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Fifty-three percent of Americans want to lose weight according to a 2016Gallup poll.

There are potentially dangerous options out there, so being vigilant is of paramount importance.

Woman drinking a smoothie

There’s a lot of advice out there, and not all of it is good.

Here are some of the things that everyone gets wrong about weight loss.

But are these effective?

Woman with water and vitamin

These products are usually costly and amount to nothing more than a glorified laxative."

She told us that he often reminds people that the body has ways of detoxifying itself without help.

“In fact,” she said, “such cleanses can be harmful for some people.

Hungry woman with silverware

And that’s not an effective strategy.

So it’s important to listen to your body and eat when you feel physically hungry.

“This ultimately lowers your metabolism and promotes fat storage, further preventing weight loss,” she noted.

Eating with calorie app

There’s a good reason wrought calorie counting won’t work anyway: science.

This explains why the more you diet, the harder it seems to get.

So all of this dieting makes it harder and harder to lose weight.

Photo of vitamins

to diet in the first place.

But popping a pill is anything but the right way to approach weight loss.

Both approaches are outrageous.

Woman holding belly

They assume that there is something intrinsically wrong with us that needs to be fixed.”

Additionally, these pills promote the idea that something is wrong with women that we can’t lose weight.

Kogan continued, “From the ‘alternative community’ there is not much help either.

Sad woman

And that faulty logic that women are broken isn’t helping women in the least.

But it’s not so simple.

Eating fat can actually be an effective weight loss tool!

Woman smiling with child

But the reality, according to Puryear, is that the opposite is true.

So in short, Puryear is saying that to burn fat, you have to eat fat.

When you do the math, Shedorick said that the fat calories can add up.

Woman eating a burger

“One quarter of a cup of olive oil is approximately 400 calories!

Suffice to say that it adds up, so be mindful with your fats.

You take care of the things you love significant other, children, pets.

Photo of genetics

You don’t want to work hard for something you dislike.”

But often times, simply carrying extra pounds can be an indicator of deeper problems.

Unfortunately, this is not often the case.

Woman looking in a mirror

Weight loss is not a ‘fix all’ for other challenges.”

Yet that’s all anyone focuses on," she told us.

This just feeds the diet-binge cycle and keeps those in it stuck.

Couple stretching

They also are not sustainable for long periods of time.

Basler noted that it’s important to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger.

Listen to your body.

Person stepping onto the scale

Watching a small child eat is how we intuitively eat.

They eat when they are hungry and stop when they are satisfied.

She explained that there have been studies estimating a genetic component to obesity.

Bowl of healthy food

Specifically, the FTO gene, she explained, has been associated with a higher BMI.

Basler noted it’s not clear exactly what impact genetics have on weight.

A group of nearly 9,000 people were enrolled in 11 studies in which they agreed to genetic analysis.

Oranges in a basket

They were randomly assigned to a variety of weight loss methods, including diet, or drug-based therapies.

So it seems that genes aren’t preventing us from dropping unwanted pounds after all.

However, being heavy doesn’t mean you aren’t in good shape overall.

Gluten-free bread

Acceptance is necessary before anything is going to change, at least permanently change."

Are you still doing something wrong?

It comes down tostress.

Woman making a smoothie

Dieting itself can also make you stressed.

Why does the body react like this?

It’s part of our biology.

Woman eating burger

Faced with a saber-toothed cat, the options were to fight or run away.

This energy comes from stored glycogen in the muscles and liver.

It’s broken down into glucose and sent through the blood to the working muscles.

Person with plate of food

How does this play our for modern women, then?

“These days, we don’t run or fight - we’re lucky to get exercise.

Our stress doesn’t last four minutes, it is chronic.

Keto diet

This, in turn, causes more stress and it continues.”

So it’s important to be aware of stress levels lest you fall into the stress trap.

Wrong,and that’s not just our opinion.

Perhaps you’re more hydrated than normal; maybe you’re menstruating.

Now let’s talk about the psychological effects of the scale.

If you’re still not convinced, we should talk about body composition.

In a study conducted byHarvard’s T.H.

News & World Report.

“It’s clear that the low-fat approach isn’t working.”

What are some consequences, you might ask?

Digestion issues, bloating, and even weight gain.

So there you have it: Consume your fruit in moderation.

We hate to break the weight loss bubble, but that logic doesn’t necessarily pan out.

We don’t want to sound aggressive, but you gotta eat.

If you don’t believe us, here’s some science.

The health coach implemented the plan, motivating followers to ditch food for three weeks straight.

Of course, many of them lost weight, but the smoothie diet comes with a catch: longevity.

The result of a fad like the 21-Day Smoothie Diet?

Something that is called the yo-yo diet effect (viaWebMD), where the body’s weight fluctuates regularly.

But what about intermittent fasting as a weight-loss solution?

We have a resounding answer for you: Not today.

Not as a result of fasting, it turns out.

“Almost every pop in of diet out there works for some people.

What about the keto diet, Whole30, or other trendy eating plans with testimonials praising said methods?

As noted by the Mayo Clinic, the keto diet may not be all that it seems.

Where does that leave you if you want to lose some extra pounds?