Written by Sonia, Sports Nutritionist · Updated 20 October 2026

Most of us know the basics: eat a little less and move a little more. The hard part is keeping it going. Research points to a few common beliefs that make weight loss harder than it needs to be, and to a body that adapts as you get lighter. Here are five myths, what the studies show instead, and how to make it work around hawker meals, long work days and Singapore's heat.

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What happens in your body when you lose weight?

As you lose weight, your body adjusts to hold on to its energy stores: hunger goes up and fullness signals go down. This is normal biology, and knowing about it helps you plan for it rather than blame yourself.

• Appetite hormones shift. In a study of 50 adults who lost weight over 10 weeks, levels of leptin (a hormone that signals fullness) were still lower and ghrelin (a hormone that drives hunger) was still higher a year later, and people still reported feeling hungrier.^[1]
• Your body defends its fat stores. Researchers describe a set of metabolic, hormonal and behavioural responses, called adaptive thermogenesis, that work to keep body fat at a level the brain sees as normal. It's a big reason keeping weight off can feel harder than losing it.^[2]
• Plateaus are expected. In a review of 80 weight loss trials with at least a year of follow-up, weight loss on reduced-calorie plans usually levelled off at around 6 months, and people in the longest studies were still keeping part of their loss at 4 years.^[3]

So a plateau is a signal to adjust your plan, not a sign that it has failed.

Myth 1: Is losing weight fast the best approach?

A steady pace you can keep up usually takes you further than a crash plan. The NHS suggests aiming to lose 0.5 to 1 kg a week.^[4] Since losing weight already raises hunger, a plan that leaves you starving from day one is hard to sustain.^[1]

Protecting your muscle matters too, because a reduced-calorie diet can take some lean mass along with fat. Two habits help:

• Eat enough protein. In controlled studies, higher-protein, reduced-calorie diets led to more weight and fat loss, and better preservation of lean mass, than lower-protein diets.^[5]
• Add strength work. Resistance training may increase fat-free mass and fat loss, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.^[6]

Myth 2: Do you have to cut out carbs to lose weight?

No. In a 12-month trial of 609 adults, a healthy low-carb diet and a healthy low-fat diet led to similar weight loss. Both groups were coached to focus on diet quality and on changes they could keep for the long term.^[7]

That's good news if you love rice and noodles. Singapore's My Healthy Plate guide fills a quarter of your plate with wholegrains, a quarter with protein and half with fruit and vegetables.^[8] Eating out matters here: according to HealthHub, people who usually eat at food centres take in about 200 kcal more (around 10% more) than those who seldom eat out.^[9] Small hawker swaps add up:

• Choose fish soup and ask for more vegetables, or ask for brown rice to feel fuller for longer.^[9]
• Look for the Healthier Choice Symbol, which marks stalls with at least one dish under 500 kcal.^[9]
• At the economy rice stall, order at least 2 vegetable dishes.^[8]
• Make water your usual drink, and enjoy sweet kopi, teh or bubble tea now and then. Water quenches thirst better than sugar-sweetened drinks.^[8]

Myth 3: Is exercise alone enough to lose weight?

Exercise works best for weight loss when it's paired with changes to what you eat. The American College of Sports Medicine found that 150 to 250 minutes a week of moderate activity gives modest weight loss on its own, adds to weight loss when combined with a moderate calorie cut, and that more than 250 minutes a week is linked with greater weight loss and better weight maintenance.^[6]

Singapore's guidelines recommend 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus activities that strengthen muscles, bones and joints on at least 2 days.^[10]

Movement outside your workouts counts as well. In a study that tracked posture every half-second for 10 days, volunteers with mild obesity sat for about 2 hours longer a day than lean volunteers. The researchers estimated that matching the lean group's everyday movement could use around 350 extra calories a day.^[11] In Singapore's heat, easy ways to move more include:

• Taking the stairs instead of the lift, and doing household chores.^[10]
• Walking or cycling part of your commute, using covered walkways or the cooler early morning and evening.
• Standing up for calls, or doing a lap of an air-conditioned mall on rainy or very hot days.

Myth 4: Is constant hunger just a willpower problem?

Hunger is biology, and what's on your plate changes how full you feel. Protein, fibre and water are the simplest tools you have.

• Protein at every meal. Higher-protein meals increase feelings of fullness and raise satiety hormones. A review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests about 25 to 30 g of protein per meal, as part of 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day.^[5] At the hawker centre, that could mean adding an egg, tofu or fish to your noodles.
• Fibre from wholegrains, fruit and vegetables. Wholegrains help keep you full for longer, and the water and fibre in fruit and vegetables add volume to your meals.^[8]
• Water before meals. In a 12-week study, adults aged 55 to 75 on a reduced-calorie diet who drank 500 ml of water before each main meal lost more weight than those on the diet alone.^[12]

For daily targets by age and activity level, see our guide to how much protein women actually need.

Myth 5: Do sleep and stress really affect your weight?

Yes. Short sleep and stress both change your appetite, and either one can make a sensible plan feel much harder.

• Short sleep raises hunger. After 2 nights of restricted sleep, healthy young men had 18% lower leptin (a fullness hormone), 28% higher ghrelin (a hunger hormone) and 24% more hunger, with the biggest rise in appetite for calorie-dense, high-carbohydrate foods.^[13]
• Good sleep protects fat loss. In a 14-day study of adults on the same reduced-calorie diet, sleeping 5.5 hours instead of 8.5 hours cut the share of weight lost as fat by 55% and increased the loss of fat-free mass, which includes muscle, by 60%.^[14]
• Stress can steer you to sweet food. In a laboratory study of 59 women, those whose cortisol rose most under stress ate more calories on the stressful day, and chose more sweet food overall.^[15]

With long work hours, sleep is often the first thing to go. Keep a regular bedtime where you can, plan a simple dinner for late nights, and find a short way to unwind, such as an evening walk. Read more on why stress has you reaching for sugar at night.

