Weight loss myths

Hey! Would anyone like to share the biggest weight loss myths out there? I have one. I just learned that there is no such thing as a negative calorie food. Painfully obvious right now but I believed it for way too long 🤦‍♀️
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Replies

  • vpeaches
    vpeaches Posts: 31 Member
    Sometimes nutrition labels will list a food as 0 calories per serving, but truthfully, food companies are allowed to round down to 0 calories if the food item is actually something like 0.4 calories. Multiple servings can in fact accumulate calories- though the amount is negligible, this could be an issue for people who are trying to do a fast.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Jruzer wrote: »
    Any of the various pernicious myths surrounding calorie counting:
    - It's disordered
    - It's unsustainable in the long run
    - It's too difficult
    - It doesn't work

    These make me irrationally angry. Calorie counting was key to my success.

    It's been the key to my success too, and the last is a myth.

    The other 3? It can be all of those things and is variable by individual.

    (I have family with serious EDs. It would be difficult, damaging and unsustainable for them.)

    Yeah, I get a bit manic and obsessive when I use calorie counting. I still haven't found the key to long term success for me, but lower carb eating keeps me away from binges longer than all things in moderation. Instead, I do "some things on a very rare basis, preferably paired with a good workout." Which probably sounds disordered to some people, but I am diabetic, so moving my body well on a higher carb day is important to my health.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    Jruzer wrote: »
    It's been the key to my success too, and the last is a myth.

    The other 3? It can be all of those things and is variable by individual.

    (I have family with serious EDs. It would be difficult, damaging and unsustainable for them.)


    Yeah, I get a bit manic and obsessive when I use calorie counting. I still haven't found the key to long term success for me, but lower carb eating keeps me away from binges longer than all things in moderation. Instead, I do "some things on a very rare basis, preferably paired with a good workout." Which probably sounds disordered to some people, but I am diabetic, so moving my body well on a higher carb day is important to my health.

    @concordancia, @wunderkindking,I don't disagree that calorie counting will work for everyone. There's no one dietary approach that will work for everyone. A keto diet could be bad news for a cardiac patient, and a high carb diet could be bad for a diabetic. That doesn't mean that these are bad strategies in general. There are always exceptions.

    But I think that calorie counting is woefully underappreciated. The conspiracy theorist in me says that this is because no one makes money off of it. I think many people would be successful if they legitimately tried it and stuck with it. I was reading @RunsWithBees excellent post from a few weeks ago which touches on many themes that I have observed over the years. See here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10826289/fitness-and-diet-myths-that-just-wont-go-away/p7

    Keep in mind that there are people who actively argue against calorie counting and "CICO", as if this were a fad diet instead of a law of nature. This stuff makes me unreasonably angry:

    What is this CICO diet, and is it really as bad as people are claiming?

    10 Reasons to Avoid CICO, the New Fad Diet

    3 Reasons Why Counting Calories Doesn't Work (And What to Do Instead!)

    You've got the good Google-fu going, for sure: Those links are appallingly, ridiculously awful. 😬
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    those article are ridiculous.

    At least the last one was arguing against calorie counting rather than CICO

    and whilst I accept that calorie counting, as a method, is not for everyone - their reasons were absurd

    and all 3 presented the false dichotomy that it is calorie counting vs nutritious eating - as if one somehow cannot do both or people calorie counting are just living on chips and cakes

    I'd argue one of the great things about calorie counting is that it works with all styles of eating. Want to focus on nutrient-rich foods? It will work. Want to have cake sometimes? It also works. It's flexible and that's one reason why I'm such a fan.
  • aacha0908
    aacha0908 Posts: 12 Member
    I heard some time ago that men lose weight quicker than women because men usually have more muscles and muscles help to burn more calories. just another myth? 🙂