Dieting, Nutrition, Losing Weight and Myths Debunked

bcattoes

I really like the Harvard institute of public health for things like this.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-full-story/index.html

I LOVE the Harvard Institute of Public Health for most things health related. I love to read Walter Willet's publishings because he refuses to endorse anything that's not evidence based. And when more evidence suggests that previous understandings were incorrect he's not afraid to change.

tmarie2715

GREAT post!! Thanks for taking the time to write this....

What she said.

2bFitNTrim

bump

joejccva71

While I agree with most of what you've said, without siting any references I can't really see how you've "debunked" anything. Only one of your points has any scientific backup posted. Of course, people could research it for themselves, but if they were inclined to do that nothing would need debunked.

Plus you left out the 8 glasses of water a day myth.

I'm not the one doing the actual "debunking". Research and scientists from NIH are. I could go back and link to each myth and post links from the national institutes of health but after posting alot of links in one study I figured others could go to the NIH and look them up as well.

What exactly about the 8 glasses of water a day myth? Are you saying that we don't need to drink 8 glasses of water a day and hydrate our bodies? *confused*

bcattoes

Great post. This info is all up to date with the latest science in the field of nutrition.

One thing I cannot stress enough is diet is key to weight loss! You cannot out train a bad diet. So many people get caught up with the mentality that your workouts are the key to fitness goals. It's so far from the truth.

The truth is all workout routines work with a good diet. One thing I've learned over the past 11 months that I've lost 141 lbs is that you don't need to kill yourself at the gym or work out 7-10 times per week. I do almost zero cardio now, only go to the gym 3 days a week and do a full body split, and I still lose 2 lbs a week.

I've learned through this process that I can work smarter, not harder. I eat ice cream for breakfast, and I eat out for dinner once per day, every.single.day and I lose weight. I don't eat many vegetables, nor fruit. Diets need not be boring or restrictive. All you must learn is moderation and balance in your diet.

Losing fat has become ridiculously easy for me. Weight loss is not magic. It's math. Once you understand the problem, it's easy to get the results you desire with a little manipulation of your diet.

I'm assuming by a "good diet" you mean simply one that allows weight loss. Because IMO a "good diet" is a healthy diet. You don't need exercise or a healthy diet to lose weight, but you need vegetables and you need to limit sugar for good diet. And exercise is key to good health and should be part of a good diet.

_Khaleesi_

Great educational post. Thanks very much. I had forgotten about the saturated fat thing...

jellybaby84

Good info.

The only one I'm not convinced by is 8). Surely it makes more sense that if you burn more calories you'll lose more weight?

I've read such conflicting statistics on this - from your 95% diet, 5% training extreme right up to a 20% diet, 80% training extreme. Very hard to know what to believe.

My sister has lost 2 stone over the last year or so purely through going to the gym. She didn't alter her diet at all. Though she doesn't have a bad diet, just an average/non-diet/eats what she wants type diet. Maybe that's the thing - exercise can help a reasonable eater but not a downright bad one.

bcattoes

What exactly about the 8 glasses of water a day myth? Are you saying that we don't need to drink 8 glasses of water a day and hydrate our bodies? *confused*

Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying.

Water myth 1: There has never been evidence that 8 glasses is better than 6 or 9. It's a completely arbitrary generalization. We need enough liquid to keep from getting thirsty and to keep our urine fairly clear. And that's all. It may take you 8 glasses, but it may take more or less. The fact is that it will likely take different amounts on different days depending on diet and activity.

Water myth 2: Plain water is not better at hydration than other liquids including caffienated beverages. In fact, some studies have shown tea to actually be healthier than water.

Water myth3: Drinking more water will help with weight loss. Studies have failed to prove that drinking more water than is necessary for hydration has any affect on weight loss.

joejccva71

Good info.

The only one I'm not convinced by is 8). Surely it makes more sense that if you burn more calories you'll lose more weight?

I've read such conflicting statistics on this - from your 95% diet, 5% training extreme right up to a 20% diet, 80% training extreme. Very hard to know what to believe.

