Be Smart... don't fall for Fads and scams :)

kncapitano

Hey All,

I am a personal trainer and I have been hearing so much talk about various fitness and diet fads that need to GO! As a public service announcement (per say) I just want all of you to be aware. You may notice that some of your "Friends and acquaintances" found an "AMAZING Product that WORKS and helps you lose weight by either:

-Drinking one of their "famous" healthy energy drinks
-Taking Their "Fabulous supplements that promote weight loss (blah blah blah lol)
-Wear a Body Wrap! I mean come on... Wraps can totally make you drop 20 lbs! (eye roll)
- Or how about try their yummy Protein shakes that "studies" show can make you drop weight in 90 days AND win a BMW! WOW!

Okay... that was fun (Sorry for the sarcasm!) LOL, but I have clients and new client prospects that ask me all of the time about either buying or selling their so called perfect products. Can you believe some of them even claim: "You don't even have to exercise, the weight just falls off you!" Gahhhh it makes me cringe!

The reason I want you to all be careful is because many of them are scams and schemes. Sure, you could make money by choosing to sell the products yourself... but you are fooling your friends/family that you sell too. The products often are NOT all they are made out to be and some are actually bad. Since more often than not, it is someone you know that is trying to sell it to you, people will fall for the claims it makes. (Not to mention the CD's/Websites they use to make it seem way better than what it really offers.... aka: Good marketing people!)

I hope you ALL are successful in your Fitness Journeys! There is no TRICK or Fad way to get results. You gotta want it! You gotta push yourself to eat clean and exercise. Best of Luck to all of you!

xo

Katie

BigT555

good message:drinker:

though whenever i (and im sure im not alone) see the words "personal trainer" and "message me" in the same paragraph i begin to question your true motives, just keep that in mind

kncapitano

To BigT555.... I can see how it would look that way! But unless they live in Myrtle Beach, there is nothing to worry about there lol. I just want people to know NOT to fall for scams since I get asked about them all the time. Thanks for the reply. I'll change the words if I can.

psuLemon

Hey All,

I am a personal trainer and I have been hearing so much talk about various fitness and diet fads that need to GO! As a public service announcement (per say) I just want all of you to be aware. You may notice that some of your "Friends and acquaintances" found an "AMAZING Product that WORKS and helps you lose weight by either:

-Drinking one of their "famous" healthy energy drinks
-Taking Their "Fabulous supplements that promote weight loss (blah blah blah lol)
-Wear a Body Wrap! I mean come on... Wraps can totally make you drop 20 lbs! (eye roll)
- Or how about try their yummy Protein shakes that "studies" show can make you drop weight in 90 days AND win a BMW! WOW!

Okay... that was fun (Sorry for the sarcasm!) LOL, but I have clients and new client prospects that ask me all of the time about either buying or selling their so called perfect products. Can you believe some of them even claim: "You don't even have to exercise, the weight just falls off you!" Gahhhh it makes me cringe!

The reason I want you to all be careful is because many of them are scams and schemes. Sure, you could make money by choosing to sell the products yourself... but you are fooling your friends/family that you sell too. The products often are NOT all they are made out to be and some are actually bad. Since more often than not, it is someone you know that is trying to sell it to you, people will fall for the claims it makes. (Not to mention the CD's/Websites they use to make it seem way better than what it really offers.... aka: Good marketing people!)

I hope you ALL are successful in your Fitness Journeys! There is no TRICK or Fad way to get results. You gotta want it! You gotta push yourself to eat clean and exercise. Best of Luck to all of you!

xo

Katie

Overall a good message and this site frequently promotes the same views, but the highlighted portion is wrong. You don' t have to eat clean to be fit or healthy. In fact, many of us frequently hit our macro and micronutrient goals and fit in "junk" food on occasion. Let me preface with saying, that doesn't mean we aren't eating fruits, veggies and whole lean foods, it just means we can still eat pizza, burgers, etc.. and still lose weight.

