carb is best for weight loss

The ratio of carbs to fat in a diet doesn't affect weight and fat loss. Given an equal calorie deficit, you’ll lose the same amount of weight whether you follow a high-carb or a high-fat diet (1)(2)(3)(4)(5).

Myth 2: Eating small but frequent meals

increases metabolism

A meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Nutrition noted that "studies using whole-body calorimetry and doubly-labelled water to assess total 24 h energy expenditure find no difference between nibbling and gorging" (6). In other words, it doesn't matter for your metabolism whether you wolf down all your daily calories in one sitting or nibble on them throughout the day. The effect on your metabolism will be the

same.

Myth 3: Breakfast is the most important meal of

the day

There's nothing special about breakfast. What is important, however, is that you're consistent with your meal pattern. So, either eat breakfast daily or don't do that (7)(8)(9).

Myth 4: Eating after 6 pm makes you fat

Being in a calorie surplus is what causes fat gain, not whether you consume those calories after 6 pm. A six-month study published in the journal Obesity found eating carbs at night didn't impair fat loss (10).

Myth 5: Dietary fat can't make you fat

Some people believe that as long as you keep your insulin levels low, you can't gain fat. But that belief is wrong. Your body can store dietary fat without the presence of insulin, which is why a calorie from dietary fat is just as fattening as a calorie from protein or carb (11)(12).

Myth 6: Protein is bad for your kidneys

Unless you have an underlying kidney disease, high protein diets are not bad for your kidneys, as shown by a 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Journal of Nutrition (13).

Myth 7: Intermittent fasting is the best way to

lose weight

There's no difference in weight and fat loss between intermittent fasting and a regular energy-restricted diet when calorie intakes are matched (14).

Myth 8: Hormones are more important for weight

loss than a caloric deficit

Energy balance is what determines changes to the number on your scale. If you consume fewer calories than you burn, you'll lose weight, regardless of your hormonal status. That said, hormones like testosterone and cortisol do influence whether that weight loss will be in the form of body fat or muscle mass.

Myth 9: Overweight people have a slow

metabolism

The heavier you are, the higher your resting metabolic rate tends to be (15)(16). That's why overweight people have a faster metabolism than those who are of a healthy weight.

Myth 10: Skinny people have a fast metabolism

As discussed in the previous myth, the lower your body weight, the slower your metabolism (17).

Myth 11: You need to eat more to lose weight

You need to eat less to lose weight. More specifically, you need to consume fewer calories so that you'll be in a calorie deficit. That's the key to losing weight (5).

Myth 12: Dieting puts you in starvation mode and

causes metabolic damage

Starvation mode and metabolic damage don't exist, as shown in a review study by Anastasia Zinchenko and Menno Henselmans (18).

Myth 13: Eating protein causes you to become

bulky

Protein doesn't cause you to become “bulky.” Instead, this macronutrient helps you obtain and maintain healthy body

weight. That's because protein is highly satiating, which helps you control your calorie intake (19)(20).

Myth 14: Diet soda inhibits fat loss

Weight loss studies indicate that diet sodas do not inhibit fat loss (21)(22).

Source: Am J Clin Nutr. 1990 Jun;51(6):963-9.

In fact, if you drink sugar-sweetened sodas, you'll likely lose weight if you replace them with diet sodas.

Myth 15: There are good foods and bad foods for

fat loss

No food is inherently good or bad for fat loss. What matters is whether you're in a calorie deficit. That's why, as long as you control your energy intake, you can consume “bad” foods and still lose weight (23)(24)(25). Some foods, however, contain fewer calories and are more satiating. That's why it's easier to lose fat if those form the foundation of your diet. But still, it's not that those are “good” while other foods are “bad.”

Myth 16: There's a “best” diet for weight loss

The best diet for weight loss is one that allows you to maintain a calorie deficit long-term. Since we all have different schedules and preferences, a diet that may work for somebody else may not be ideal for you.

Myth 17: "It worked for them so it must also work

for me"

There's no “best” diet that works for everyone. For instance, intermittent fasting reduces total calorie intake for some people, but for others, the reverse holds true.

Myth 18: You can force-feed muscle growth

You won't build more muscle in a large calorie surplus compared to in a moderate one, but it will cause you to pack on more fat (26).

Myth 19: The more protein you eat, the more

muscle you’ll build.

