I'm not sure If I believe most of this

kali31337

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_133570.html

They say that they are myths but I really would like to see this actual study.

"The bottom line for weight loss, said Allison, is indeed a fact: "Eating less energy than one expends for a prolonged period of time, and then maintaining that over a period of time."" I totally agree with this but ugh I don't know about the rest.

What does everyone think?

llkilgore

I'd like to see the study too. There's a difference between something being scientifically unsupported and scientifically disproved.

LoraF83

What do you think is not a myth?

tryclyn

"So, what really works when it comes to losing weight? Allison said strategies shown to be effective include: weight-loss surgery for very obese people; structured weight-loss programs; regular meetings with a physician, dietitian or coach; defining for people exactly what they should and should not eat; and receiving prepared meals or shopping lists."


Looks like they want you to spend money to lose weight. No thank you.

cwolfman13

My thinking here:

1.) Small changes in your diet or exercise can cause steady and sustained weight loss. MYTH

2.) Setting realistic goals is important. TRUE...only because I've found that it has greatly helped me in my success.

3.) Slow, gradual weight loss is better than large, rapid weight loss. TRUE...but perhaps this has only been for myself; I've found that going slow has helped me better understand how to eat in general rather than just crashing on a diet and learning nothing in RE to portion control, calories in/calories out, etc.

4.) If you wait until you feel ready to lose weight, you'll succeed. TRUE...I've found this true for just about any kind of lifestyle change. If you're not ready, you just revert back to old habit...again, maybe that's just me.

5.) Physical education classes now help prevent or reduce childhood obesity. MYTH...it's good for kids to be active, but my PE classes were never all that intense until I got into highschool sports. It's still very possible to consume more calories than you burn even if you're in PE every day.

6.) Breast-feeding helps prevent obesity. MYTH

7.) An act of sexual activity burns 100 to 300 calories. MYTH...generally speaking, intensity is there...duration is not...again, maybe just my problem.

I personally believe in calories in/calories out...I do not buy into fad diets and whatnot as they seldom lead to sustained success...at least in my experience.

BrettPGH

7.) An act of sexual activity burns 100 to 300 calories. MYTH...generally speaking, intensity is there...duration is not...again, maybe just my problem.

Haaaaaaaaave you met Brett?

chivalryder

That article seems incredibly redundant. Of course none of those things will help you lose weight, if you don't create a deficit (That's how I read it). They're just strategies to help make it possibly easier to do so.

My opinion on the suggested myths:

•Setting realistic goals is important.
Well, what are we supposed to do? Not set goals, or set unrealistic, insane goals? We can't achieve anything without goals, and we're setting ourselves up for failure if we set them too high.

•Slow, gradual weight loss is better than large, rapid weight loss.
The idea is to not put your body extreme stress and/or shock. Quick, dramatic changes to your weight will make it react in negative ways.

•If you wait until you feel ready to lose weight, you'll succeed.
If you feel like you're going to fail, you're going to fail. 'Nuff said.

•Physical education classes now help prevent or reduce childhood obesity.
Not as much as a healthy upbringing or personal determination.

•Breast-feeding helps prevent obesity.
Say what now?
•An act of sexual activity burns 100 to 300 calories.
A man can burn 300 calories from getting serviced?? Cool.

auddii

Here is that actual article, but I have a feeling y'all won't be able to access it. http://www.nejm.org.ezproxyhost.library.tmc.edu/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1208051#t=article

Regarding minor changes to induce large weight loss over a longer period of time:

For example, whereas the 3500-kcal rule predicts that a person who increases daily energy expenditure by 100 kcal by walking 1 mile (1.6 km) per day will lose more than 50 lb (22.7 kg) over a period of 5 years, the true weight loss is only about 10 lb (4.5 kg),6 assuming no compensatory increase in caloric intake, because changes in mass concomitantly alter the energy requirements of the body.

Realistic goals:

Although this is a reasonable hypothesis, empirical data indicate no consistent negative association between ambitious goals and program completion or weight loss.

Rate of weight loss:

A meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials that compared rapid weight loss (achieved with very-low-energy diets) with slower weight loss (achieved with low-energy diets — i.e., 800 to 1200 kcal per day) at the end of short-term follow-up (<1 yr) and long-term follow-up (≥1 year) showed that, despite the association of very-low-energy diets with significantly greater weight loss at the end of short-term follow-up (16.1% of body weight lost, vs. 9.7% with low-energy diets), there was no significant difference between the very-low-energy diets and low-energy diets with respect to weight loss at the end of long-term follow-up.