kncapitano

"Overall a good message and this site frequently promotes the same views, but the highlighted portion is wrong. You don' t have to eat clean to be fit or healthy. "


hmm.... you got me curious psulemon, How do you figure that you don't have to eat clean to be fit and healthy? I am genuinely curious. I'm not saying it has to be all the time, but eating processed, "fake" foods if you will does not fuel the body the way natural foods do. While some people can eat Mac n Cheese, candy, chips, and processed meats... that doesn't mean they are healthy even if the appear it on the outside. Clean eating in my opinion is very important, however so is exercise, sleep, hydration, and having indulgences now and then (For body and mind haha).

BigT555

"Overall a good message and this site frequently promotes the same views, but the highlighted portion is wrong. You don' t have to eat clean to be fit or healthy. "


hmm.... you got me curious psulemon, How do you figure that you don't have to eat clean to be fit and healthy? I am genuinely curious. I'm not saying it has to be all the time, but eating processed, "fake" foods if you will does not fuel the body the way natural foods do. While some people can eat Mac n Cheese, candy, chips, and processed meats... that doesn't mean they are healthy even if the appear it on the outside. Clean eating in my opinion is very important, however so is exercise, sleep, hydration, and having indulgences now and then (For body and mind haha).

im in full agreement with you. people here too often take "you can eat whatever and lose weight" to mean "you can eat whatever and be healthy". you'll hear that you dont need to eat healthy here quite frequently

theres also the unclear definition of healthy or clean foods to be considered but i think for the most part its obvious whats healthy and what isnt

psuLemon

"Overall a good message and this site frequently promotes the same views, but the highlighted portion is wrong. You don' t have to eat clean to be fit or healthy. "


hmm.... you got me curious psulemon, How do you figure that you don't have to eat clean to be fit and healthy? I am genuinely curious. I'm not saying it has to be all the time, but eating processed, "fake" foods if you will does not fuel the body the way natural foods do. While some people can eat Mac n Cheese, candy, chips, and processed meats... that doesn't mean they are healthy even if the appear it on the outside. Clean eating in my opinion is very important, however so is exercise, sleep, hydration, and having indulgences now and then (For body and mind haha).

I don't need to figure, I have personal experience with not eating clean and every single indicator (cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate, body fat % and body composition) all improve for the better. About 80 to 90% of the time, I eat nutrient dense foods that provide me all the macro and micro nutrients but yet, i still eat pizza, burgers, ice cream, etc... Also, if you look through the boards, you will see tons of ripped people in top shape who don't eat clean. For example:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/903628-one-year-of-barbells-and-ice-cream-my-story-so-far-pics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/user/sidesteel/status

Also, there are many issues when you talk about eating clean since there tons of definitions and no scientific evidence, that I have seen, that would suggest eating clean will automatically make you healthier than an equivalent you if you don't eat clean. The issue with the clean discussion is too many people use extremes when it comes to examples.


As noted by my edits, you can be fit and ripped and not have to eat clean.

BigT555

I don't need to figure, I have personal experience with not eating clean and every single indicator (cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate, body fat % and body composition) all improve for the better. About 80 to 90% of the time, I eat nutrient dense foods that provide me all the macro and micro nutrients but yet, i still eat pizza, burgers, ice cream, etc...

Also, there are many issues when you talk about eating clean since there tons of definitions and no scientific evidence, that I have seen, that would suggest eating clean will automatically make you healthier than an equivalent you if you don't eat clean. The issue with the clean discussion is too many people use extremes when it comes to examples.

was this an improvement from a time when you were severely overweight though? if thats the case i think its an unfair comparison since the improvement in health could be attributed to weight loss and not specifically your eating habits, not to mention the fact that you probably are still eating healthier than you did previous to any weight loss. plus, if your eating "clean" foods 80-90% of the time then you still eat relatively healthy

zyxst

"Overall a good message and this site frequently promotes the same views, but the highlighted portion is wrong. You don' t have to eat clean to be fit or healthy. "


hmm.... you got me curious psulemon, How do you figure that you don't have to eat clean to be fit and healthy? I am genuinely curious. I'm not saying it has to be all the time, but eating processed, "fake" foods if you will does not fuel the body the way natural foods do. While some people can eat Mac n Cheese, candy, chips, and processed meats... that doesn't mean they are healthy even if the appear it on the outside. Clean eating in my opinion is very important, however so is exercise, sleep, hydration, and having indulgences now and then (For body and mind haha).