The muscle-building benefits of protein top off at 1.6 grams of the macro per kilogram of body weight per day (0.73 g/lb/d), as shown by a 2018 meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports medicine (27).

Source: Br J Sports Med. 2018 Mar;52(6):376-384.

Myth 20: High protein intakes cause

osteoporosis

Consuming lots of protein does not "leach calcium from the bones." In fact, a high protein intake strengthens bones and reduces the risk of fractures and osteoporosis in the elderly (28)(29).

Myth 21: Losing weight is a linear process

Weight loss fluctuates owing to a variety of reasons, water retention being the main one. For females, their menstrual cycle also influences the number on their scale from week to week.

Myth 22: An apple a day keeps the doctor away

While apples are nutritious, there’s nothing unique about them that makes you bullet-proof.

Myth 23: You can turn fat into muscle

There's no bodily process that can turn fat into muscle. It's like turning an apple into an orange – you can't do that. But what your body can do is burn the fat and build new muscle tissues.

Myth 24: You can look like someone else

Your genetics determines the shape of your muscles and where you store body fat. That's why you can't make your body look

exactly like that of someone else.

Myth 25: Salt is bad for you

While it can be harmful to eat a lot of salt, eating too little of it is as bad or even worse for your health (30). That's why it's recommended to consume at least three grams of sodium per day.

Myth 26: If you eat carbs before bed, they'll get

stored as fat

Your body will only store those calories as fat if they cause you to be in a calorie surplus. The problem, therefore, is not carb consumption at night but consuming too many calories in general.

A case in point: a six-month study published in the journal Obesity found that eating carbs at night didn't impair fat loss (31).

Myth 27: Certain foods cause fat gain

An excessive calorie intake causes fat gain. In other words, consuming more calories than you burn (5). Some foods contain more calories and are less satiating, which is why it's easier to overeat on those foods. But it's not that those foods are uniquely fattening. It's about the calories.

Myth 28: You must eat protein immediately post-

workout or you’ll miss the "anabolic window"

The anabolic window isn't limited to directly after your workout.

Instead, muscle protein synthesis remains elevated for hours after you finish your training. That why you'll be good to go as long as you get protein within a few hours after your workout (32)(33).

Myth 29: Carbs make you fat

A calorie from carbs is just as “fattening” as a calorie from dietary fat (34)(35)(36).

Myth 30: You have to eat "clean" to lose weight

As long as you're in a calorie deficit, you can lose weight even if you consume junk food.

However, “clean” foods usually score lower in calories and are more satiating. That's why it's easier to control calorie intake and lose weight if such foods form the foundation of your diet.

Myth 31: You can spot-reduce belly fat by doing

ab exercises

Spot reduction is a myth. In one study, subjects did four hours of ab training each week for six weeks, but despite those efforts, they did not lose belly fat or fat in general (37).

Myth 32: You can't drink alcohol if you want to

lose weight

As long as you're in a calorie deficit, you'll lose weight no matter

whether you drink alcohol (38)(39). But since alcohol is calorie-dense and usually consumed with junk food, it's still best to moderate consumption if you want to lose fat.

Myth 33: Anything with "fruit" is good for you

Just because your Ben and Jerry's contains strawberries that doesn't mean it's healthy. The meal as a whole determines whether it's healthy, not one particular ingredient.

Myth 34: Fruit is bad for you

Fruits are some of the healthiest foods. They're loaded with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. That's why fruit – alongside vegetables – reduces your risk of practically all major diseases (40).

Myth 35: Fresh fruits and vegetables are more

nutritious than frozen ones

There are small differences between fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables for a few select nutrients, but overall, they share a similar nutritional profile (41).

Myth 36: Egg yolks increase the risk of heart

disease

Many studies including meta-analyses show that egg consumption does not increase the risk of heart disease (42)(43)(44)(45)(46).

Myth 37: Coffee is unhealthy

Coffee supports good health. Some of the benefits of coffee consumption are a reduced risk of cancer, better glycemic control, and better heart health, including a small reduction in blood pressure (47)(48)(49).

Myth 38: Dairy is uniquely fattening

The lactose found in dairy may cause bloating among some people, who then misattribute that to fat gain. But bloating is not the same as fat gain. In randomized controlled trials, increased dairy intakes did not increase body fat levels (50).

