Social media is awash with weight loss advice that's racking up millions of views – but much of it is complete nonsense, according to one nutrition expert.
Kevin Greene, a medical scientist and nutritionist who serves as Managing Director at Almased, has identified five particularly harmful diet myths that are sabotaging people's efforts to shed pounds.
These misconceptions have spread like wildfire online despite having no real scientific backing.
Greene warns they can leave dieters feeling utterly frustrated, and in some cases, lead people to give up on their health goals entirely.
Some of the most popular weight loss tips could actually be working against you
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Myth 1: Skipping meals helps you lose weight faster
"Eating regular, balanced meals throughout the day supports metabolism," Greene states. "When you skip meals, your body may compensate by slowing down metabolic processes."
Conversely, missing meals triggers hunger hormones like ghrelin, which leaves you feeling tired and more likely to overeat later on.
Greene recommends sticking to three balanced meals daily for the best results.
Myth 2: Avoiding carbohydrates after 6pm
"The idea that carbs eaten after a certain hour automatically turn to fat ignores how the body actually works," Greene noted. "What matters most is your overall nutritional balance throughout the day."
Your metabolism doesn't simply shut down when evening arrives.
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Myth 3: All calories are created equal
"Nutrition research shows that 100 calories from protein affects your body very differently than 100 calories from simple sugars," Greene explained.
This comes down to something called the thermic effect of food – protein digestion burns up to 20-30 per cent of its calories, while carbohydrates only use 5-10 per cent.
Protein also keeps you feeling fuller and helps maintain muscle mass when you're losing weight.
"This makes protein-rich nutrition particularly effective for weight management," Greene noted.
Myth 4: You need gruelling workouts to lose weight
"Walking 30 minutes daily combined with balanced nutrition typically produces more sustainable outcomes than exhausting gym sessions with poor eating habits," Greene explained.
NHS guidelines suggest 150 minutes of moderate activity weekly is plenty.
Myth 5: Detox diets can flush fat from your body
"Detox diets are often marketed as a shortcut to a 'cleaner and leaner' body, but they don't actually flush fat from your system," Greene explained.
"The idea that juices, teas, or cleanses can melt away fat is a dangerous misconception."
Protein keeps you feeling fuller and helps maintain muscle mass
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Your liver and kidneys are brilliant at filtering out toxins naturally – they don't need any help from expensive cleanses.
While these programmes might make you feel lighter temporarily, that's usually just water loss or reduced calorie intake.
"These approaches aren't targeting body fat; in fact most of these cleanses don't contain high-quality protein and therefore consumers are often losing dangerous amounts of muscle," Greene emphasises.
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