There's no proof that eating "clean" will make you healthy either. But then, I'm a "dirty", "fake" food eater with bad health, so what do I know? I'm mostly in for the arguing later.

Kalikel

MFP is all about weight loss and not about eating healthy food.

People frequently say you have to eat junk food to lose weight. "Unsustainable" is the frequently parroted word when anyone suggests making a lifestyle change to eating healthy food. "Bah! It's unsustainable! Can't be done!"

If you so much as suggest eating only healthy food, you're going to hear how impossible it is.

maidentl

MFP is all about weight loss and not about eating healthy food.

People frequently say you have to eat junk food to lose weight. "Unsustainable" is the frequently parroted word when anyone suggests making a lifestyle change to eating healthy food. "Bah! It's unsustainable! Can't be done!"

If you so much as suggest eating only healthy food, you're going to hear how impossible it is.

Making things up again I see.

natebollinger

I think the main point of her article is that there is no quick and easy way to get healthy. You can't just take a pill or drink a slim fast and expect to be healthy the rest of your life. A healthy lifestyle requires hard work and good choices when it comes to what we put in our bodies. The occasional burger and pizza isn't the end of the world once in awhile, but it should be the exception, not the rule for everyday eating habits. The old saying "you are what you eat" is true on so many levels. The sad part is that most people who are overweight want the easy way out and fall for the scams, only to see temporary results or no results, and then they give up.

Laurenloveswaffles

You gotta push yourself to eat clean and exercise.

Meh, you don't HAVE to.

I just crushed up 3 Oreos and put them in my greek yogurt, and I'm losing weight pretty consistently.

Two weeks ago I went the entire week without exercise because I was super lazy, and I still lost that week.

BigGuy47

Don't fall for fads, scams or the notion that you have to eat "clean" to lose weight.

CICO

psuLemon

I don't need to figure, I have personal experience with not eating clean and every single indicator (cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate, body fat % and body composition) all improve for the better. About 80 to 90% of the time, I eat nutrient dense foods that provide me all the macro and micro nutrients but yet, i still eat pizza, burgers, ice cream, etc...

Also, there are many issues when you talk about eating clean since there tons of definitions and no scientific evidence, that I have seen, that would suggest eating clean will automatically make you healthier than an equivalent you if you don't eat clean. The issue with the clean discussion is too many people use extremes when it comes to examples.

was this an improvement from a time when you were severely overweight though? if thats the case i think its an unfair comparison since the improvement in health could be attributed to weight loss and not specifically your eating habits, not to mention the fact that you probably are still eating healthier than you did previous to any weight loss. plus, if your eating "clean" foods 80-90% of the time then you still eat relatively healthy

Even when I wasn't losing weight, my numbers still improved, but I exercise 5-6 hours a week plus I am fairly active. Eating clean is just a fad term used these days. It would have been much better to suggest getting nutrient dense foods a majority of the time. The insinuations that one cannot eat "junk" food and be healthy is what is wrong. Unfortunately, too few people look at the holistic approach. You can still eat pizza, cookies, ice cream and still be healthy and improve all your indicators but you SHOULD work on getting nutrient dense foods to ensure you improve health. But health is also determined by genetics and other factors outside of diet and exercise.

BigT555

I don't need to figure, I have personal experience with not eating clean and every single indicator (cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate, body fat % and body composition) all improve for the better. About 80 to 90% of the time, I eat nutrient dense foods that provide me all the macro and micro nutrients but yet, i still eat pizza, burgers, ice cream, etc...

