It's an industry which continues to soar in popularity - and in truth there is probably no ceiling. In other words, losing weight is always going to be a hot topic, like it or not.
Of course, on one hand at least, the situation has been made a little easier. We now have the likes of liposuction to turn to, and this means that in the most severe cases there can be light at the end of a tunnel where there used to be little hope.
Nevertheless, if you are in the business of researching how to lose weight naturally, there is a lot of information out there. On the downside, much of this information can be inaccurate (we generally have the world wide web to thank for that).
This is the reason behind today's article. Sure, we can't detail each and every piece of fake news or misinformation, but we can pinpoint some of the biggest myths that are currently donning the weight loss industry and exactly what you can do to combat them.
"Starving yourself is a good way to lose weight"
We could have referred this first myth as a "crash diet". As you have probably found out already, these don't work in the slightest. Sure, you might lose the pounds during the first few weeks or months, but as time progresses this certainly isn't a sustainable way to manage your weight.
Not only is it difficult to keep up (after all, who is going to be motivated by starving themselves for life?), let's not forget that you might miss out on a lot of essential nutrients. As such, from a general health perspective, this isn't advisable either.
"You should always turn to 'low fat' foods"
The marketing departments behind a lot of food manufacturers have a lot to answer for with their labelling. While they aren't strictly lying by classing something as low-fat, this doesn't necessarily equate to benefits.
The only thing this label does do is say that it contains less fat than the full-fat version. Not only that, but these alternatives are known for being high in sugar, which obviously has its own repercussions.
"You should cut out all snacking"
This relates very closely to the first point we spoke about. Let's put this out there; snacking doesn't have to be bad. In fact, a lot of people rely on it to keep their energy levels up. Without it, they will gorge on the wrong food.
The problem is when you opt to snack on this wrong food to start with. This ploughs you with unnecessary calories, and the fact that these traditional snacks tend to contain bucketloads of sugar doesn't help matters either.
"You need to run miles every day to lose weight"
Finally, don't buy into the notion that you simply have to have a hugely complicated exercise plan to shift the pounds. Put simply, it's not true.
Will it help you? Absolutely. To suggest that it is essential is a gross exaggeration though. For most people, it's simply a case of being a little more active. This might mean walking to the shop, rather than driving. It certainly doesn't have to mean running a marathon every other weekend.
Marina Pal is a renowned author and social media enthusiast.