Really just tired of the lies....

_KATzMeow

Don't read them then, problem solved!

GRINWITHIN

I am so glad to hear that you can still build strength without squats. I have so many problems with my bum foot, last time I did squats I was in an ankle brace for nearly a month and still feeling it. I am looking for alternative exercises to build strength that keep pressure off my stupid foot.

I lost over 100 pounds the first time around and never ate 100% clean. I get so mad at myself for making excuses and gaining it all back. I did it before, I can do it again. I do try to have at least 1 meal a day that is clean, I am not big into fast food but I will NEVER give up my favorite food - Pizza and my favorite drink... martinis. As I say... all in moderation. In fact, if you look at my food diary you will see I lost weight while having my martinis. I even had a bite of Carvel ice cream cake at the nieces birthday party (no I didn't track it... got in so late but I knew I would be OK... the scale proved it. So much for the carbs/sugars rule.

For my metabolism, I keep 4 16 oz water bottles in my fridge on the shelf and I try to drink all of them (and sometimes use crystal light or Emergen-C, etc.). The flavoring does not make a difference but I find I am less likely to retain water when I get the non-carbonated in. Trust me, I am a Coke Cherry Zero freak, that's what get's me through the day. If I do not drink the non-carbonated water and just the diet soda, I tend to retain water and my metabolism slows. So long as I do my 8 glasses of non-carbonated, I can drink as much diet soda as I want without retaining water and getting bloated. I am sure this is is a funky "Jen problem", maybe it's age because it is a problem I noticed over the past year... who knows.

I think that there is no "one size fits all" diet program. The secret is eat less and exercise more.

Graelwyn75

Has anyone else noticed that the more controversial (and therefore usually most active) threads on these forums are the ones where people insist on speaking in absolutes and pushing their beliefs on everyone else? Are people on MFP really so ignorant or arrogant that they believe the only way to accomplish the goals that we have in common is their way and no other? The age old adage "there's more than one way to skin a cat" applies to so many things in life and indeed applies to fitness and health goals. If there's one thing I've learned over the many years that I've been educating myself on fitness and diet it's that the body remains a mysterious and marvelous machine. It is such a complex meshing of systems that to try and make any universal statement about any of the complex processes in the body is futile at best.

Indeed I've learned that when it comes to fitness and diet, the people to avoid most diligently are those that tell you they've found *THE* answer and this is it. Those hocking their latest fitness contraption always tell you how great and revolutionary it is and point to the "wasted time and effort" involved in their competitors equipment. Those pushing the latest diet approach always seem to be telling us how other diet programs are flawed and will never work. I run from these stories like the plague.

Yet here on MFP, where the very site itself promotes a balanced approach to improving our diet and developing a lifestyle of fitness, we still have the people that insist on pushing their approach that worked for them as *THE* end-all be-all holy grail of solutions to diet and fitness. For some reason these people cannot find room in their mind to understand that many approaches work, each and every single one has their own advantages and disadvantages, and no one answer applies to all of us universally.

So without further ado, here's my list of the lies I'm tired of hearing:

1. Your not serious about strength training if you're not doing squats and dead lifts -> Not true, I know a few professional personal trainers and strength trainers who never use either in their workout plans and they have some clients that are very impressive. Personally, I've had a solid focus for the last year and a half on strength and mass building and without doing a single deadlift and with squats only a very tiny portion of my workout plan I've got some awesome results.

2. You must eat clean to get down to a low Body Fat % and develop a 6-pack -> Hogwash. I've never eaten clean a day in my life. I enjoy processed foods, foods with chemicals, foods made with white flour, and even fast food. Yet here I sit with 9.7% bodyfat and a respectable six pack that's easily visible.

3. Your need to drink plain water to hydrate properly -> Oh gawd, that dammed water debate. No I can drink my crystal light, Aquafina flavor splash, Coke Zero, Gatorade and milk and somehow I have no problem remaining fully hydrated.

4. Carbs make you fat, sugars make you fat, xxxx makes you fat. You have to give them up to get thin -> Again, complete crap. I've not given up ANY FOOD in my lifestyle change and yet I'm at the 9.7% Bodyfat I mentioned above. Instead learning to eat in moderation and balance has been my key. Low Carb/No Carb diets do work, sure. So do diets like mine that let you eat whatever you want as long as you follow the plan.