Also, there are many issues when you talk about eating clean since there tons of definitions and no scientific evidence, that I have seen, that would suggest eating clean will automatically make you healthier than an equivalent you if you don't eat clean. The issue with the clean discussion is too many people use extremes when it comes to examples.

was this an improvement from a time when you were severely overweight though? if thats the case i think its an unfair comparison since the improvement in health could be attributed to weight loss and not specifically your eating habits, not to mention the fact that you probably are still eating healthier than you did previous to any weight loss. plus, if your eating "clean" foods 80-90% of the time then you still eat relatively healthy

Even when I wasn't losing weight, my numbers still improved, but I exercise 5-6 hours a week plus I am fairly active. Eating clean is just a fad term used these days. It would have been much better to suggest getting nutrient dense foods a majority of the time. The insinuations that one cannot eat "junk" food and be healthy is what is wrong. Unfortunately, too few people look at the holistic approach. You can still eat pizza, cookies, ice cream and still be healthy and improve all your indicators but you SHOULD work on getting nutrient dense foods to ensure you improve health. But health is also determined by genetics and other factors outside of diet and exercise.

i think bolded is generally the jist of "clean" eating. i agree with you , i think the 80/20 rule for eating is completely valid, and i think for the most part when people suggest eating clean they imply that there is some wiggle room for the occasional "junk" break. i assume that this is what most people on MFP follow, which is why i never understand why you hear that eating healthy or "clean" isnt important for general health. but i suppose it always comes back to discrepancies in the definition

derik999

The fitness industry is 99% about making a profit. Supplements, fad diets, an endless list of exercise gadgets, hip lingo, it's all about money, money, money.

Hornsby

Yep, I agree with the message as well until the "clean" came out. You can't claim to not fall for fads and then say you must eat "clean" (which is just another fad term).

maidentl

which is why i never understand why you hear that eating healthy or "clean" isnt important for general health.

I don't think I have ever seen anyone say you don't need to eat nutrient dense foods for your health. EVER. I have seen them say it's unimportant for weight loss. I think that's where the controversy comes in but they're not saying you shouldn't eat those foods. A good example of the "clean" problem is the lunch I just had. I ate an egg salad sandwich on whole wheat bread with a side of grape tomatoes. In my opinion, a decent lunch. But it wasn't "clean" by some definitions because I had bread and there was Miracle Whip in the egg salad. I don't think there was anything wrong with my lunch (feel free to share if you believe otherwise LOL) but to someone trying their heart out to eat clean, such a simple little meal is "wrong." And that's where people warn of unsustainability. Because a lot of people will get caught up in trying to eat perfectly and feel like giving up when they eat a "bad" food. All people are saying is that we should stop trying to meet some definition of "clean," eat nutrient dense food most of the time and not freak out about having some "junk" in our diet, even on a regular basis.

kgeyser

MFP is all about weight loss and not about eating healthy food.

People frequently say you have to eat junk food to lose weight. "Unsustainable" is the frequently parroted word when anyone suggests making a lifestyle change to eating healthy food. "Bah! It's unsustainable! Can't be done!"

If you so much as suggest eating only healthy food, you're going to hear how impossible it is.

Please link to one instance where someone says people have to eat junk food to lose weight. Just one post where someone tells another person "you have to eat junk food to lose weight." Seriously, I want to see where this actually happened.

BigT555

which is why i never understand why you hear that eating healthy or "clean" isnt important for general health.

