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Fitness and diet myths that just won't go away
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YellowD0gs wrote: »Drinking ice cold water will increase your metabolic rate.
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Now, you see, I had an actual Registered Dietician suggest to me in a professional capacity to drink warm water to aid in weight loss. The theory was that cold water cooled the body and slowed metabolism, and warm water kept the body temp and metabolism up. This was the first of several bits of ridiculousness that led me to dismiss them as academically lazy and borderline incompetent.
Cold water, OTOH, actually has some science behind it. The technical definition of "calorie" is the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C. Drinking cold water (less than 37C) requires the body to expend a tiny and insignificant amount of calories to warm that water to maintain body temp through homeostasis. I will agree, though, that the effect is insignificant and unhelpful for weight loss.
I know this isn't the point of your post, but did you really dismiss an entire profession based on one (or maybe more than one) dietician's bad advice?2 -
Nope, just the one.Speakeasy76 wrote: »YellowD0gs wrote: »Drinking ice cold water will increase your metabolic rate.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Now, you see, I had an actual Registered Dietician suggest to me in a professional capacity to drink warm water to aid in weight loss. The theory was that cold water cooled the body and slowed metabolism, and warm water kept the body temp and metabolism up. This was the first of several bits of ridiculousness that led me to dismiss them as academically lazy and borderline incompetent.
Cold water, OTOH, actually has some science behind it. The technical definition of "calorie" is the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C. Drinking cold water (less than 37C) requires the body to expend a tiny and insignificant amount of calories to warm that water to maintain body temp through homeostasis. I will agree, though, that the effect is insignificant and unhelpful for weight loss.
I know this isn't the point of your post, but did you really dismiss an entire profession based on one (or maybe more than one) dietician's bad advice?
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Scientifically, if we're being specific on a measurable scale, yes it WILL take a few calories to bring that ice cold water (say 8 oz) to body temperature. Approximately 7 calories. So at the consensus 64 oz a day, that's 392 calories a week. However the fitness industry exaggerates that making it sound as if you'll burn off a pound extra a week doing it.YellowD0gs wrote: »Drinking ice cold water will increase your metabolic rate.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Now, you see, I had an actual Registered Dietician suggest to me in a professional capacity to drink warm water to aid in weight loss. The theory was that cold water cooled the body and slowed metabolism, and warm water kept the body temp and metabolism up. This was the first of several bits of ridiculousness that led me to dismiss them as academically lazy and borderline incompetent.
Cold water, OTOH, actually has some science behind it. The technical definition of "calorie" is the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C. Drinking cold water (less than 37C) requires the body to expend a tiny and insignificant amount of calories to warm that water to maintain body temp through homeostasis. I will agree, though, that the effect is insignificant and unhelpful for weight loss.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for ice cold water. Especially on a hot day.
Now onto to taking a cold shower to burn more calories...............................
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
4 -
Women in menopause or perimenopause can't lose weight.
I had lunch with a friend recently who stated she wasn't even going to try losing weight because she's in perimenopause and therefore it would be impossible.
Kept my mouth shut on that one.13 -
That you must eat breakfast when stopping eating breakfast for me was a major breakthrough in my quest to control my eating as it "starts me off" and I am then hungry all day.
That you need to "eat less and move more". Sure "move more" is helpful if only a tiny bit and it is certainly good for health but for losing weigh, especially if you have a lot to lose, then no. Ever looked at how far you have to walk to burn off a single biscuit (or cookie)???? Weight gain and weight lose starts and stops in the kitchen.
If weight gain happens in the kitchen, and boredom eating happens on the couch, exactly how is going out and doing an exercise you love which also takes you away from the kitchen not helpful? If I had a bank robbing problem I would go find something else I find fulfilling that keeps me away from banks. Exercise does that, keeps you from falling into the rabbit hole of binging, and most people who do it find they prefer healthier, more nutritious, less calorie dense foods as a result in some way of exercising. Part of that is they feel like they're doing something positive to improve their health and fitness, and it's fun and enjoyable so they want more of this goodness, and they want to support the exercise that's lifting them up. Maybe for some, the joy of exercise and the satisfaction the comes with self improvement and personal growth of working hard to earn a better life for yourself fills a hole that a person was trying to fill with calorie dense hyperpalatable food.7 -
I'm not quite following?
