Top 10 MFP community falsehoods

_crafty_

That is, without a doubt, the most intelligent and well-articulated post that I've ever read on these forums, and I agree with you 100%. Well done, sir.

You either don't visit the forums much or you don't have the right friends.

I've read much better posts with a lot less "know it all" attitude that were backed up with references/experience/education.

mreichard

Sorry OP, in order to gain muscle on a deficit one needs to be fat enough that their fat cells can supply the excess energy needed to build muscle.

I think you are absolutely right, but I read OP as saying only that it's possible for some people to gain muscle while eating at some levels of deficit. I may have misread, but that's what I got.

It does seem like the idea that gaining muscle while in deficit is never possible does get sometimes repeated as an absolute, and I don't think that's helpful -- especially for newbies like me. I recently started regular bodyweight exercise (pushups, pullups, chinups) some dumbbell lifting and very light deadlifts. I'm 6'2" and 181lbs. and have been eating at a very slight deficit to lose slowly. To my surprise, I'm building a bit of muscle mass --- I'm 10 pounds lighter and a little more muscular than I was in July when I started (for example, I've gained 1" on my bicep, which is the only measurement that I thought to take when I started).

Getting slightly bigger has been a big surprise for me because folks who are stronger/slimmer/more experienced told me that I could not get bigger while in deficit. I think getting a little bigger is possible for me because I have the fat to lose and I just started strength training after years of not doing it regularly. For the folks who told me it's not possible --- I think they have less fat and their idea of a deficit may be more drastic than my very moderate version, so for them building muscle in deficit is not possible.

mommabenefield

mommabenefield

NonnyMary

Ok I really really have an issue with this one and I want to know the truth -

"Eat back your exercise calories".

Will the above statement have a different effect on a person weighing 300 pounds vs one weighing 125 pounds? I myself at 300 pounds do NOT want to eat back my exercise calories. i want to lose every single calorie i can muster up. At my weight i dont think i am anywhere near starvation mode if i do. (its not that much anyway).

UsedToBeHusky

For the most part, the OP is correct in most of what he says, but his rationale for why it is correct is not scientifically based, and that is further cemented with the reality that the OP didn't provide any references, didn't feel obliged to, but did feel obliged to tell us he had them.

OP, there are many discrepancies in your post. While your intentions are well-meaning, it is usually best not to come into a community by declaring you have all the knowledge. You make yourself look a bit foolish. There is a lot of misinformation floating around here, but there are a lot of people who combat misinformation with factual information AND provide references.

Again, there are lots of discrepancies in your post. You should review your excessive list of references again because you seemed to have missed some things.

LiminalAscendance

I get really tired of reading all of the broscience and bad information passed around here as if it's going to help someone. I thought I'd compile a list of things that irritate me the most.

[snip stuff]

4.) Muscle gain is not possible on a deficit, and LBM loss always happens with fat loss

I won't argue with this one, because I hope you're correct (although the point may be moot for me).

7.) Starvation mode

No. Just... No. Most people here know by now that starvation mode is complete BS, but I had to include it. Your body will not "hold onto fat" because you are eating too few calories, that's silly. And impossible. Stop it. Seriously.

Nice to hear a voice of reason on this topic now and then.

10.) I did something and got results, so that is the way.

This might as well be #1... I give up on prioritizing these things. Regardless of its place on my list this is very important. Things get repeated as gospel because they "worked" for someone. 9 times out of 10 the "results" of a fad diet or some random broscience are just a side effect. Correlation does not equal causation. If every dieter on this board were to start rubbing their heads while patting their bellies every day as they walked for 3 miles, I can pretty much guarantee that the success would get attributed to the rubbing and the patting, not the walking. Similarly, every fad diet is 10% solid advice dressed up with 90% new/special/ultimate crap. People start paying a lot more attention to the number of calories they take in because they now have the new, perfect, secret plan... when really all they needed to do was just pay attention to the calories. But, they did the crazy thing and they got results... so the crazy thing gets the glory.

Very true, but this works both ways.

I've seen many posts of the type "Sure, drink that 2 liter of soda each day. I did, and lost <insert some huge weight loss>, and I obviously know what I'm talking about."