I don't think I have ever seen anyone say you don't need to eat nutrient dense foods for your health. EVER. I have seen them say it's unimportant for weight loss. I think that's where the controversy comes in but they're not saying you shouldn't eat those foods. A good example of the "clean" problem is the lunch I just had. I ate an egg salad sandwich on whole wheat bread with a side of grape tomatoes. In my opinion, a decent lunch. But it wasn't "clean" by some definitions because I had bread and there was Miracle Whip in the egg salad. I don't think there was anything wrong with my lunch (feel free to share if you believe otherwise LOL) but to someone trying their heart out to eat clean, such a simple little meal is "wrong." And that's where people warn of unsustainability. Because a lot of people will get caught up in trying to eat perfectly and feel like giving up when they eat a "bad" food. All people are saying is that we should stop trying to meet some definition of "clean," eat nutrient dense food most of the time and not freak out about having some "junk" in our diet, even on a regular basis.

one of the mods said it in the 3rd reply of this very thread!

but i agree with everything else you said

maidentl

one of the mods said it in the 3rd reply of this very thread!

but i agree with everything else you said

No, he said you don't have to eat CLEAN. Who says only "clean" food is healthy? I'd argue that whole wheat bread is healthy, some people define clean as no processed foods.

Hornsby

which is why i never understand why you hear that eating healthy or "clean" isnt important for general health.

I don't think I have ever seen anyone say you don't need to eat nutrient dense foods for your health. EVER. I have seen them say it's unimportant for weight loss. I think that's where the controversy comes in but they're not saying you shouldn't eat those foods. A good example of the "clean" problem is the lunch I just had. I ate an egg salad sandwich on whole wheat bread with a side of grape tomatoes. In my opinion, a decent lunch. But it wasn't "clean" by some definitions because I had bread and there was Miracle Whip in the egg salad. I don't think there was anything wrong with my lunch (feel free to share if you believe otherwise LOL) but to someone trying their heart out to eat clean, such a simple little meal is "wrong." And that's where people warn of unsustainability. Because a lot of people will get caught up in trying to eat perfectly and feel like giving up when they eat a "bad" food. All people are saying is that we should stop trying to meet some definition of "clean," eat nutrient dense food most of the time and not freak out about having some "junk" in our diet, even on a regular basis.

one of the mods said it in the 3rd reply of this very thread!

but i agree with everything else you said

That's not what they said.

BigT555

one of the mods said it in the 3rd reply of this very thread!

but i agree with everything else you said

No, he said you don't have to eat CLEAN. Who says only "clean" food is healthy? I'd argue that whole wheat bread is healthy, some people define clean as no processed foods.

again its a discrepancy in definition. i define eating clean as eating nutrient dense foods, which to me is really the only logical definition, pretty much anything else is just based off of broscience

That's not what they said.

Overall a good message and this site frequently promotes the same views, but the highlighted portion is wrong. You don' t have to eat clean to be fit or healthy. In fact, many of us frequently hit our macro and micronutrient goals and fit in "junk" food on occasion. Let me preface with saying, that doesn't mean we aren't eating fruits, veggies and whole lean foods, it just means we can still eat pizza, burgers, etc.. and still lose weight.

Hornsby

one of the mods said it in the 3rd reply of this very thread!

but i agree with everything else you said

No, he said you don't have to eat CLEAN. Who says only "clean" food is healthy? I'd argue that whole wheat bread is healthy, some people define clean as no processed foods.

again its a discrepancy in definition. i define eating clean as eating nutrient dense foods, which to me is really the only logical definition, pretty much anything else is just based off of broscience

That's not what they said.

Overall a good message and this site frequently promotes the same views, but the highlighted portion is wrong. You don' t have to eat clean to be fit or healthy. In fact, many of us frequently hit our macro and micronutrient goals and fit in "junk" food on occasion. Let me preface with saying, that doesn't mean we aren't eating fruits, veggies and whole lean foods, it just means we can still eat pizza, burgers, etc.. and still lose weight.

There are tons of nutrient dense foods that wouldn't be considered clean though....

BigT555

one of the mods said it in the 3rd reply of this very thread!

but i agree with everything else you said

No, he said you don't have to eat CLEAN. Who says only "clean" food is healthy? I'd argue that whole wheat bread is healthy, some people define clean as no processed foods.

again its a discrepancy in definition. i define eating clean as eating nutrient dense foods, which to me is really the only logical definition, pretty much anything else is just based off of broscience

That's not what they said.

