What is the WORST fitness advice....

135

Replies

  • libertygirlfla
    libertygirlfla Posts: 184 Member
    I'm really enjoying this thread. I think I've heard every one of these gems of bad advice.

    Similar to one above, someone told me a person should lose weight BEFORE they started exercising or using weights since all the fat just turned to muscle and you would just stay big. Amazing!
  • XjXannX
    XjXannX Posts: 44 Member
    "walking won't help you lose weight"
  • Prisme
    Prisme Posts: 65 Member
    "just do yoga, skip the weights"
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
    I get a never ending mud slide of unsolicited advice from people in terrible shape. The hard bodies don't say a word. Too busy training. LOL

    So true. Every day I get at least one person giving me weight loss advice who has barely made it out of the gate themselves. And half the time they think I need to do something they heard on Dr. Oz... :indifferent:
    My overweight husband always likes to tell me 'I don't need to diet - exercise is all anyone needs to do' OK champ *rolls eyes*

    I used to do that. That's how I ended up at 200+. "I work out so much, but barely lose any weight. Why not?", she said as she finished eating an entire large supreme pizza all by herself...
  • MissesForrester
    MissesForrester Posts: 66 Member
    BUMP
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    Seriously, my band mate told me I should just try herorin.

    Well.. he's probably right.. you'd most likely lose weight.. LOL.

    Just not pot.. that makes you eat more..

    Oh I almost forgot, my grandfather told me he doesn't believe in calories
    They don't count on holidays or weekend nights or at parties though right?? LOL

    BTW. those are things I have been told.

    My favorite though: After you have kids you just can't lose weight anymore.. ha!
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    You do not need cardio to lose weight.

    You don't, though.

    thank you !
  • lovonnastinsonchalkey
    lovonnastinsonchalkey Posts: 6
    My overweight husband always likes to tell me 'I don't need to diet - exercise is all anyone needs to do' OK champ *rolls eyes*


    my super skinny hubby who can eat everything under the sun and not gain a pound and who can work out for one hour and bulk up tells me the same thing!! :)
  • witeowl
    witeowl Posts: 89
    I had a work mate that didn't think counting calories made you lose. *blinks* Uh, yeah..that's sooooo how I didn't lose the weight I did. HA! Some people are ignorant.

    Well, technically counting calories doesn't make you lose. It's keeping the caloric deficit that makes you lose. :wink:
  • Sunny_fit4life
    Sunny_fit4life Posts: 157 Member
    "All you have to do to lose weight is give up soda and stop eating after 6 pm."

    If it were that easy, wouldn't we all be so stoked!
  • The__Deflator
    The__Deflator Posts: 13 Member
    You only need to exercise at 50-60% of your maximum heart rate to lose weight. Although any exercise is good for you, this is won't create fat loss. Surprisingly all the cardio machines at the gym have their "fat loss" programs set to exactly this.

    These "fat loss" programs are set to 50-60% of the max heart rate because in that's the area where, in percent, the most energy you receive is won out of your bodyfat. If your heart rate increases, that fat-percentage decreases and you're percentage of energy won out of carbs increases.
    However, higher heart rate -- > more energy needed. Eventough you get less energy from fat with a high heart rate and more from carbs (percentwise), you're ABSOLUTELY burning more carbs and fats than with the 50-60% heart rate.
  • beskimoosh
    beskimoosh Posts: 375 Member
    That people weighing double what I did can do jumping jacks so man up and get on with it. I'm now waiting for knee surgery as I popped the cartilage!

    Damn you Jillian Michaels!!!! (If that's who you got it from, I have horrific flashbacks of her shouting random words in 30DS still, so I remember it well)
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    --Stay in the "fat zone" while doing cardio (I wasn't even sweating).

    --Using direct weight resistance on the lower body if you're pear-shaped will be slimming (No, you'll get bigger and look even more pear-shaped.)

    --Do a lateral running exercise over Lebert Equalizer Bars (I tripped, and a year later, my ankle is still not completely healed, nor may it ever.)
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    You only need to exercise at 50-60% of your maximum heart rate to lose weight. Although any exercise is good for you, this is won't create fat loss. Surprisingly all the cardio machines at the gym have their "fat loss" programs set to exactly this.

