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What are your unpopular opinions about health / fitness?
Replies
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This isn't so much an unpopular Health/Fitness opinion, but a pet peeve about the MFP forums. It bugs me when people don't even look at the current threads to see if there's a conversation about their topic of interest before starting a new one. Do we really need THREE active keto threads on the first page of the Motivation forum?!16
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veronikamellon wrote: »Ya'll will slaughter me here but I believe there is more to CICO than meets the eye. Human body is not a car engine, it is much more complex. There are multiple variables that can throw the math off. Heck even the calorie intake and burn measurements are often extremely imprecise. Until they invent some sort of an implant that measures exactly how much is consumed and burned, I will remain skeptical. That being said, I still log calories, since it is a working method, albeit imperfect.
So explain to me how I've lost nearly 70 pounds using such a flawed, imprecise, imperfect system.
I didn't do keto or low carb. I didn't fast, nor did I go paleo, vegetarian or vegan. I didn't cut a single thing out of my diet. I didn't detox, cleanse, drink ACV or Shakeology, nor did I take "fat burners" or appetite suppressants. I'm 54 years old, I drink diet soda daily, eat fast food several times a week, don't even track my sugar intake and still eat candy, ice cream, etc. I drink beer and hard alcohol on occasion. I eat plenty of red meat and am not in the least scared of carbs or fats.
In short, I haven't done any of the "tricks" or fads that people think help with weight loss. All I've done is count calories (even eyeballing a large portion of my meals rather than using a food scale), maintained a reasonable deficit and exercised consistently. I've refined my calorie goals based upon feedback obtained from the scale and anthropomorphic measurements as I went along. My blood pressure has lowered significantly, my GERD is completely gone, my RHR has dropped to the high 40s/low 50s, my bodyfat has gone from about 35% to around 15% and I have no medical/health issues whatsoever. I'm in the best health and physical condition that I've been since my teens and if I could go back in time I could easily kick my 20, 30 or 40 year-old butt.
So I guess my unpopular opinion is that not only does CICO work, it's the only thing that works. It's the only way anybody loses weight, whether they choose to recognize that fact or not. You can refuse to believe in gravity, but you're still going to hit the ground when you jump out of a tree.15 -
waybetter2 wrote: »I think I jumped onto the wrong conversation. Not much understanding for those of us who are getting started on a new plan. I take full responsibility for my obesity- I have consistently eaten way too much food and exercised very little for many years. My joke was always, "It's not easy to maintain a figure like this." Most people thought it was funny except the people determined to feel sorry for me which, let's be clear, is a form of judgement. I have never expected or wanted anyone to feel bad for me, blamed anyone else for my weight, or missed out on things I wanted to do. Let's face it, I'm less active because I don't necessarily enjoy the activities others love. You might say it's the whole chicken vs egg thing but I was there. I've never been very active and have to make myself get out there and get physical every single time- it's never because it sounds like fun to me. I like healthy foods and I like junk foods and I eat a bunch of both. Seriously, kale, sweet potato, brown rice and a small pork chop for dinner one night, then Mac Donald's for lunch the next day. But I'm healthy whether you want to hear it or not. By all medical and mental health measures, I'm a healthy woman. I want to have more energy and I want to be thinner because clothes so I'm here to try to move the needle in that direction. Lot of judgy people around here though. Maybe I need to stay out of the chats and just do my thing. Yeah. Good luck to y'all. Be nice though, ok?
To be fair, going into a debate thread that specifically states itself to be about unpopular opinions is not the best way to gauge a community as a whole...22 -
I don't think you're allowed to say that on MFP. You're allowed to eat cocaine laced with gasoline as long as you measure it to the gram on a food scale and fit the calories into your day.[/quote]
Brilliant!
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I admit to being one of the judgy people. Sorry.
But not in a mean way, I hope, and I never insult people (to their face *or* behind their backs--turn the other cheek and all that). Having "been there," I know weight gain/obesity can have a number of health and psychological causes--not just effects. I get judgmental when people express a desire to be "thinner"/"healthier"/better in general, but never actually make any changes. At all. I lived with people like this for years.