Overall a good message and this site frequently promotes the same views, but the highlighted portion is wrong. You don' t have to eat clean to be fit or healthy. In fact, many of us frequently hit our macro and micronutrient goals and fit in "junk" food on occasion. Let me preface with saying, that doesn't mean we aren't eating fruits, veggies and whole lean foods, it just means we can still eat pizza, burgers, etc.. and still lose weight.

There are tons of nutrient dense foods that wouldn't be considered clean though....

to you. i would assume that to most a nutrient dense food is considered clean

what would be an example though out of curiosity?

ew_david

"Overall a good message and this site frequently promotes the same views, but the highlighted portion is wrong. You don' t have to eat clean to be fit or healthy. "


hmm.... you got me curious psulemon, How do you figure that you don't have to eat clean to be fit and healthy? I am genuinely curious. I'm not saying it has to be all the time, but eating processed, "fake" foods if you will does not fuel the body the way natural foods do. While some people can eat Mac n Cheese, candy, chips, and processed meats... that doesn't mean they are healthy even if the appear it on the outside. Clean eating in my opinion is very important, however so is exercise, sleep, hydration, and having indulgences now and then (For body and mind haha).

<---eats everything in moderation.

seltzermint555

I am not falling into the clean eating = healthy eating discussion here...but just wanted to say I generally agree with the OP's message. One thing that always blows my mind is how many people fall for the diet fads and scams over and over and over again. I know people who have been buying into these scams for twenty years and longer. It amazes me.

I also think it's sad (and pathetic) how some people buy into a scam/fad, have initial success with it, then find they cannot financially handle the burden. For example someone I know lost 40 lb with Shakeology and then it was interfering with her family budget so she stopped the shakes and gained about 60-65 lb in a short period of time. Now she is trying Advocare. I am confused by this...why wouldn't it be burned once, never again?! I don't know why this person will NOT try calorie counting...I just do not understand.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Alluminati

yessss

In for the ensuing *kitten* storm

kgeyser

one of the mods said it in the 3rd reply of this very thread!

but i agree with everything else you said

No, he said you don't have to eat CLEAN. Who says only "clean" food is healthy? I'd argue that whole wheat bread is healthy, some people define clean as no processed foods.

again its a discrepancy in definition. i define eating clean as eating nutrient dense foods, which to me is really the only logical definition, pretty much anything else is just based off of broscience

That's not what they said.

Overall a good message and this site frequently promotes the same views, but the highlighted portion is wrong. You don' t have to eat clean to be fit or healthy. In fact, many of us frequently hit our macro and micronutrient goals and fit in "junk" food on occasion. Let me preface with saying, that doesn't mean we aren't eating fruits, veggies and whole lean foods, it just means we can still eat pizza, burgers, etc.. and still lose weight.

There are tons of nutrient dense foods that wouldn't be considered clean though....

to you. i would assume that to most a nutrient dense food is considered clean

what would be an example though out of curiosity?

Bread. Dairy. White potatoes.

The problem many people have with the "clean food" label isn't nutrient dense foods. If you look at people's diaries, the people in this thread who don't like the label "clean eating" actually eat very close to your definition of clean eating about 80% of the time. What sticks in peoples' craws is statements like this from the OP:

While some people can eat Mac n Cheese, candy, chips, and processed meats... that doesn't mean they are healthy even if the appear it on the outside.

I eat all of those things. I am not unhealthy simply because I eat those things, much like I don't become automagically healthy if I eat an apple. If that was all that I ate, yeah, it would become a problem, much like if I just ate some veggies for every meal it would become a problem because I wouldn't be hitting all my macros and micros. The thing with MFP clean eaters is that if you don't eat clean, then they declare you unhealthy and start talking to you as though all you eat is fast food, twinkies, and pop-tarts.

This is why we can't have nice things.