    These "fat loss" programs are set to 50-60% of the max heart rate because in that's the area where, in percent, the most energy you receive is won out of your bodyfat. If your heart rate increases, that fat-percentage decreases and you're percentage of energy won out of carbs increases.
    However, higher heart rate -- > more energy needed. Eventough you get less energy from fat with a high heart rate and more from carbs (percentwise), you're ABSOLUTELY burning more carbs and fats than with the 50-60% heart rate.

    The problem is that it implies you're automatically burning fat. You're not. If you're eating an excess of calories, you will be burning little to no fat even in the "fat burning zone." If it were that easy we could all just eat as much as we want and lose body fat as long as we spent an hour a day in the "fat burning zone" on an elliptical.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Eat less fat (vitamins are fat soluble)
    Eat more then 400g in carbs (um but then I need to eat less of the essential nutrients?
    Eat less protein (protein preserves muscle mass, I want to get ridd of fat, not what little muscle I have)
    Exercise less so you don't gain girth (exercisse depletes glycogen, so yes, when you stop, it comes back, that's a good thing)
    strength training makes you bulk up (then why have I lost inches everywhere? On a calorie deficit, you're not going to gain all over mass...that doesn't make sense? Muscle is denser then fat, how can shrinking things make you bulkier?)
  • cairee
    cairee Posts: 95 Member
    "dont do Insanity, your not fit enough for that."
    this advice was given by a woman who is lazy and fat and failed to finish the first week of insanity. I am not fat, I am not lazy and I am perfecly capable of doing a cardio intense workout.
    another great piece of advice was
    "eat right before working out, it will help you digest it better"
    actually, eating before woking out makes me throw up. thanks though.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    that you have to exercise for at least 60 minutes to burn fat aka advice given by my high school biology teacher.
    seriously though?

    I think that's true. The body doesn't switch over to using its fat reserves right away. It draws on more immediately accessible sources of energy. There are many articles that explain the theory in detail.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    that women shouldn't lift dumbbells over 3lb.

    I have 3-pound weights and was telling a friend that they weren't heavy enough (even for weakling me). She told me that I would hurt myself using 3-pounders and gave me a set of 1-pound dumbells to use instead. It may not have been the right advice for me, but I know her advice was given because she genuinely cares.
    If you own a purse or use a large hair dryer, then you already lift more then that weight every day. If 3 lbs is to heavy for them so is lifting purses, babies, doors, chairs, pans, laundry, having 'fun' in something other then starfish position etc. Trying to do less is not going to do anything. I am seriously the weakest person I know and can lift much much more then 3 lbs without hurting myself (I bench 40lbs...ask all the weight lifters, they'll laugh). My spine is out of place and I have arthritis. My body has done nothing but improve since I started lifting heavier things then my bookbag to help lift my bookbag. I understand where she's coming from though. The advertising and the media has women (and men) thinking some pretty stupid ill informed things that don't make any sense at all. If I wasn't surrounded by that I probably would have started lifting things or doing body weight exercises a lot sooner. It's fun being able to leap over fences and balance on balls because you can carry yourself easily.

    Having strength, its a beautiful thing for the body and mind.
  • bmqbonnie
    bmqbonnie Posts: 836 Member
    Calories don't matter, because they're just units of energy, you know? Just don't eat any fat and you'll be fine.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Stay in a calorie deficit to lose weight.

    That's how weight is lost.
  • cairee
    cairee Posts: 95 Member
    My overweight husband always likes to tell me 'I don't need to diet - exercise is all anyone needs to do' OK champ *rolls eyes*

    uh, did we marry the same guy?
    my husband seems to think he can eat all the fat and sugar he wants so long as he does 5 minutes of crunches. Im gonna be ready for swimsuit season, dont think he will be.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    "All you have to do to lose weight is give up soda and stop eating after 6 pm."

    If it were that easy, wouldn't we all be so stoked!

    well if you're drinking a LOT of soda it can make a huge difference. A friend of mine lost 80 pounds and all she did was change out Pepsi for water. She was drinking a ton of the stuff though.

    I think stopping eating at a certain time is BS though.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    That people weighing double what I did can do jumping jacks so man up and get on with it. I'm now waiting for knee surgery as I popped the cartilage!

    Damn you Jillian Michaels!!!! (If that's who you got it from, I have horrific flashbacks of her shouting random words in 30DS still, so I remember it well)

    I couldn't do those damned Jillian Michaels jumping jacks. I opted for jogging in place, instead. Jillian seems to think everyone has joints of steel.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    The advertising and the media has women (and men) thinking some pretty stupid ill informed things that don't make any sense at all. If I wasn't surrounded by that I probably would have started lifting things or doing body weight exercises a lot sooner. It's fun being able to leap over fences and balance on balls because you can carry yourself easily.