Myth 39: Dairy is bad for you

Dairy is healthy. A 2016 review paper links dairy consumption to less body fat, more muscle mass, stronger bones, reduced risk of various cancers, and a trend towards better cardiovascular health (51).

Myth 40: The body can only absorb a limited

number of grams of protein per day

Your body can absorb unlimited amounts of protein. But if you consume more protein than your body needs, it'll convert it to glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis.

Myth 41: You don't need to count calories if you

eat healthy foods

It's essential to track calories because humans are bad at guessing their calorie intake. We underestimate how many calories we consume by up to 45% (52). Thus, if you don't keep track, you'll most likely consume more calories than you should, which means you won't lose fat, or you might even gain some.

Myth 42: You need cheat days to boost your

metabolism and lose fat

Cheat meals and “refeeds” don't benefit fat loss. One study, for instance, evaluated the metabolic effects of eating at 140% of energy maintenance for three days on a high-carb diet. Despite that huge calorie surplus, total daily energy expenditure increased by only 7%, leaving them in a 33% net calorie surplus (hello fat gain!) (53).

Myth 43: You need pre- and post-workout meals

Total daily calorie and protein intake are much more important than when you consume those nutrients. While it can be beneficial to have pre- and post-workout meals, it's not necessary (54).

Myth 44: It takes seven years to digest chewing

gum

According to Healthline, "even with the inclusion of synthetic polymers, gum…won't sit in your stomach for more than a few days." Still, it's not recommended to swallow gum because it may cause intestinal blockages (55).

Myth 45: Juice detox diets cleanse your body

"At present, there is no compelling evidence to support the use of detox diets for weight management or toxin elimination." That's the conclusion of a review study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics (56).

Myth 46: Organic foods are best for you

Most controlled human research finds no beneficial health effects in organic food (57).

Myth 47: Brown bread and rice are better than

white bread and rice

One is not better than the other. While brown bread and rice score higher in fiber, vitamin, and minerals, they also contain

more antinutrients and may have higher levels of the toxic chemical arsenic (58)(59)(60).

Myth 48: You can't get enough protein if you're a

vegan or a vegetarian

You can, as long as you consume enough high-protein foods like tofu, beans, lentils, and nuts. If you don't get enough protein through food alone, it's helpful to supplement with a protein shake. In that case, opt for a supplement that contains 80% rice protein and 20% pea protein. Those two sources have a complementary amino acid profile, which makes them excellent protein sources for vegans (61).

Myth 49: Keto is superior for fat loss

The ratio of carbs to fat in a diet doesn't affect weight and fat loss given the same caloric intake. In other words, keto isn't superior for fat loss (1)(2)(3)(4)(5).

Myth 50: You have to eat chicken and veggies to

lose weight

You have to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. Since chicken and veggies are low-calorie and highly satiating, they may help you to be in such negative energy, but it’s not mandatory to consume them.

Myth 51: You can't lose weight if you eat junk

food like McDonald's

You can, as long as you're in a calorie deficit. Professor Mark Haub, for instance, lost twenty-seven pounds in two months while only eating foods like Doritos, Oreos, and Twinkies, all because he maintained an energy deficit of 800 calories a day (62).

Myth 52: Regular sodas are better than diet

versions

Because they’re lower in sugar, diet sodas are better than regular sodas.

Myth 53: Fast food is worse than restaurant food

It depends on the foods that are served.

Myth 54: Sugar is more fattening than complex

carbs like rice

Diets that contain the same number of calories but different amounts of sugar produce the same body composition changes (63)(64)(65).

Myth 55: Sugar is more addictive than cocaine

In contrast to cocaine, sugar does not cause tolerance or withdrawal. And according to an extensive review, no literature supports the idea that sugar is addictive to humans (66)(67).

Myth 56: Eating bread is like concrete in the

stomach

Unless you suffer some form of gastrointestinal distress like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), the body has no problem digesting bread.

Myth 57: Red meat is "bad" for you

Two comprehensive analyses from 2019 did not find adverse health effects from red meat consumption (68)(69).

Myth 58: You shouldn't weigh yourself daily if you

want to lose fat

You'll build healthier eating habits and lose more weight if you weigh yourself daily. In one six-month study, those who weighed themselves daily lost significantly more weight than those who didn't (70).