If someone's obese and okay with it, I don't care. If someone's obese and constantly whines about it, I judge. It's weird, I know.
I believe (even though it's unpopular...) that carbs are like God. It's amazing I'm not diabetic, especially given my family history...3 -
jseams1234 wrote: »Heres one: If you don't break a sweat during your workout you aren't working out.
I find it amazing that so many out-of-shape people in my gym never seem to experience any discomfort and can walk out as clean and as dry as they walked in.
... or maybe it's just me. I end up looking like a miserable wet dog even on days where it's all weights and no cardio. lol
... or maybe they are in shape and I'm out of shape. hmmmmm
I row regularly in a double (2-person rowing shell), with two different people. Me, I sweat like a lawn sprinkler. I'm that wet dog. M, my most frequent double partner, also sweats copiously. J, the other partner, might sweat a little if it's 90+ degrees F, otherwise, not much. Boat speed similar. Fitness pretty similar. I think all of us are getting a similarly good workout. I worry that J could have health issues if it's really hot outside, though. So far, hasn't happened.
I've read about it - many causes. Some genetic and some health related. A lot of people are just not hydrated enough which will cause less sweating. I'm mostly talking about the people I see reading books on the treadmill walking 1mph or people doing 1 set per machine at 30% 1RM thinking they are workin' it.
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Here's my #1 unpopular opinion: I think there's far too much woo and derp surrounding keto/low-carb dieting.
I don't have any problem with the diet/way of eating/whatever you want to call it in itself - it can be a viable, healthy modality if used correctly. What I have a problem with are all the claims of magick and wizardry surrounding it, the scientifically unfounded demonization of carbohydrates/sugars, and the total ignorance of context and dosage. Not to mention the unscrupulous and unhinged "doctors" and "researchers" who delude their followers with cherry-picked research, pseudoscience and complete denial of the most basic concepts of physiology to further their agenda and sell their books/products.
Keto/low-carb has shown some efficacy in helping with some specific medical conditions. It's not a panacea which will miraculously cure every disease known to man, nor is it a magical solution to weight loss which somehow defies the laws of energy balance.
If it helps you (the general "you") with your satiety and adherence, cool. Good for you, you've found what works for you, go forth and enjoy. But that doesn't mean it's The One True Way for everybody and that all the poor, unwashed non-keto mortals are going to drop dead of the diabeetus because they ate a banana for breakfast or had a couple slices of bread with dinner.
*In my opinion.*32 -
"To be fair, going into a debate thread that specifically states itself to be about unpopular opinions is not the best way to gauge a community as a whole..."
Fair enough. Like I started out saying, I think I jumped into the wrong conversation. Somehow I thought it would be a discussion about unpopular opinions about health and fitness like which diets are most effective and how to get the most out of your exercise plan and not necessarily slide into the judgment and intolerance of those who aren't healthy or fit. And, seriously, there are still people who think it's impossible to be overweight and healthy. That's not an unpopular opinion, that's a judgment with no scientific basis. That's the kind of thing I'm bothered by. It's OK though. I'm a big girl and if I didn't know how to let this stuff roll, I'd have a whole different life.0 -
jseams1234 wrote: »Whenever I suggest to newbies to try to pick low calorie n high nutrient foods n everyone YELLS "you can eat whatever u want as long as u r in a caloric deficit" as if I don't understand that. It's like who cares about the long term health, just lose the damn weight! I cheat n eat out regularly but I try to use the 80/20 rule n picking the healthier choice most of the time because I care about my quality of life. I think it's plain irresponsible for people to keep telling newbies to eat whatever they want as long as they can lose the weight.
The reason people preach CICO and eating what you want, just at a reduced level, is that eating kale and blanched green beans for every meal is boring and most would give up on that kind of diet before they see any real results.
