10 diet rules that are proven wrong!

celadontea

Disagree on at least half of these.

BlueBombers

I always workout out on an empty stomach first thing in the morning and it has worked for me.

michail71

Disagree on at least half of these.

On what evidence? There wasn't anything shocking or unknown in the list. It just points out fallacies that people collectively believe because they have heard them so many times.

The biggest controversy is probably the breakfast one. However, most of the breakfast studies have had very poor controls of the variables. You can however, show that fasting/skipping the morning meal is of no consequence and has other benefits.

geebusuk

In the end, all carbs are broken down to glycogen for the body. Some carbs have better nutrient value, but GI doesn't matter that much when it comes to weight loss.]

Indeed - my usual response to 'OMG, processed? You die!'...
http://www.simplyshredded.com/the-science-of-nutrition-is-a-carb-a-carb.html

ItsCasey

This thread is hilarious.

I read that article a while back when it first came out. Saw it floating around the Internet yesterday. I knew it would find its way to MFP eventually. Most of the stuff on that list is completely legit and hardly ground-breaking, but because it defies conventional wisdom (and because it's in Shape Magazine), people "disagree" with it.

Nobody is saying you HAVE to skip breakfast, or even that you NEED to. The article is simply saying that it's not true that you MUST eat breakfast in order to lose weight. The point, similar to the notes about eating a big dinner being perfectly fine and snacking not improving your metabolism, is that meal timing and frequency are irrelevant, except as they relate to individual preference/adherence. If you like eating 12 "meals" a day, if that helps keep you on track with your calorie and macro goals, go right ahead. But if you think there's some magical weight-loss benefit to eating first thing in the morning or every hour, on the hour, you're wrong.

There's nothing inherently bad about saturated fat.

There's nothing wrong with intermittent fasting or training in a fasted state (I do it every day).

It's perfectly fine to eat all your calories in one meal (I also do this every day).

What this all boils down to is that weight loss is a function of calories in < calories out. It doesn't matter what, when, where, how, or why. Find a plan that is sustainable for you, and stick with it.

And for the love of sanity, if you are diabetic or have some other kind of medical condition that places more stringent demands upon your dietary habits, stop assuming that the average diet article is aimed at you. It isn't.

grantwashere

All I have to say is that I would never listen to Shape magazine in terms of a reliable fitness and nutrition source, considering they are funded primarily by ads advocating diet pills and full of articles that feed the diet industry, as a whole. Steer clear of trash magazines like this... :-)

I'm a big fan of learning from the people on MFP who have actually done what I'm trying to do. The docs/guru's/magazines/authors/etc all have money on their mind. The successful people on here are a MUCH better source of info (for obvious reasons) IMHO.

SnicciFit

Because I surely am not going to try to eat more saturated fats? I think almost everyone gets enough of those to keep their kidneys healthy.

Not if they are eating egg whites only, using margarine in place of butter, drinking skim milk, eating a plethera of "fat-free" foods and only eating chicken & fish, then no they probably aren't getting enough.

snshnkty11

I have to site sources? Um nope. Just passing on an article of misconceptions ppl fall for. Was trying to be helpful. One person said they'd rather hear from ppl on MFP that have lost weight successfully....well I've lost 30 lbs doing just these things.
1: I skip breakfast most mornings.
2: I usually have more calories at dinner than any other meal.
5: Vitamins do work. You don't get enough of vitamin D3 through food or sunshine. Check out dr mercola for info on that if you want.
6: I almost always work out on an empty stomach. If you can't then don't. Nobody's telling you too.
7: I do eat saturated fats.

Like I stated, these don't work for everyone. They worked for me, but you have to do your own trial & error when losing weight. That's common sense.

tigersword

Ridiculous the comments. I have to site sources? Um nope. Just passing on an article of misconceptions ppl fall for. Was trying to be helpful. One person said they'd rather hear from ppl on MFP that have lost weight successfully....well I've lost 30 lbs doing just these things.
1: I skip breakfast most mornings.
2: I usually have more calories at dinner than any other meal.
5: Vitamins do work. You don't get enough of vitamin D3 through food or sunshine. Check out dr mercola for info on that if you want.
6: I almost always work out on an empty stomach. If you can't then don't. Nobody's telling you too.
7: I do eat saturated fats.

Like I stated, these don't work for everyone. They worked for me, but you have to do your own trial & error when losing weight. That's common sense.

You just said to check out Dr Mercola. That just ruined your credibility, as Mercola is one of the worst sources of information out there. All it takes is about 30-60 minutes of sunshine a week to get enough vitamin d3. Only people in extremely northern or southern areas of the globe have problems getting enough sunshine to make d3.

Also, exercising on an empty stomach has been debunked. It offers no advantage to average people (although it does offer slight advantages to elite athletes.) Alan Aragon has an excellent write up on the topic.

michail71

Because I surely am not going to try to eat more saturated fats? I think almost everyone gets enough of those to keep their kidneys healthy.