I'm sure I could go on with a few hundred examples but I think most get the point. Educate yourselves. When you insist that your way is the only proper way to do things and that anyone not doing it your way is foolish, it is you who ultimately looks the fool. If anyone on this forum tells you in no uncertain terms that *this* is the only way then I'd be very skeptical of what they're telling you. Share your experiences, offer tips that helped you, but drop the arrogance that makes you believe you've found the magic solution that everyone should follow and which makes you judge those that have not chosen your path as sadly unaware of the horrible choices they're making. Instead be aware that many are well aware of the choices you've made and have instead made choices that have worked for them. Stop insisting they're doing it wrong or thinking of them as ignorant fools for not following your directions.

Totally agree, good post.

nanainkent

Best Post I have read since I joined MFP. Agree 1000% But unfortunatly the ppl who think thier way is the only way will not recognize themselves in this thread. They will think you are talking about the other guy, not them.

wendybird5

Awesome post and so true. I've noticed the same thing online and with people I've met during my own weight loss journey. Yet I still managed to lose a lot of weight by eating in moderation and not by cutting out everything completely as others said I'd have to do.

I always think it's great when people find whatever helps them lose weight, but when they suddenly decide everyone has to do it the same, I just don't get it. I know what worked for me wouldn't necessarily work for a lot of my friends so if they ask advice, I just tell them what I did and then encourage them to experiment and find something that works for them. It's great if people want to share what works for them, but the moment they start making judgement calls on others for not doing it the same way, I completely tune them out.

schondell

Carbs DO make you fat.

Missjulesdid

The one thing I've noticed lately is that some poeple talk in ideals... as in the best most effective/most efficient way to reach your goals ignoring all other factors, while other people just want something that will work and that they can sustain.

That difference is rarely stated, and almost always missed in the forums. Sure, recommendation A may be 1% more effective, but there's only about 3 people on this site that will benefit from that 1%.

More people need to realize that it's about the effort, not the method for 90% of us. What we choose to do is far less important than how hard we try at it. Someone going all out at on a circuit of weight machines is probably going to see better results than someone half-assing it with free weights.

At the end of the day... bust your *kitten* in your workouts and eat right. Period. End of conversation. If you want to eat organic whole foods, have at it. If you want lean cuisine, fine. If you like zumba, great. Want to squat a truck? Go for it.

indeed!

PikaKnight

Carbs DO make you fat.

:grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble:

ktalley76

OP..... !!
...You are just awesome. Great post!!!! :happy:

MissPeppers

OP, I totally agree. The problem out there is that so many are spreading s**t and it's sometimes difficult to sort it out. I've read a lot on bodyrecomposition.com and it's a great free site - along with Berkhan's leangains.com - his last post http://www.leangains.com/2013/01/consequence-and-clarity.html says a lot what you do and more...

shivles

I believe a lot of the problem is people just believe what they read on the Internet and don't do any of their own research! If it works for you then that's great but it doesn't mean someone doing it differently can achieve the same results

Talus731

Thank you ... this is the first post that I have read in the last couple days that I can wrap my head around.

rml_16

Are people on MFP really so ignorant or arrogant that they believe the only way to accomplish the goals that we have in common is their way and no other?

In short, yes.

But thankfully, not everyone.

rduhlir

I agree with you. If something isn't working for me, I find another answer and try that. If something is, then I stick with what I am doing and ignore the, 'You shouldn't do that" lecture. I have cut back on a lot of added sugar, less my coffee creamer. You can only cut out so much, and my coffee creamer is the one treat I get to have. I have the sugar free ice cream, the sugar free sweetener, hell...I pretty much wear the sugar free tee shirt. Darn it, I can have my creamer!

SelfHelpJunky

Good post, OP. It's crap like this that discourages people from trying to get healthy in the first place. It's like, "Ok, because I don't eat only from food grown on my own personal organic farm and do [X] type of exercise, I might as well just sit on my @$$ all day because whatever I'm doing is wrong and I'll never see results?" :huh:

While I like to stay active and have fitness goals, I still have a career and a life! I don't need visible abs or a thigh gap to have worth and meaning in my life. ANYTHING is better than sitting on my butt and eating crap all day.

psuLemon

Carbs DO make you fat.