Is freda saying Eat less, Move more is a myth - if so, I disagree.
I think it is a catchy and accurate summary of what weight loss entails - eat less calories, burn more calories - and burning more calories is done by moving more.5 -
paperpudding wrote: »I'm not quite following?
Is freda saying Eat less, Move more is a myth - if so, I disagree.
I think it is a catchy and accurate summary of what weight loss entails - eat less calories, burn more calories - and burning more calories is done by moving more.
I'm all for "eat less, move more" and I don't think it's a myth at all. But, realistically speaking, I can easily undo a two hour brisk walk (in which I burned around 400 calories) in a couple of minutes by eating something over those calories. I know I can, I've done it many times.
It's all well as long as people are aware of that, and don't think that exercise on itself is going to do miracles. Weight loss occurs at a caloric deficit, and it's going to be very hard to achieve if the CO part of the CICO equation is the only one being addressed. 3 -
GummiMundi wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »I'm not quite following?
Is freda saying Eat less, Move more is a myth - if so, I disagree.
I think it is a catchy and accurate summary of what weight loss entails - eat less calories, burn more calories - and burning more calories is done by moving more.
I'm all for "eat less, move more" and I don't think it's a myth at all. But, realistically speaking, I can easily undo a two hour brisk walk (in which I burned around 400 calories) in a couple of minutes by eating something over those calories. I know I can, I've done it many times. It's all well as long as people are aware of that, and don't think that exercise on itself is going to do miracles. Weight loss occurs at a caloric deficit, and it's going to be very hard to achieve if the CO part of the CICO equation is the only one being addressed.
I can undo a week of eating at a deficit in half an hour by binging on tacos.12 -
Well yes, of course.
But the saying is Eat less, move more.
Not Eat more, move more.8 -
There's a guy on YOUTUBE right how who advertises like hell and has so much broscience on all his videos. And people are eating it up. Vince Sant is his name and he host V Shred. Avoid.
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Ah V shred, so hot, so clueless.4 -
paperpudding wrote: »Well yes, of course.
But the saying is Eat less, move more.
Not Eat more, move more.
Exactly this. Moving more won't cause weight loss unless you are already maintaining and not likely to use exercise as an excuse to eat more or (big exception) also control cals in, but pretty much everyone I know who says eat less, move more will be controlling cals in in some way. Exercise doesn't make people who are otherwise trying to lose weight or control cals eat a bunch of high cal foods or otherwise eat over their cals.
In fact, for me, moving more tends to make it easier to eat less (at a reasonable deficit).3 -
13 pages of diet myths and "aspartame is poison" hasn't been mentioned yet??11
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Don't know about it being a "poison" but I just don't prefer the taste of it, so I avoid foods which include it.2
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NorthCascades wrote: »That you must eat breakfast when stopping eating breakfast for me was a major breakthrough in my quest to control my eating as it "starts me off" and I am then hungry all day.
That you need to "eat less and move more". Sure "move more" is helpful if only a tiny bit and it is certainly good for health but for losing weigh, especially if you have a lot to lose, then no. Ever looked at how far you have to walk to burn off a single biscuit (or cookie)???? Weight gain and weight lose starts and stops in the kitchen.
If weight gain happens in the kitchen, and boredom eating happens on the couch, exactly how is going out and doing an exercise you love which also takes you away from the kitchen not helpful? If I had a bank robbing problem I would go find something else I find fulfilling that keeps me away from banks. Exercise does that, keeps you from falling into the rabbit hole of binging, and most people who do it find they prefer healthier, more nutritious, less calorie dense foods as a result in some way of exercising. Part of that is they feel like they're doing something positive to improve their health and fitness, and it's fun and enjoyable so they want more of this goodness, and they want to support the exercise that's lifting them up. Maybe for some, the joy of exercise and the satisfaction the comes with self improvement and personal growth of working hard to earn a better life for yourself fills a hole that a person was trying to fill with calorie dense hyperpalatable food.
You misunderstand me.... I am referring to the amount of calories burned in exercise.
Sure, if you are out of the house having a walk you are probably not eating cake but of course if you go past that rather tempting bakery......
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That fast food and junk food is toxic and poison to the body.
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 10 -
"I''m not losing, I seem to be gaining..."
"Well, you know, muscle weighs more than fat, so..."
