Losing body fat (especially belly fat) is an issue most adults will deal with directly or know someone who is. But what is the most efficient way to lose fat? That is an age-old question.
One of the most common issues we see involving adults and their general health is maintaining a healthy level of body fat. It is extremely common for many adults to be either overweight, or obese and the body part of most concern is usually stomach size of “belly fat.”
The issue with excess belly fat goes beyond just the related health concerns (elevated blood pressure, increase risk of stroke etc.) and is often viewed in pop culture, society, and media as a negative part of a person’s physical appearance.
Due to the widespread confusion on how to lose weight many people can fall prey to fad diets, and unproven “tips, tricks, shortcuts” to losing belly fat.
Here are some examples that can be found online of misinformation or “junk science.” Anything offering results based off techniques such as this are usually best avoided.
- Magic pills for weight loss
- Magic drinks for weight loss
- Special oils rubbed into skin on specific body parts
- Special massage to burn body fat
Misconceptions
One of the biggest misconceptions out there is the ability for “spot reducing body fat.” This means reducing fat in one targeted area of the body at a time. This is not possible and completely disproven by science (fat loss has a cumulative effect on the body as whole, and genetics determine where and when different areas will be most affected by fat loss.)
Here are some media examples of “junk science,” or misinformation to avoid.
The above YouTube video states that a concoction of water, fruits, apple cider vinegar, and green tea can be blended with the goal of drinking one cup in the morning and one cup in the afternoon. The author of the video claims it will “burn” away body fat, and specifically “belly fat.”
The above video states that there is a special kind of massage that will decrease body fat, specifically body fat on the belly area. They state the massage will “smooth out pockets of fat around the midsection.” The author states to perform it 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon.
The above video shows a treatment that they state to “expect a 20% reduction” of body fat “per treatment.” The treatment shows them applying a cooling device to fat on the belly, removing it and showing the fat stuck in a form “like a stick of butter.” Then they massage it for 2 minutes. They then show pictures of people who supposedly now have small waists and stomachs from this “treatment.”
Notice how none of the above videos reference science backed sources?
What Do the Experts Say? Lets look at three reputable sources.
“Dietary and Herbal Supplements for weight Loss: Assessing the Quality of Patient Information Online”
The study found a wide array of information sources online of varying quality in relation to the accuracy of the information offered. The study found that the most accurate information on weight loss websites were government websites. The websites offering the most inaccurate and non-scientific based evidence for weight loss were commercial websites (like youtube,) usually with a goal to sell supplements to the consumer directly.
“Diffusing Obesity Myths.”
The study identified 10 of the most common myths and then used evidence-based research to counter them. The obesity myths that were found on many search results (websites, social media etc.) were widespread. The study also found that constant stigma of obesity and excess weight had a negative impact on mental health for many people.
“Errors and Myths in Feeding and nutrition: Impact on the Problems of Obesity”
This journal focused on obesity, how weight (thin bodies) is influenced by social media/pop culture and looked at so called “weight loss foods” that apparently can perform extreme amounts of weight loss just by consuming them (misinformation.)
Results of the study showed the supplement did nothing for weight loss. It also discussed how the misinformation for “special diets,” can also be dangerous towards a person’s health, because they often replace healthy and nutritious foods with junk foods, in order to sell their diet to people.
Wrap Up
As we can see from the above sources. There has been a large amount of misinformation spread on the internet when it comes to weight loss. Techniques found in the media sources listed are not backed up by science nor proven to have any success.
The simple scientifically backed methods to weight loss are.
- To decrease fat, a person must not be taking in more calories than needed (this is known as a calorie surplus.)
- If the calories being used by the body are less than the calories being expended by the body, then that is known as a calorie deficit.Three of the easiest ways to enter a calorie deficit in order to lose belly fat (and fat overall,) are:
- Take in less calories each day by reducing food and beverage consumption.
- Increase calories burned by performing exercise such as walking, running or biking.
- Strength/resistance training with weights to build muscle because a more muscular body will increase the calories needed each day.
References
Bright Side. (2018, Dec 1). Massage Your Belly For 15 Minutes To Make It Flat. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZKYzEM4jOM
Dr. Swati Kannan. (2022, Jul 7). How To Freeze Your Fat With CoolScuplting? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snibBSEU-CQ
Ng, J. Y., Ahmed, S., & Zhang, C. J. (2021). Dietary and herbal supplements for weight loss: assessing the quality of patient information online. Nutrition Journal, 20(1), 1–13. https://ezproxy.neit.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=151626643&site=ehost-live
Ramos Salas, X., Forhan, M., & Sharma, A. M. (2014). Diffusing obesity myths. Clinical Obesity, 4(3), 189–196 https://ezproxy.neit.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=96108426&site=ehost-live
Rozy’s Kitchen. (2022, Jan 4). Belly Fat Burner Drink – Strongest Fat Burner Drink. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrvy3374EqI
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Zamora Navarro, S., & Pérez-Llamas, F. (2013). Errors and myths in feeding and nutrition: Impact on the problems of obesity. Nutrición Hospitalaria, 28, 81–88. https://ezproxy.neit.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=89966319&site=ehost-live