FITNESS MYTHS and EXCUSES YOU CAN'T STAND!!!

Jlopez201

"Squatting will make my butt BIGGER.." - VERY VERY Common.. since everyone wants a big round butt these days.

Squatting will help firm and lift what you already have... SO it depends on a variety of factors.. Its a common/misleading myth.

Mustang_Susie

"I've tried every diet out there and none of them work"
"I have a slow metabolism"

twoss9112

Brittaney,
While I too share your exasperation with people who opt to not be fit and then complain about it. Please be careful how you throw around comments about pain. I do not do squats or lunges because I've had reconstructive surgery on my knee 4 times and the pain is excruciating. I work on exercises to continue to gain muscle strength, but your comment was hurtful. In this community I think we all need to try to stay a little more judgement free.

At least someone else spotted this extremely insulting comment also. OP should really think before assuming everyone has the same capabilities as somebody else.

It read to me that she was talking about people who use things like that as their excuse not to do ANYTHING, not people who do have a specific physical situation that may prevent them from doing certain movements, and find ways to work around it.

I have certain things that I can't do, and one past injury that makes some things difficult. I work around it as I'm sure MANY people on this site do.

Her topid was about people who don't due anything and come up with excuses not to, or not to try, not about people who do try yet cannot do specific exercises or movements.

RGv2

Wow, this is the most judgemental posting zone I've seen here in a long time! Did this turn into MyFitnessTroll?

Perhaps it would be a little more helpful to those who are starting/struggling/not quite got their shxt together on the fitness bandwagon if people would share the myths and excuses THEY PERSONALLY relied on and HOW THEY OVERCAME THEM!

Complaining because someone else says they "don't have the time" only makes those of us who are currently struggling feel more on the outside --- like theres a river between us and I can't find the bridge.

Etc Etc

You sound like me about the time thing, except I have 2x2 yr olds who need their mommy too. I feel for you. My gym also opens at 5:30...work at 7 etcetc and then I feel like crap for the rest of the day...

When someone tells you you should just "get up earlier" you can pull out the research on the long-term effects of sleep deprivation on metabolism and weight:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=sleep-deprivation-obesity

If I had a lifestyle like yours I'd be prioritizing getting decent sleep and then trying to fit moderate activity in around daily tasks, rather than trying to get formal gym time in. If you're dropping below 7 hours of sleep in order to get to the gym, you're undoing a lot of what you might accomplish at the gym. Also, chronic sleep deprivation actually makes your workouts less effective in a whole bunch of ways.
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/conditioning/a/aa062800a.htm

She gets 9 1/2 hrs of sleep as it is. Knocking that down to 7-8 hrs of sleep isn't sleep deprivation.

When you're 48 years old and wake up no less than 6 times a night thanks to menopause --- you bet your butt getting up a couple of hours earlier drops below the sleep deprivation line. I go to bed early because I have to, not because I want to.

Isn't it odd that anytime someone posts something supportive and encouraging (with actual suggestions that might help) -- somebody else has to come along and be judgemental and mean. What the heck is wrong with you people????
Are some of you trading in your physical health for your mental health?

Before going off on the particular individual, did you mention that you are already sleep deprived (approx. 6hrs of sleep or less) due to your situation, or where they just supposed to know?

ThatSoundsHard

The thing that's grinding my gears lately is "I tried that"... Drives me insane "Oh I tried eating better, but it's too hard", "I tried going to the gym but I don't have time", "I tried working out at home with videos but it's boring and the kids inturrupt me all the time".

Well, I tried feeling sympathy for you but you're just so lazy.

csuhar

"the older you get, the harder it is to loose weight"

Give it 20 years and see if you still think this is a myth.

Ok, fair enough. I retract that statement. I shouldn't have added it.

Now that I think about it, I can't help but consider my Mom. Of course it's harder for her than me She has bad ankles and arthritic knees.

I was talking about a specific person; this person uses that excuse but doesn't actually exercise (and eats at McDonalds or Wendy's 5 days a week).

I can totally understand "the older you get", it would be harder to exercise or loose weight (for many different reasons). I was just annoyed because he's been using that excuse since he was 45 yet he doesn't exercise and eats terrible food.

I think this "myth" is a bit convoluted in the same way people get upset over the whole "muscle weighs more than fat" issue because there's a part left out. In the case of muscle versus fat, it's usually the "per unit of volume" that is assumed and / or omitted.

With the "the older you get, the harder it is to loose weight" issue, it again feels like we may be omitting something. I'm starting to hear that one's metabolism doesn't slow appreciably enough over time to explain sizeable weight gain. There is no magic "you've hit 30, 40, or 50 so *POOF!* here's a belly for ya" aspect. Again, it does slow down, just apparently not as much as is sometimes advertised.