The mere fact that someone was able to lose (and maintain said loss) a large amount of weight doesn't make them an expert on anyone else. They certainly know what works for them.

MissBellatrix

Amen, hallelujah! Now, i am not going to eat back my exercised cals, since i always get the same message to eat it back! t.y!

juliegrey1

I love this!my mother always said "step back from the table and out on the road",in a nutshell forget the bs and just work at it,which Im doing most of my life falling off and getting back on with varing degrees of success!

I have a personal theory that has no basis in fact at all! I think each individual person has their natural weight providing they eat properly and take adequate exercise!I am 5ft 2 so I am supposed to be 110-125 lbs,well for one thing I would never fit into that anyway,now if Im 136 lbs I am thin enough but I have to work damn hard to get there,left to my own devices my weight will top 156-158 and of course thats because Ive taken my foot off the gas and coasted,when I am watching what I eat my weight will level off 147 lbs!

osothefinn

Love it all, well said, except

Plateaus are not "just a part of weight loss", they are usually either a failure in diet and exercise plan adherence or failure to properly adjust one's diet and exercise plan. Blaming that plateau on something else, or even accepting it as normal, will only slow your progress.

Plateaus do happen, all of the guys in the Minnesota Starvation Experiments hit one in the final 4weeks of the starvation period, and could not be made to lose more weight even though it was tried and they were put on less and less calories.

They stopped losing because it wasn't possible to lose more and remain alive. If you don't look like one of those guys in the pictures from the study that's not what happening when your weight loss stops for a few weeks.

When I hit my first "plateau", I sat there for a few weeks, then said, I need to change something, and got a food scale, and weighed everything. Plateau over. The second one came some months later. After a couple weeks I said, let's cut an extra 200 calories a day off my intake for a week. Plateau over. Changed up my cardio routine and lost even faster.

I still have a lot of weight to go, and I'm certainly not going to take multiple years dropping it, so I'm eating less than what TDEE or MFP tells me. Any "slowing" of my metabolism that occurs can be brought back up on the tail end, and while I'm working to spare lean mass as much as possible, that can remedied later too if loss occurs. The human body is a magnificent system and adapts to pretty much anything.

osothefinn

Ok I really really have an issue with this one and I want to know the truth -

"Eat back your exercise calories".

Will the above statement have a different effect on a person weighing 300 pounds vs one weighing 125 pounds? I myself at 300 pounds do NOT want to eat back my exercise calories. i want to lose every single calorie i can muster up. At my weight i dont think i am anywhere near starvation mode if i do. (its not that much anyway).

I don't eat them back. Why do all that work for no extra loss as the reward?

grillingirl

Well spoken sir!

harleygroomer

Here is another to add. YOU SHOULD NEVER DIET!!!!!!!!!!!! This HAS to be a lifestyle change that you do for the rest of your life. People fail at diets, they don't fail when they change their lifestyles.

RGv2

Ok I really really have an issue with this one and I want to know the truth -

"Eat back your exercise calories".

Will the above statement have a different effect on a person weighing 300 pounds vs one weighing 125 pounds? I myself at 300 pounds do NOT want to eat back my exercise calories. i want to lose every single calorie i can muster up. At my weight i dont think i am anywhere near starvation mode if i do. (its not that much anyway).

I don't eat them back. Why do all that work for no extra loss as the reward?

You can do more damage than good if you're netting to low....that would be one reason.

kristieshannon

bump for later!

GoRun2

thanks for the info. very helpful

LunaMischief

I feel this should be a sticky somewhere on this site...

Agreed with everything.

nomeejerome

I feel this should be a sticky somewhere on this site...

Agreed with everything.

Nope. It should not be a sticky.

Bry_Fitness70

10.) I did something and got results, so that is the way.

This might as well be #1... I give up on prioritizing these things. Regardless of its place on my list this is very important. Things get repeated as gospel because they "worked" for someone.

I also love the anecdotal advice dismissing the potential harm of artificial ingredients in our diets. “Dude, I eat and drink all of this processed garbage, full of wicked artificial ingredients that I can’t pronounce, and like, I have a 6 pack and 3% body fat! And I feel awesome, so it must be okay!” Here’s a crazy theory - perhaps it takes years before the harmful effects of these substances start impacting your health!

gamerguy123

bump