My sister has lost 2 stone over the last year or so purely through going to the gym. She didn't alter her diet at all. Though she doesn't have a bad diet, just an average/non-diet/eats what she wants type diet. Maybe that's the thing - exercise can help a reasonable eater but not a downright bad one.

Thanks.

Here's the thing. Cardio is for cardiovascular health, and it burns calories. It is a very good thing to do for your body. I was only making a point that it's not absolutely neccessary to lose weight and burn fat. Diet is neccessary and required to lose weight and burn fat as long as your diet has the required calorie intake to eat at a deficit from your maintenance.

You could do all the cardio in the world, but if you are eating at a calorie surplus from what you burn in a 24 hour period, then you will gain weight.

Alaranio

Bump!!!

joejccva71

Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying.

Water myth 1: There has never been evidence that 8 glasses is better than 6 or 9. It's a completely arbitrary generalization. We need enough liquid to keep from getting thirsty and to keep our urine fairly clear. And that's all. It may take you 8 glasses, but it may take more or less. The fact is that it will likely take different amounts on different days depending on diet and activity.

Water myth 2: Plain water is not better at hydration than other liquids including caffienated beverages. In fact, some studies have shown tea to actually be healthier than water.

Water myth3: Drinking more water will help with weight loss. Studies have failed to prove that drinking more water than is necessary for hydration has any affect on weight loss.

Ahh ok, yea I agree about the water myths. Just forgot to put them in.

Although myth 2, I will say that water is better for you than Coke or something along those lines simply because of the chemicals in soft drinks.

I also agree with what you said with myth 3. Drinking water doesn't directly help with weight loss, although if you were once drinking sodas (not diet sodas), and then started drinking only water. The calorie deficit going from soda to water will be less calorie intake so you essentially could lose weight from that perspective.

anulle2009

I was even told by my nutrionist i saw, 85% diet and 15% exercise is the key to lose weight!

Sublog

Great post. This info is all up to date with the latest science in the field of nutrition.

One thing I cannot stress enough is diet is key to weight loss! You cannot out train a bad diet. So many people get caught up with the mentality that your workouts are the key to fitness goals. It's so far from the truth.

The truth is all workout routines work with a good diet. One thing I've learned over the past 11 months that I've lost 141 lbs is that you don't need to kill yourself at the gym or work out 7-10 times per week. I do almost zero cardio now, only go to the gym 3 days a week and do a full body split, and I still lose 2 lbs a week.

I've learned through this process that I can work smarter, not harder. I eat ice cream for breakfast, and I eat out for dinner once per day, every.single.day and I lose weight. I don't eat many vegetables, nor fruit. Diets need not be boring or restrictive. All you must learn is moderation and balance in your diet.

Losing fat has become ridiculously easy for me. Weight loss is not magic. It's math. Once you understand the problem, it's easy to get the results you desire with a little manipulation of your diet.

I'm assuming by a "good diet" you mean simply one that allows weight loss. Because IMO a "good diet" is a healthy diet. You don't need exercise or a healthy diet to lose weight, but you need vegetables and you need to limit sugar for good diet. And exercise is key to good health and should be part of a good diet.

Why do we "need" vegetables again? Why do we need to limit sugar? Does sugar make you fat? Nope, excess calories do.

bcattoes

Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying.

Water myth 1: There has never been evidence that 8 glasses is better than 6 or 9. It's a completely arbitrary generalization. We need enough liquid to keep from getting thirsty and to keep our urine fairly clear. And that's all. It may take you 8 glasses, but it may take more or less. The fact is that it will likely take different amounts on different days depending on diet and activity.

Water myth 2: Plain water is not better at hydration than other liquids including caffienated beverages. In fact, some studies have shown tea to actually be healthier than water.

Water myth3: Drinking more water will help with weight loss. Studies have failed to prove that drinking more water than is necessary for hydration has any affect on weight loss.

Ahh ok, yea I agree about the water myths. Just forgot to put them in.

Although myth 2, I will say that water is better for you than Coke or something along those lines simply because of the chemicals in soft drinks.

I also agree with what you said with myth 3. Drinking water doesn't directly help with weight loss, although if you were once drinking sodas (not diet sodas), and then started drinking only water. The calorie deficit going from soda to water will be less calorie intake so you essentially could lose weight from that perspective.