Not if they are eating egg whites only, using margarine in place of butter, drinking skim milk, eating a plethera of "fat-free" foods and only eating chicken & fish, then no they probably aren't getting enough.

That describes the way everyone was eating in the 80s.

michail71

Ridiculous the comments. I have to site sources? Um nope. Just passing on an article of misconceptions ppl fall for. Was trying to be helpful. One person said they'd rather hear from ppl on MFP that have lost weight successfully....well I've lost 30 lbs doing just these things.
1: I skip breakfast most mornings.
2: I usually have more calories at dinner than any other meal.
5: Vitamins do work. You don't get enough of vitamin D3 through food or sunshine. Check out dr mercola for info on that if you want.
6: I almost always work out on an empty stomach. If you can't then don't. Nobody's telling you too.
7: I do eat saturated fats.

Like I stated, these don't work for everyone. They worked for me, but you have to do your own trial & error when losing weight. That's common sense.

You just said to check out Dr Mercola. That just ruined your credibility, as Mercola is one of the worst sources of information out there. All it takes is about 30-60 minutes of sunshine a week to get enough vitamin d3. Only people in extremely northern or southern areas of the globe have problems getting enough sunshine to make d3.

My son, mother and myself have tested out low on D3 and we live in South Florida.

bob_day

SHAPE magazine did the article. My news station reported on it. So i guess you could check out shape online to find the article.

I tracked down the Shape magazine article. Here's the link:

http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/10-unbelievable-diet-rules-backed-science/slide/

arbiter6

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Nice signature but it hardly explains all those pounds you had to lose in the first place...

SnicciFit

Because I surely am not going to try to eat more saturated fats? I think almost everyone gets enough of those to keep their kidneys healthy.

Not if they are eating egg whites only, using margarine in place of butter, drinking skim milk, eating a plethera of "fat-free" foods and only eating chicken & fish, then no they probably aren't getting enough.

That describes the way everyone was eating in the 80s.

Word. But some (ok quite a few) people are still in the 80s. Thanks to their doctors still being there.

toutmonpossible

10 diet rules that we had wrong (backed by science & featured in shape magazine):
1: You CAN skip breakfast if you want.
2: It's OK to eat a big dinner. (you have a calorie limit. if you don't go over, then it doesn't matter when during the day you have more calories for a meal.
3: Snacking does NOT affect metabolism. (no evidence of improved weight loss by eating smaller, more frequent meals)
4: Eat carbs to get lean. (avoid processed carbs. get them from whole foods such as fruit & veggies)
5: There is a weight loss pill worth buying. Vitamin D3.
6: Exercise on an empty stomach.
7: Eat saturated fats. (cholesterol is important for healthy kidneys)
8: Consider fasting for better health. (a study found if people fasted 1 day a month, they were 40% less likely to suffer from clogged arteries)
9: Going organic won't help lose weight. (yes it helps avoid pesticides & toxins which is important, but not all organic foods are weight loss friendly. high calorie or high sugar is still bad whether organic or not)
10: There is no such thing as too much protein. Just keep an eye on calories.

Just to be clear, are these the rules we should be not doing, or what Shape magazine tells us we should be doing?

Incredibly confusing.

Sabine_Stroehm

10 diet rules that we had wrong (backed by science & featured in shape magazine):
1: You CAN skip breakfast if you want.
2: It's OK to eat a big dinner. (you have a calorie limit. if you don't go over, then it doesn't matter when during the day you have more calories for a meal.
3: Snacking does NOT affect metabolism. (no evidence of improved weight loss by eating smaller, more frequent meals)
4: Eat carbs to get lean. (avoid processed carbs. get them from whole foods such as fruit & veggies)
5: There is a weight loss pill worth buying. Vitamin D3.
6: Exercise on an empty stomach.
7: Eat saturated fats. (cholesterol is important for healthy kidneys)
8: Consider fasting for better health. (a study found if people fasted 1 day a month, they were 40% less likely to suffer from clogged arteries)
9: Going organic won't help lose weight. (yes it helps avoid pesticides & toxins which is important, but not all organic foods are weight loss friendly. high calorie or high sugar is still bad whether organic or not)
10: There is no such thing as too much protein. Just keep an eye on calories.

For you.

michail71

Because I surely am not going to try to eat more saturated fats? I think almost everyone gets enough of those to keep their kidneys healthy.

Not if they are eating egg whites only, using margarine in place of butter, drinking skim milk, eating a plethera of "fat-free" foods and only eating chicken & fish, then no they probably aren't getting enough.

That describes the way everyone was eating in the 80s.

Word. But some (ok quite a few) people are still in the 80s. Thanks to their doctors still being there.

I think that's why so many of us who were children back then have hormonal issues today. Diets that were low fat, high carb, hydrogenated oils, etc.

michail71

Incredibly confusing.

Basically:

Meal timing and frequency do not matter.
Weight is Calories in minus Calories out.
Fat isn't bad
Keep you macronutrients balanced