Only if you have an intolerance to a certain carb or if you believe Gary Taubes. I eat over 200g of carbs a day and I cut fat like it's my job.


Here is my personal favorite

greater weight loss on ticker = more knowledgeable.


So apparently, someone who followed MFP's direction and lose 60 lbs makes them smarter than me because I only started with 20 lbs to lose.

I do agree with you. Because calories in vs out is what controls weight loss. Macro nutrition can help with recomposition but you can still have alcohol and eat unhealthy. Will you maximize workouts, maybe... maybe not. But that is a person decision to make based on performance.

rfsatar

OMG can I hire you next time I go up and meet with a "friend" who basically pee-ed on all my achievements to lose pounds, and get back into exercise despite chronic knee injuries?

We had a conversation that would have been hilarious, if he hadn't been such a knob about it all, along the lines of:

Me: I've lost half a stone already, yay team me!
Him: You can't if you eat white bread, white rice and non-wholewheat pasta and don't even think about using oil in anything
Me: I've lost half a stone already
Him: You can't if you eat white bread and even think about using oil in anything, and don't even get me started on the fact you are obviously on a calorie controlled diet
Me: I've lost half a stone [/and in my head I want to SCREAM - I LOST IT EATING WHAT I DAMN WELL LIKE!!! Sometimes healthy from scratch, sometimes courtesy of Captain Birsdeye, hell sometimes even a MaccyD... AND I AM STILL LOSING!]
Him: AND you eat crap
Me: I've lost..... the will to live...

WendyTerry420

Great post, OP! :drinker:

alyssamiller77

Thanks for the responses folks, glad to hear I'm not the only one that feels this way. I'm not going to make direct replies to everyone, but I'll hit on the highlights. First and foremost, I agree, the easiest way not to be frustrated by these dopes is to not read their crap. Unfortunately, I have this addiction to trying to help people so I like to share my experience and knowledge in many threads. So often I get involved in a thread that is going well, we give the poster some advice and things are good until someone pops in with the"You have to eat clean to......" or "If you don't add squats you're never......".

As much as I'd love for those folks to read this post, I never expected they would. I certainly have no expectation that I would change anyone's mind. This was just more of a venting session for me and a chance to determine if I was on my own or validate that others are as annoyed by their behavior as I am.

Finally, someone mentioned Body Recomposition. I'm a huge fan of Lyle McDonald. I've read a lot of his articles and his book "The Stubborn Fat Solution". He has a lot of great information. I have noticed though, even with him, he makes some statements about the way your body works as though their widely accepted facts when in reality much of it is still under debate and research. As long as you take it in with that perspective, it's great stuff.

So thanks everyone, keep at it!!

psuLemon

Thanks for the responses folks, glad to hear I'm not the only one that feels this way. I'm not going to make direct replies to everyone, but I'll hit on the highlights. First and foremost, I agree, the easiest way not to be frustrated by these dopes is to not read their crap. Unfortunately, I have this addiction to trying to help people so I like to share my experience and knowledge in many threads. So often I get involved in a thread that is going well, we give the poster some advice and things are good until someone pops in with the"You have to eat clean to......" or "If you don't add squats you're never......".

As much as I'd love for those folks to read this post, I never expected they would. I certainly have no expectation that I would change anyone's mind. This was just more of a venting session for me and a chance to determine if I was on my own or validate that others are as annoyed by their behavior as I am.

Finally, someone mentioned Body Recomposition. I'm a huge fan of Lyle McDonald. I've read a lot of his articles and his book "The Stubborn Fat Solution". He has a lot of great information. I have noticed though, even with him, he makes some statements about the way your body works as though their widely accepted facts when in reality much of it is still under debate and research. As long as you take it in with that perspective, it's great stuff.

So thanks everyone, keep at it!!

Just keep in mind, those who consistently provide good advice start to build a reputation and others will push that advice. Or we develop groups like "eat, train progress" and you can by-pass some of that crap, lol.