What does research say works instead?

The plans that last share a few habits: a moderate calorie cut, foods you enjoy, protein and fibre at every meal, daily movement and enough sleep. Here's each myth next to what the research shows.

Sources: clinical trials and reviews on appetite hormones, diet type, protein and sleep, the American College of Sports Medicine, the NHS, HealthHub and Singapore's physical activity guidelines.^{[1] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [10] [13] [14]}

Where does a slimming supplement fit in?

A supplement works best as daily support alongside the habits above, so look for one with ingredients that have been studied in people, at the amounts used in those studies.

• Moro blood orange extract. In a 6-month placebo-controlled trial, adults with overweight who took 400 mg of Moro blood orange extract a day, alongside a calorie-controlled diet and exercise, had greater reductions in body weight, waist and hip measurements and body fat than the placebo group.^[16] An earlier 12-week study of the same 400 mg daily amount also found greater reductions in body weight, waist and hip measurements than placebo.^[17]
• Bifidobacterium lactis CECT 8145. In a 3-month trial in adults carrying extra weight around the middle, a daily dose of 10 billion heat-killed (postbiotic) cells of this strain reduced waist circumference compared with placebo and lowered visceral fat, the deeper fat around the organs, with the clearest results in women.^[18]

Sicilian Orange Slimming Elixir brings both into one ready-to-drink sachet. Each sachet has 400 mg of Morosil® extract, made from Moro blood oranges grown in the volcanic soil around Mount Etna in Sicily, the same daily amount used in the trials above. It also has 10 billion postbiotic cells of the CECT 8145 strain, L-carnitine and 3 g of fibre. Take 1 sachet a day, about 30 minutes before a meal, as part of a routine with balanced meals, daily movement and good sleep. If you're pregnant, breastfeeding, on medication or have allergies, check with your doctor first.

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Related reading: Does eating late really cause weight gain? · Are slimming teas a scam? What actually works for weight management · How much protein do women actually need?

Frequently asked questions

Why am I not losing weight even though I'm eating less?
Common reasons include portions or drinks that have crept back up, short sleep, stress, and your body adjusting as you get lighter. Keeping a simple log of what you eat, drink and sleep for a week often shows where the gaps are. Small, steady changes to those areas usually get things moving again.

How do I get past a weight loss plateau?
First, check that your portions, snacks and drinks still match your plan, since they tend to drift over time. Then add a little more daily movement or an extra strength session, and protect your sleep. Give each change a few weeks before you judge it, because progress often comes in steps rather than a straight line.

When should I talk to a doctor about my weight?
Speak to your doctor if you have a health condition, take medication that may affect your weight, or have made steady changes for several months without progress. A doctor can check for underlying causes and talk you through your options, including medical treatments where they are suitable.

Is Sicilian Orange Slimming Elixir suitable for everyone?
Sicilian Orange Slimming Elixir is free from dairy, gluten, soy and nuts. If you're pregnant, breastfeeding, on prescribed medication or have allergies, check with your doctor before you start.

References
[1] Sumithran P et al. Long-term persistence of hormonal adaptations to weight loss. N Engl J Med. 2011.
[2] Rosenbaum M, Leibel RL. Adaptive thermogenesis in humans. Int J Obes (Lond). 2010.
[3] Franz MJ et al. Weight-loss outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of weight-loss clinical trials with a minimum 1-year follow-up. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007.
[4] NHS. Overweight and obesity. Page last reviewed 29 April 2026.
[5] Leidy HJ et al. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015.
[6] Donnelly JE et al. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Appropriate physical activity intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009.
[7] Gardner CD et al. Effect of low-fat vs low-carbohydrate diet on 12-month weight loss in overweight adults and the association with genotype pattern or insulin secretion: the DIETFITS randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2018.
[8] Health Promotion Board, HealthHub. Nutritious foods for a healthy diet (My Healthy Plate).
[9] Health Promotion Board, HealthHub. Eating light at a hawker centre is possible. Last reviewed 4 July 2025.
[10] Health Promotion Board and Sport Singapore. Singapore's physical activity guidelines revised to tackle sedentarism and promote variation in physical activity. 12 June 2022.
[11] Levine JA et al. Interindividual variation in posture allocation: possible role in human obesity. Science. 2005.
[12] Dennis EA et al. Water consumption increases weight loss during a hypocaloric diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010.
[13] Spiegel K et al. Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Ann Intern Med. 2004.
[14] Nedeltcheva AV et al. Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity. Ann Intern Med. 2010.
[15] Epel E et al. Stress may add bite to appetite in women: a laboratory study of stress-induced cortisol and eating behavior. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2001.
[16] Briskey D et al. Effectiveness of "Moro" blood orange Citrus sinensis Osbeck (Rutaceae) standardized extract on weight loss in overweight but otherwise healthy men and women: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study. Nutrients. 2022.
[17] Cardile V et al. Clinical evaluation of Moro (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) orange juice supplementation for the weight management. Nat Prod Res. 2015.
[18] Pedret A et al. Effects of daily consumption of the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CECT 8145 on anthropometric adiposity biomarkers in abdominally obese subjects: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Obes (Lond). 2019.

These statements have not been evaluated by any regulatory authority. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual results may vary. Consult a healthcare provider before use if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or on prescribed medication.