Grrrrrr.......a pound of muscle weighs as much as a pound of fat, it just takes up less space!10 -
dreamer12151 wrote: »"I''m not losing, I seem to be gaining..."
"Well, you know, muscle weighs more than fat, so..."
Grrrrrr.......a pound of muscle weighs as much as a pound of fat, it just takes up less space!
At least I get what people are trying to say here. If they phrased it as "A cubic foot of muscle weighs more than a cubic foot of fat", then that would be correct.
The bigger myth is when people say things like this after a poster says they started lifting/exercising a week ago. "Oh, it must be muscle gain!" Yeah, right, that's it.7 -
Well technically it is if measured if the volume is equal. However most people that say that really have no idea how hard it is to actually gain muscle.dreamer12151 wrote: »"I''m not losing, I seem to be gaining..."
"Well, you know, muscle weighs more than fat, so..."
Grrrrrr.......a pound of muscle weighs as much as a pound of fat, it just takes up less space!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
2 -
That fast food and junk food is toxic and poison to the body.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Seriously. If it were toxic and poison, wouldn't we die shortly after consuming?3 -
Well technically it is if measured if the volume is equal. However most people that say that really have no idea how hard it is to actually gain muscle.dreamer12151 wrote: »"I''m not losing, I seem to be gaining..."
"Well, you know, muscle weighs more than fat, so..."
Grrrrrr.......a pound of muscle weighs as much as a pound of fat, it just takes up less space!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Same people who are afraid of getting "bulky"...1 -
Cardio is for fat burning....................................won't help at all if you're not in a deficit.
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 4 -
Cardio is for fat burning....................................won't help at all if you're not in a deficit.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Correct. Cardio does in fact burn calories, but, unless you remain in a deficit you will not burn fat. How anyone could "disagree" with this is beyond me...0 -
Cardio is for fat burning....................................won't help at all if you're not in a deficit.
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But, but, what if the machine says I’m in the FAT BURNING ZONE?!?
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LOL when the point you really want to argue about is 5 pages back, and you’re like “dang, you’re just lucky I wasn’t here in March!!”....this is really interesting reading and thank you to everyone for helping make it!!!3
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That fast food and junk food is toxic and poison to the body.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Seriously. If it were toxic and poison, wouldn't we die shortly after consuming?
well, not immediatly - but "fast food is fast track to the grave" , apparently.
(This is a myth, not something I am stating or agree with)
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slightly different but
The idea that EVERYONE needs to be low/lower sodium for health.
No.
My husband and his high BP need to be lower sodium. Me? I went low sodium with him for a week then fainted. Turns out me salting everything is self-medicating. My normal BP (and it is normal for me/not dangerous, I have seen a doctor) is low.
And I should just eat the salt.
(Fun corollary: Spouse thought for ages he didn't eat much sodium because he didn't *ADD* salt - and grumped and grumbled that it wasn't fair he was the one with high pb where I was dousing my food in salt. Turns out he's wrong. He was eating a metric ton of sodium in things like canned soup and deli-meat and tv dinners. Surprise, darling.)
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Ok so I have one to add. Blending vegetables destroys the fiber, so your green vegetable smoothie is as bad for you as a juice.
LOL, my super amazing blender can’t even destroy the ice cubes completely, let alone the fiber.8 -
Ok so I have one to add. Blending vegetables destroys the fiber, so your green vegetable smoothie is as bad for you as a juice.
LOL, my super amazing blender can’t even destroy the ice cubes completely, let alone the fiber.
Something in a blender and something juiced isn't the same. A juicer actually does remove all the pulp - and spit it out separately. different thing.5 -
wunderkindking wrote: »Ok so I have one to add. Blending vegetables destroys the fiber, so your green vegetable smoothie is as bad for you as a juice.
LOL, my super amazing blender can’t even destroy the ice cubes completely, let alone the fiber.
Something in a blender and something juiced isn't the same. A juicer actually does remove all the pulp - and spit it out separately. different thing.
Yes - I think that was maybe the point of the PP? I, too, have seen people write in posts here that smoothies are bad because the fiber is destroyed (in a context where it seemed pretty clear that they weren't confusing blending with juicing), or that blenderizing dramatically changes the GI of the food. I guess the latter is *possible*, I don't really know for certain . . . but it makes me wonder if the people saying that actually chew their food, or just swallow it in chunks? 😉8
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