It's not about a "diet" it's about a lifestyle change and eating less of the things you love is more realistic than eating a crap ton of things you hate.
again, i totally understand that philosophy because i eat most of the food that i used to eat but in just the 'right' amount thats because i know what i m doing from using MFP everyday for a while now.
what i m talking about is telling people who never used MFP n never counted calories n many of them dont even know what to do with the daily allowance number. after we got our driver license, we all go over the speed limit at times n we all roll a stop sign at times but do professional driving instructors tell their students in the first lesson that its ok to do those things once in a while or do they say dont do this n dont do that?5 -
This isn't so much an unpopular Health/Fitness opinion, but a pet peeve about the MFP forums. It bugs me when people don't even look at the current threads to see if there's a conversation about their topic of interest before starting a new one. Do we really need THREE active keto threads on the first page of the Motivation forum?!
I've come to the conclusion that people who don't have a brain-to-mouth filter IRL do the same thing on forums. If it pops into their brains, it's the start of a thread. It may have the exact title as the most recent thread on the page, but it's their thought, dammit, and they're going to run with it. Still annoying.
eta: corrected grammar error 7 -
This isn't so much an unpopular Health/Fitness opinion, but a pet peeve about the MFP forums. It bugs me when people don't even look at the current threads to see if there's a conversation about their topic of interest before starting a new one. Do we really need THREE active keto threads on the first page of the Motivation forum?!
I've come to the conclusion that people who don't have a brain-to-mouth filter IRL do the same thing on forums. If it pops into their brains, it's the start of a thread. It may have the exact title as the most recent thread on the page, but it's their thought, dammit, and they're going to run with it. Still annoying.
Devil's advocate, you will often find that posters with an interest in the topic will go through and respond to every thread on the topic that's been posted on the subject that day, in a small window of time, thus bumping them all to the front page and making them look far more common than they are. In particular the keto threads, usually inviting the OP to join the group.10 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »This isn't so much an unpopular Health/Fitness opinion, but a pet peeve about the MFP forums. It bugs me when people don't even look at the current threads to see if there's a conversation about their topic of interest before starting a new one. Do we really need THREE active keto threads on the first page of the Motivation forum?!
I've come to the conclusion that people who don't have a brain-to-mouth filter IRL do the same thing on forums. If it pops into their brains, it's the start of a thread. It may have the exact title as the most recent thread on the page, but it's their thought, dammit, and their going to run with it. Still annoying.
Devil's advocate, you will often find that posters with an interest in the topic will go through and respond to every thread on the topic that's been posted on the subject that day, in a small window of time, thus bumping them all to the front page and making them look far more common than they are. In particular the keto threads, usually inviting the OP to join the group.
That's true too - you'll see several threads on the same topic with the same person as the last poster, along with a couple of new ones with different posters as OP.
And I'n cringing now because I noticed that where you quoted me I used "their" for "they're". Sigh.1 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »This isn't so much an unpopular Health/Fitness opinion, but a pet peeve about the MFP forums. It bugs me when people don't even look at the current threads to see if there's a conversation about their topic of interest before starting a new one. Do we really need THREE active keto threads on the first page of the Motivation forum?!
I've come to the conclusion that people who don't have a brain-to-mouth filter IRL do the same thing on forums. If it pops into their brains, it's the start of a thread. It may have the exact title as the most recent thread on the page, but it's their thought, dammit, and their going to run with it. Still annoying.
Devil's advocate, you will often find that posters with an interest in the topic will go through and respond to every thread on the topic that's been posted on the subject that day, in a small window of time, thus bumping them all to the front page and making them look far more common than they are. In particular the keto threads, usually inviting the OP to join the group.
That's true too - you'll see several threads on the same topic with the same person as the last poster, along with a couple of new ones with different posters as OP.
And I'n cringing now because I noticed that where you quoted me I used "their" for "they're". Sigh. fixed 1 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »This isn't so much an unpopular Health/Fitness opinion, but a pet peeve about the MFP forums. It bugs me when people don't even look at the current threads to see if there's a conversation about their topic of interest before starting a new one. Do we really need THREE active keto threads on the first page of the Motivation forum?!
I've come to the conclusion that people who don't have a brain-to-mouth filter IRL do the same thing on forums. If it pops into their brains, it's the start of a thread. It may have the exact title as the most recent thread on the page, but it's their thought, dammit, and their going to run with it. Still annoying.
