2. Alcohol doesn't make you put on weight
Alcohol contains calories both in sugar and in the alcohol itself. A glass of wine, ½ pint of beer or a measure of spirit each contain about 100 calories. So if you have just 3 drinks a day, that's a huge 2,100 calories a week!

3. Being fat is in my genes so there is nothing I can do about it
Evidence has shown that it is more likely to be eating and exercise habits that run in families rather than a slow metabolism. Odds are if you are overweight, you exercise less and eat more than the slim people around you. Change your lifestyle and eating habits and you can change your shape!

4. Fast loss diets can make you lose 20lbs of fat in two weeks
This is impossible. The body can only lose up to 4 lbs of fat as energy per week. If you lose more it will be glycogen, liquid or even muscle. Lose weight at a steady rate and it will be fat you lose, and you will find it easier to keep off too. Current recommendations are to lose no more than 2lbs of weight each week to maintain your health.

5. Diet can target certain parts of the body
I'm afraid liposuction is the only method to do that! We burn fat from all parts of the body. But persist - it will go off your problem areas eventually and exercise can help by tightening up specific muscles and making you look slimmer in those areas.

6. Starvation is the best way to lose weight
Remember what we said in myth 4 about only being able to lose up to 4lbs of fat per week? If you starve yourself, you will still only lose that amount of fat, and any extra could be muscle. Less muscle means a lower metabolism as muscle uses more calories in maintenance than fat. So starving yourself could contribute to putting on more fat in the future!

7. Exercise won't make you lose weight
Exercise helps in a number of ways. Increasing muscle can increase your metabolism, it uses up calories and can improve your self-esteem, making it easier to stick to your eating plan, and helping you lose weight faster.