Diet readiness:

Five trials (involving 3910 participants; median study period, 9 months) specifically evaluated stages of change (not exclusively readiness) and showed an average weight loss of less than 1 kg and no conclusive evidence of sustained weight loss (see the Supplementary Appendix).

PE classes:

Findings in three studies that focused on expanded time in physical education12 indicated that even though there was an increase in the number of days children attended physical-education classes, the effects on body-mass index (BMI) were inconsistent across sexes and age groups. Two meta-analyses showed that even specialized school-based programs that promoted physical activity were ineffective in reducing BMI or the incidence or prevalence of obesity.

Breast feeding and healthy weight for children:

Moreover, studies with better control for confounding (e.g., studies including within-family sibling analyses) and a randomized, controlled trial involving more than 13,000 children who were followed for more than 6 years16 provided no compelling evidence of an effect of breast-feeding on obesity.

Sex as a workout:

This level of expenditure is similar to that achieved by walking at a moderate pace (approximately 2.5 miles [4 km] per hour). Given that the average bout of sexual activity lasts about 6 minutes,19 a man in his early-to-mid-30s might expend approximately 21 kcal during sexual intercourse. Of course, he would have spent roughly one third that amount of energy just watching television, so the incremental benefit of one bout of sexual activity with respect to energy expended is plausibly on the order of 14 kcal.

kali31337

Here is that actual article, but I have a feeling y'all won't be able to access it. http://www.nejm.org.ezproxyhost.library.tmc.edu/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1208051#t=article

Regarding minor changes to induce large weight loss over a longer period of time:

For example, whereas the 3500-kcal rule predicts that a person who increases daily energy expenditure by 100 kcal by walking 1 mile (1.6 km) per day will lose more than 50 lb (22.7 kg) over a period of 5 years, the true weight loss is only about 10 lb (4.5 kg),6 assuming no compensatory increase in caloric intake, because changes in mass concomitantly alter the energy requirements of the body.

Realistic goals:

Although this is a reasonable hypothesis, empirical data indicate no consistent negative association between ambitious goals and program completion or weight loss.

Rate of weight loss:

A meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials that compared rapid weight loss (achieved with very-low-energy diets) with slower weight loss (achieved with low-energy diets — i.e., 800 to 1200 kcal per day) at the end of short-term follow-up (<1 yr) and long-term follow-up (≥1 year) showed that, despite the association of very-low-energy diets with significantly greater weight loss at the end of short-term follow-up (16.1% of body weight lost, vs. 9.7% with low-energy diets), there was no significant difference between the very-low-energy diets and low-energy diets with respect to weight loss at the end of long-term follow-up.

Diet readiness:

Five trials (involving 3910 participants; median study period, 9 months) specifically evaluated stages of change (not exclusively readiness) and showed an average weight loss of less than 1 kg and no conclusive evidence of sustained weight loss (see the Supplementary Appendix).

PE classes:

Findings in three studies that focused on expanded time in physical education12 indicated that even though there was an increase in the number of days children attended physical-education classes, the effects on body-mass index (BMI) were inconsistent across sexes and age groups. Two meta-analyses showed that even specialized school-based programs that promoted physical activity were ineffective in reducing BMI or the incidence or prevalence of obesity.

Breast feeding and healthy weight for children:

Moreover, studies with better control for confounding (e.g., studies including within-family sibling analyses) and a randomized, controlled trial involving more than 13,000 children who were followed for more than 6 years16 provided no compelling evidence of an effect of breast-feeding on obesity.

Sex as a workout:

This level of expenditure is similar to that achieved by walking at a moderate pace (approximately 2.5 miles [4 km] per hour). Given that the average bout of sexual activity lasts about 6 minutes,19 a man in his early-to-mid-30s might expend approximately 21 kcal during sexual intercourse. Of course, he would have spent roughly one third that amount of energy just watching television, so the incremental benefit of one bout of sexual activity with respect to energy expended is plausibly on the order of 14 kcal.

Thank you! That's the stuff I wanted to see!