The difference in weight loss between those who weighed themselves daily

(intervention) and those who didn’t (control). Source: Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013 Sep; 21(9): 1789–1797.

Myth 59: Soy reduces testosterone in men

A meta-analysis concluded that "neither soy foods nor isoflavone supplements alter measures of bioavailable T [testosterone] concentrations in men” (71).

Myth 60: Losing weight is a linear process

Weight loss fluctuates owing to a variety of reasons, water retention being the main one. For females, their menstrual cycle also influences the number on their scale.

Myth 61: Vitamins and minerals aren't important

for muscle growth and fat loss – it's all about the

macros

All vitamins and minerals are, in one way or another, involved in exercise performance and your body composition. That's why you should consume enough of the micronutrients. Zinc, for instance, has a significant influence on your metabolism and testosterone production. Calcium helps your body burn fat for fuel. And iron is essential for exercise performance (72)(73)(74)(75).

Training Myths

Myth 63: Fasted workouts burn more fat

A 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that "fasted compared to fed exercise does not increase the amount of weight and fat mass loss” (76).

Myth 64: Lifting weights makes women look

bulky

Look at the cover of fitness magazines to see that weightlifting doesn't make women bulky. Instead, it helps them lose fat and ”tone” their body.

Myth 65: The biggest and strongest guys in the

gym give reliable advice

Being big doesn't mean you know what you're talking about.

Myth 66: If you have abs you know what you're

doing

Just as having a kitchen doesn't mean you're a good cook, having abs doesn't imply that you understand proper nutrition.

Myth 67: You must keep changing your workout

plan to confuse your muscles

You can't “confuse” muscle because the tissue lacks cognitive abilities. In fact, changing exercises frequently reduces muscle growth because you'll be chasing neurological gains instead of muscular adaptations (77)(78).

Myth 68: You must do cardio to lose weight

"Aerobic exercise is not an effective weight loss therapy," as concluded by a meta-analysis published in The American Journal of Medicine. You're better off lifting weights and optimizing your diet (79).

Myth 69: You need to be sore for your workouts

to be effective

Muscle damage – the cause of that sore feeling – does not correlate with muscle growth. In fact, excessive levels of muscle damage may even impair growth (80)(81).

Myth 70: Following the pros will make you big

and give you results

There's no workout program that's “best” for everyone. Also, keep in mind that the pros structure their entire life around their sport, and that they often use prohibited substances to recover faster from workouts.

Myth 71: The pros have secret exercises

They don't.

Myth 72: You can "shape" a muscle

Genetics determines the shape of a muscle. Unless you undergo surgery, you can't change where a muscle originates and connects to a bone, which means you can’t change the shape of the tissue.

Myth 73: You can "tone" a muscle

A muscle can only grow or shrink in size. The primary factor that determines whether a muscle looks “toned” is your body fat percentage.

Myth 74: The more sets you do, the better

Each of us has our optimal training volume. Doing more or less than that volume impairs progress (82)(83)(84).

Myth 75: It’s best to train only one muscle group

per workout

You'll gain more muscle if you train each muscle group two or more times per week (85)(86)(87).

That's impractical if you train only one muscle group per workout.

Myth 76: HIIT is superior to LISS

Research shows that HIIT and LISS produce similar fat loss and muscle growth outcomes (88)(89).

Myth 77: You need to stretch before your

workout

Static stretching hampers workout performance, leading to less muscle growth and strength gains (90)(91)(92).

Myth 78: Weightlifting stunts growth in kids and

teens

The National Strength and Conditioning Association concluded that "there is no evidence to suggest that resistance training will negatively impact growth and maturation during childhood and

adolescence” (93).

Myth 79: You have to train every day to get

results

Most people are best off by training each muscle twice or thrice per week, which is easily doable with a weekly training frequency of three to five sessions.

Myth 80: I can't build muscle/lose weight

because I have bad genetics

You just don’t have the fundamentals in check. Optimize those and you’ll see results.

Myth 81: Squats are bad for your back

Your spine is excellent at dealing with compressive forces. That's why squats are safe as long as you maintain a neutral spine position. But if you're still worried, switch to front squats – those are even safer for your back (94).

Myth 82: Squats are bad for your knees

"Squats, when performed correctly and with appropriate supervision, are not only safe, but may be a significant deterrent to knee injuries." Those are the words of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (95).