Agreed, but then if you went from eating cake to eating rice cakes you'd lose too because it's all about the sugar, just as non-diet sodas to water is all about the sugar. But going from drinking black coffee or plain tea to water won't help a bit with weight loss. But some studies have suggested that caffeine does help with weight loss, and numerous studies have shown the power of the antioxidants in brewed teas. I'm a tea lover, in case you couldn't tell.

joejccva71

Agreed, but then if you went from eating cake to eating rice cakes you'd lose too because it's all about the sugar, just as non-diet sodas to water is all about the sugar. But going from drinking black coffee or plain tea to water won't help a bit with weight loss. But some studies have suggested that caffeine does help with weight loss, and numerous studies have shown the power of the antioxidants in brewed teas. I'm a tea lover, in case you couldn't tell.

There are some bodybuilders that I talk to online that swear by cutting down to about 10% bodyfat and then taking an ECA stack to further cut down even more faster to get into contest shape, however I have never tried this and don't know if it works. Some swear by it. I don't agree with taking stimulants like this. Coffee or Tea is enough. lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECA_stack

hypashan

Bump! great post it's amazing how many people thinik they need to kill themselves working out to loose weight.

deanadimples

I couldn't agree more with a lot of what you said. Dieting is really a simple concept when you think of it, and people buying into these myths make it much harder than it is.

I've been eating 3 meals a day with a snack here and there and I've eaten all hours, even late at night. I have never understood why some people "won't eat after 7pm". It just seems ridiculous to me! I eat all sorts of food and keep my workouts daily but 30-45 mins. It's enough to get the deficits I need to see good results on the scale and I'm seeing my muscles toned. If I had to eat 7x a day and all by a certain hour and had to align with these myths, I'd still be in a bigger pair of pants!

Thanks for the great post!

bcattoes

Great post. This info is all up to date with the latest science in the field of nutrition.

One thing I cannot stress enough is diet is key to weight loss! You cannot out train a bad diet. So many people get caught up with the mentality that your workouts are the key to fitness goals. It's so far from the truth.

The truth is all workout routines work with a good diet. One thing I've learned over the past 11 months that I've lost 141 lbs is that you don't need to kill yourself at the gym or work out 7-10 times per week. I do almost zero cardio now, only go to the gym 3 days a week and do a full body split, and I still lose 2 lbs a week.

I've learned through this process that I can work smarter, not harder. I eat ice cream for breakfast, and I eat out for dinner once per day, every.single.day and I lose weight. I don't eat many vegetables, nor fruit. Diets need not be boring or restrictive. All you must learn is moderation and balance in your diet.

Losing fat has become ridiculously easy for me. Weight loss is not magic. It's math. Once you understand the problem, it's easy to get the results you desire with a little manipulation of your diet.

I'm assuming by a "good diet" you mean simply one that allows weight loss. Because IMO a "good diet" is a healthy diet. You don't need exercise or a healthy diet to lose weight, but you need vegetables and you need to limit sugar for good diet. And exercise is key to good health and should be part of a good diet.

Why do we "need" vegetables again? Why do we need to limit sugar? Does sugar make you fat? Nope, excess calories do.

Sugar spikes your insulin and can lead to insulin resistance. That is not "good" so not part of a good diet except in very limited quantities. Vegetables provide necessary fiber and nutrients that your body needs to function correctly, so they are also necessary for a "good" diet. When I was in my teens and early 20's I'd go all day eating nothing but a Snickers bar or one taco if I thought I put on a lb or two. I was thin, but that didn't mean it was a "good diet".

joejccva71

I think you guys are on two different things here.

Sublog is talking about weight loss and calories in versus calories out, while bcatt is talking about eating a "good" diet for good general health purposes...right?

bcattoes

I think you guys are on two different things here.

Sublog is talking about weight loss and calories in versus calories out, while bcatt is talking about eating a "good" diet for good general health purposes...right?

Yes! I said that in my first reply. A "good" unhealthy diet is an oxymoron. BUT, that doesn't mean you can't lose weight on a bad diet. Unhealthy food = bad food, what quantities are eaten doesn't change that.