Devil's advocate, you will often find that posters with an interest in the topic will go through and respond to every thread on the topic that's been posted on the subject that day, in a small window of time, thus bumping them all to the front page and making them look far more common than they are. In particular the keto threads, usually inviting the OP to join the group.
That's true too - you'll see several threads on the same topic with the same person as the last poster, along with a couple of new ones with different posters as OP.
And I'n cringing now because I noticed that where you quoted me I used "their" for "they're". Sigh. fixed
Bless you
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veronikamellon wrote: »Ya'll will slaughter me here but I believe there is more to CICO than meets the eye. Human body is not a car engine, it is much more complex. There are multiple variables that can throw the math off. Heck even the calorie intake and burn measurements are often extremely imprecise. Until they invent some sort of an implant that measures exactly how much is consumed and burned, I will remain skeptical. That being said, I still log calories, since it is a working method, albeit imperfect.
How often do you get stuck with your car because you didn't know exactly to the millilitre how much gas you needed?14 -
stevencloser wrote: »veronikamellon wrote: »Ya'll will slaughter me here but I believe there is more to CICO than meets the eye. Human body is not a car engine, it is much more complex. There are multiple variables that can throw the math off. Heck even the calorie intake and burn measurements are often extremely imprecise. Until they invent some sort of an implant that measures exactly how much is consumed and burned, I will remain skeptical. That being said, I still log calories, since it is a working method, albeit imperfect.
How often do you get stuck with your car because you didn't know exactly to the millilitre how much gas you needed?
Did you know that it's also impossible to accurately calculate gas mileage, because there is much more to it than meets the eye? There are multiple variables that can throw the math off (acceleration, road surface, air temperature/density, altitude, speed, grades, wind drag factor, etc.). The burn measurements are often extremely imprecise, yet the vast majority of people are perfectly capable of filling their cars up with fuel before they run out of gas.20 -
Hmmm...I have no problem with taking an EC stack, I do think there are appropriate times for aggressive weight loss even if you aren't very overweight and I don't really moderate food. I keep a very sparse food environment and only indulge outside of the house.0
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My unpopular opinions:
* It is NOT impossible for anyone to loose weight.
* Being fat is a choice.
* BMI is not the gold standard for every body type.
* No one's life is too busy to exercise.9 -
jseams1234 wrote: »jseams1234 wrote: »Heres one: If you don't break a sweat during your workout you aren't working out.
I find it amazing that so many out-of-shape people in my gym never seem to experience any discomfort and can walk out as clean and as dry as they walked in.
... or maybe it's just me. I end up looking like a miserable wet dog even on days where it's all weights and no cardio. lol
... or maybe they are in shape and I'm out of shape. hmmmmm
I row regularly in a double (2-person rowing shell), with two different people. Me, I sweat like a lawn sprinkler. I'm that wet dog. M, my most frequent double partner, also sweats copiously. J, the other partner, might sweat a little if it's 90+ degrees F, otherwise, not much. Boat speed similar. Fitness pretty similar. I think all of us are getting a similarly good workout. I worry that J could have health issues if it's really hot outside, though. So far, hasn't happened.
I've read about it - many causes. Some genetic and some health related. A lot of people are just not hydrated enough which will cause less sweating. I'm mostly talking about the people I see reading books on the treadmill walking 1mph or people doing 1 set per machine at 30% 1RM thinking they are workin' it.
I am not a sweater either. I will do 40 minutes on the arc trainer maintaining a HR of 150+ with a few HIIT minutes thrown in and will just have a sheen in the middle of my back. My resting HR is in the high 50s. I might get a tiny trickle of sweat here or there with hours of intense garden labor under a hot sun, unless there is a breeze. I drink obnoxious amounts of liquids all day long. So yes, I would say that there is likely a genetic component and that different bodies respond in different ways.0 -
i hear this being preach to newbies so often,
"food is food, theres no junk food"
"calorie is calorie, it makes no difference to the body"
I want to see these people who preach that just drink beers all day long n then go lift with progressive overload in the gym n video tape it.2
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