Myth 83: Deadlifts are bad for your back

As long as you use the proper technique, deadlifts are not bad for your back. In fact, strengthening your back muscles, something the deadlift does effectively, may even reduce and prevent lower back pain (96).

Myth 84: High-rep weightlifting makes you toned

You can't “tone” a muscle through exercise – you can only make it grow or shrink. To make your muscles looked toned, you'll have to have a low body fat percentage, which means optimizing your diet.

Myth 85: Women should train differently than

men

The same training fundamentals hold true for women. Two examples are focusing on big, compound exercises and applying progressive overload.

Myth 86: The longer the workout, the better

A short but intensive workout will always beat a longer but lax workout. Also, doing more sets won't always produce better results. There's only a certain amount of training stimuli your body can recover from. If you overreach that limit, you'll make less or even no progress (97)(98)(99).

Myth 87: You should keep your rest periods

below one minute

Resting for longer than one minute between sets allows you to do more reps and use more weight. That means you can

introduce a more potent growth stimulus to your muscle (100).

Myth 88: Once you stop training your muscle

turns into fat

You can't turn fat into muscle. No process in your body can do this. But what can happen is losing muscle owing to detraining while simultaneously gaining fat due to overeating.

Myth 89: There's a "fat loss mode" when doing

cardio

There isn't. What matters is the number of calories you burn.

Myth 90: Bicep curls and triceps extensions help

you burn arm fat

One study had 104 people train only one arm for twelve weeks. While the subjects lost fat, the workouts did not increase fat loss in the trained arm, showing that you can't spot-reduce arm fat through exercise (101).

Myth 91: Sweating heavily means you burn a lot

of fat

Sweating doesn't burn a measurable number of calories, which is why it doesn't indicate fat loss. However, sweating does cause you to lose water, which can reduce the number on your scale temporarily (until you rehydrate).

Myth 92: You can out-train a bad diet

You can't. If, for instance, you eat three extra Big Macs per day, that will increase your daily energy intake by 1,689 calories. To burn that off, you’ll have to do about eight hours of resistance training.

Myth 93: Weight training shortens your muscles

Heavy resistance exercises done through a full range of motion do not shorten but actually lengthen your muscles (102).

Myth 94: Cardio machines provide accurate

readings

Cardio machines don't account for factors like fitness levels, body composition, and movement efficiency. That's why they don't provide accurate results (103).

Myth 95: You should do cardio if you want to

build muscle

Cardio hurts muscle growth. One meta-analysis, for instance, found that adding cardio to a weight-training routine reduced muscle growth effect size by 36.5% (104).

Source: J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Aug;26(8):2293-307.

Myth 96: It's best to keep the tension on the

muscle by doing partial reps

Full range of motion (ROM) produces more muscle growth than partial reps (104)(105)(106).

Myth 97: For optimal muscle growth, you must do

between eight and twelve reps per set

There's no "best" rep range for muscle growth. You can build the same amount of muscle with high-rep training as you can with moderate-rep or low-rep work (107).

Myth 98: Weightlifting straps hinder muscle

growth

If your grip strength gives out first during an exercise, you can't stimulate the target muscles optimally. Weightlifting straps can aid muscle growth by helping you overcome this. For example, you can use more weight and do more reps on the deadlift if you use straps. That, in turn, means you can introduce a more potent growth stimulus to your back and leg muscles.

Myth 99: Workouts should be an hour or longer

More isn't necessarily better. In fact, doing too much impairs results by overreaching the recovery ability of the body (108)(109)(110).

Myth 100: When doing cardio, it’s best to perform

it after your workout

Performing cardio after your workout impairs muscle growth by increasing AMPK and reducing mTOR. That's why it's better to do cardio on a separate day (111)(112)(113)(114).

Myth 101: I'm a hard gainer

You don't consume enough calories, you don't train hard and smart enough, or both.

Myth 102: Weightlifting belts prevent lower-back

injuries

Injury rates are the same for lifting with or without a belt (115)(116).

Supplementation Myths

Myth 103: Whey protein is bad for you

Unless you can't tolerate dairy, whey protein is perfectly safe. In fact, it's a high-quality protein source that's linked to various health benefits. These include muscle growth, weight loss, reduced blood pressure, and lowered inflammation (117)(118)(119)(120).