    I don't think the fitness/diet industry wants us to know how to do it properly. If we ALL know proper fitness, they can't gouge us for dieting/fitness products.
  • speedgraphic19
    speedgraphic19 Posts: 36
    Eat less fat (vitamins are fat soluble)
    Eat more then 400g in carbs (um but then I need to eat less of the essential nutrients?
    Eat less protein (protein preserves muscle mass, I want to get ridd of fat, not what little muscle I have)
    Exercise less so you don't gain girth (exercisse depletes glycogen, so yes, when you stop, it comes back, that's a good thing)
    strength training makes you bulk up (then why have I lost inches everywhere? On a calorie deficit, you're not going to gain all over mass...that doesn't make sense? Muscle is denser then fat, how can shrinking things make you bulkier?)

    Would you even be able to eat anything else if you aimed for 400g of carbs a day? That seems like an incredibly high number to me.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    The advertising and the media has women (and men) thinking some pretty stupid ill informed things that don't make any sense at all. If I wasn't surrounded by that I probably would have started lifting things or doing body weight exercises a lot sooner. It's fun being able to leap over fences and balance on balls because you can carry yourself easily.


    I don't think the fitness/diet industry wants us to know how to do it properly. If we ALL know proper fitness, they can't gouge us for dieting/fitness products.
    But you'd think someone would benefit by telling the truth...I mean how many boxed 1-5lb weight sets have been bought and thrown away and bashed publicly and sold for cheap? They get bad media, the second person who picked up the weights doesn't benefit the company...If they were like *here do this and it will work* and it works...wouldn't everyone want those things and they'd benefit more? I wish the Olympic Weights people were better at advertising...I'd be able to find more then one oly bar in the whole city :P It's slim pickings at the fitness center here...you'd figure they'd be able to sell more of something that works...
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
    Our school nurse set up a SPECIAL DEAL with Weight Watchers so several have joined. I have not. I did get a good inside chuckle when the talk at the lunch table turned to points and "don't eat this" or "do eat that." Inevitably, eyes turned to see what is on my plate, which is likely over any point limit WW would set for me.

    "How do you eat like that and keep losing weight?"
    "I run."
    "Hmmmm..."

    Last I saw, several were walking at a rather fast pace down at the track :smile:
    I am happy for them!
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Eat less fat (vitamins are fat soluble)
    Eat more then 400g in carbs (um but then I need to eat less of the essential nutrients?
    Eat less protein (protein preserves muscle mass, I want to get ridd of fat, not what little muscle I have)
    Exercise less so you don't gain girth (exercisse depletes glycogen, so yes, when you stop, it comes back, that's a good thing)
    strength training makes you bulk up (then why have I lost inches everywhere? On a calorie deficit, you're not going to gain all over mass...that doesn't make sense? Muscle is denser then fat, how can shrinking things make you bulkier?)

    Would you even be able to eat anything else if you aimed for 400g of carbs a day? That seems like an incredibly high number to me.
    Exactly I don't get the low protein low fat diets some people sputter on about. I was on another forum earlier and a girl didn't want to eat. She gave no info on her diet other then she hardly eats and they told her to eat less fat and more carbs for her hormones...that are regulated by actually absorbing nutrients via fat I would imagine... I was like wut?
  • Sunny_fit4life
    Sunny_fit4life Posts: 157 Member
    "All you have to do to lose weight is give up soda and stop eating after 6 pm."

    If it were that easy, wouldn't we all be so stoked!

    well if you're drinking a LOT of soda it can make a huge difference. A friend of mine lost 80 pounds and all she did was change out Pepsi for water. She was drinking a ton of the stuff though.

    I think stopping eating at a certain time is BS though.

    That's awesome for your friend!
    It was funny to me because I don't drink soda ;)
    I get annoyed by any advice that makes assumptions about what I currently eat.

    Another piece of bad advice:
    "It doesn't matter what you eat as long as you burn more calories than you eat!"
  • joyzeejay
    joyzeejay Posts: 95 Member
    Don't lift heavy weights, only do cardio...so I took that advice and could NEVER get my big thighs, butt, and hips down for 43 years of my life. Finally, did heavy, especially legs and made it from a size 16 into a size 6 (within 4 months). Never had thighs, butt, and hips this small and tight!!! Yes, to heavy weights!!!!

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