Myth 104: Creatine is a steroid

Creatine is a natural substance found in a variety of foods, including red meat and fish. While creatine aids muscle growth, it's not a steroid.

Myth 105: Fat burners speed up metabolism

While some compounds like caffeine increase metabolism slightly (by up to around 100 calories per day), these effects are only temporary, and daily use makes you intolerant to the benefits within weeks or even days (121).

Myth 106: You need to take supplements

No pill or powder can help you reach your fitness goal without proper nutrition and exercise. Instead, supplements, as the name suggests, are a way to “supplement” your goals. While supplements may give you that little push that will help you accomplish your goals faster, their possible benefits are small, and they're by no means necessary.

Myth 107: Supplements can make you lose fat

Supplements themselves don't cause you to lose fat. At best, they can give you a little edge; for example, by reducing calorie intake or enhancing workout performance. But unless your diet is in check, that won't matter.

Myth 108: You need to drink BCAAs to stop

muscle breakdown

When you already consume enough protein through food, there's no benefit to supplementing with BCAAs. It won't provide any benefits. What's more, according to research published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism, BCAAs from food tend to be more effective at promoting muscle gains (122).

Myth 109: CLA burns fat

Only rat studies show fat loss benefits from conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation. No quality human evidence shows CLA to be more effective at aiding weight and fat loss in humans than a placebo (123)(124)(125).

Myth 110: Sleep isn't that important

Sleep is crucial for your health and figure. One meta-analysis involving 604,509 adults found that bad sleepers are 55% more likely to become obese (126). What's more, if you don't get enough sleep, you'll carry more fat but less muscle. One study found that sleeping 5.5 hours per day instead of 7.5 hours increased the loss of fat-free mass by 60%, while it reduced the proportion of weight lost in the form of fat by 55% (127).

Myth 111: Stress makes you fat

Stress itself doesn't make you fat. Acute stress actually aids fat loss by reducing hunger. But chronic stress can increase appetite and thereby encourage you to eat more, leading to fat gain. In other words, stress doesn't cause fat gain – overeating does (128).

Myth 112: Tracking macros is bad for mental

health

There's no research indicating that macro-tracking is bad for your health. However, one meta-analysis did found that weight loss programs involving calorie tracking produce, on average, 3.3 kilos more weight loss over one year than plans that don't (129).

Myth 113: "If I had the time, I would be in shape

too"

It's a matter of priorities. Everyone has twenty-four hours in their day. If you truly wanted to get in shape, you would make time for it. The average American adult, for instance, watches television for four hours per day. Even if you spend only one-sixth of that time getting in shape, you can achieve tremendous results (130).

Myth 114: I'm genetically meant to be fat

Nobody is genetically meant to be fat. Obesity was non-existent during hunter-gatherer times.

Myth 115: I've got thyroid issues so I can't lose

weight

While your metabolism may be up to a few hundred calories lower per day, you still can lose weight by being in a calorie deficit.

Myth 116: Having abs means you're healthy

While having abs tends to signal health, you can be unhealthy while still having a ripped midsection, especially if your body fat percentage is extremely low.

Myth 117: More sugar has made us obese

Sugar intake in the US has dropped over the last two decades, but more and more people are overweight and obese.

While sugar can cause overeating because it's not effective at satiating hunger, it's not the sole reason people have become heavier.

Myth 118: Zero-calorie sweeteners cause cancer

A recent review of studies involving 599,741 participants found no link between cancer risk and artificial sweetener consumption (131).

Myth 119: I can't lose weight even though I eat

fewer than 1,000 calories a day

You should lose weight if you consume only 1,000 calories per day. If not, it's most likely because of one of the following two reasons:

• You consume more calories than you think you do. (Track your calorie intake for a week.)

• You consume 1,000 calories on most days, but

occasionally, you undo all the fat loss results by binging on hundreds or even thousands of calories.

Myth 120: Muscle weighs more than fat

One pound of muscle weighs the same as one pound of fat. (It's one pound, after all.) The difference is that fat is bulkier. One pound of fat is roughly the size of a small grapefruit, while you can compare one pound of muscle to the size of a tangerine.

Myth 121: Motivation is the key to success

Discipline is the key to success. Motivation is temporary, but

discipline ensures you'll keep going when things get tough.