HOWEVER... getting older does carry with it a lot of other factors. Bodies don't always move or work as well as they used to. Habits are more deeply ingrained and, therefore, harder to overcome. And responsibilities just keep adding up. So it does become more difficult, it's just not so much a matter of numerical age.

ccmccoy09

When people eat processed sugary junk and their excuse is "I need the sugar", ipjewfdalojwlfjlwjhlwdclwdjciq NO.

HA!
I spent a girls' weekend with a (super fit) girl where I bought all the food -- all veggies, fruit, lean meats, juices, and a ton of booze and diet mixers. 2 days in she bought a Coke because she said she felt her body "needed some real, natural sugar."

Excuse me what? You mean other than the fruit and juice? A Coke, really?

Personally, even when I feel like my body "needs" sugar, it's nothing than half a pear or mango can't take care of.

bcattoes

"the older you get, the harder it is to loose weight"

Give it 20 years and see if you still think this is a myth.

Ok, fair enough. I retract that statement. I shouldn't have added it.

Now that I think about it, I can't help but consider my Mom. Of course it's harder for her than me She has bad ankles and arthritic knees.

I was talking about a specific person; this person uses that excuse but doesn't actually exercise (and eats at McDonalds or Wendy's 5 days a week).

I can totally understand "the older you get", it would be harder to exercise or loose weight (for many different reasons). I was just annoyed because he's been using that excuse since he was 45 yet he doesn't exercise and eats terrible food.

I think this "myth" is a bit convoluted in the same way people get upset over the whole "muscle weighs more than fat" issue because there's a part left out. In the case of muscle versus fat, it's usually the "per unit of volume" that is assumed and / or omitted.

With the "the older you get, the harder it is to loose weight" issue, it again feels like we may be omitting something. I'm starting to hear that one's metabolism doesn't slow appreciably enough over time to explain sizeable weight gain. There is no magic "you've hit 30, 40, or 50 so *POOF!* here's a belly for ya" aspect. Again, it does slow down, just apparently not as much as is sometimes advertised.

HOWEVER... getting older does carry with it a lot of other factors. Bodies don't always move or work as well as they used to. Habits are more deeply ingrained and, therefore, harder to overcome. And responsibilities just keep adding up. So it does become more difficult, it's just not so much a matter of numerical age.

Most people’s metabolism does slow appreciably over time, though it does so mostly because of lack of exercise and muscle. If one stays active and retains muscle as they age, metabolism changes are much less than average. But, once you've lost that muscle and your metabolism has slowed, rebuilding the muscle and raising your metabolism is difficult, which makes weight loss more difficult. And if you are also dealing with age or obesity related medical conditions, that makes it even more difficult. And if you are lucky enough to be a woman, there is the menopause factor with all it's lovely hormonal fluctuations which mess with your weight..

Moral of story - if you are young, get off your *kitten* and MOVE. And keep moving.

WVprankster

From ladies:
"I don't want to get huge..." Yes. Because when a woman picks up a dumbbell heavier than #20, she walks out of the YMCA looking like Ronnie Coleman.
"I'm sweaty and gross..." Yes...sort of. You may be sweaty and gross, but that's not a bad thing. Watching a woman - significant other or otherwise- get hot and sweaty doing, well...anything (let's face it, gentlemen) is a helluva lot hotter than watching a woman do math problems (not srs) or sit in a doctor's office for weight-related health issues (srs).

From men:
"Protein powder tastes bad." Try real food? Barring that, I would point out that I don't pay bills to practice penmanship; chances are that powdered milk/soy/pea/anything isn't going to taste like strawberries.
"I can't..." Self-fulfilling prophecy. He should be focusing on what he can, not what he can't.
"I can't drink that much water." Funny, when you were in college you bragged that you could drink twice that amount in beer. Your stomach didn't shrink in the last decade, or you wouldn't be asking me about weight loss. (inb4 belly =/= stomach)

JonnyR214

" i wish i could workout "


like ***** you can, just move jeeze lol

Owlie45

2) I actually heard this: "I can't squat because I have bad knees.... besides, it's not like i use that in my everyday life."

WHAAT?! No. You have bad knees BECAUSE you don't squat.

And if you don't think you use it in everyday life, i'd like to know how you get on and off the toilet. :huh:

That's insulting.
As someone with bad knees I know what I should and shouldn't do. It only takes a slight rotation on my knee to put me in extreme pain the next day. Squats are not the answer to knee pain.

FrnkLft

"I can't lose weight because of my genetics, so why bother?"

THIS DRIVES ME INSANE!!! Like 90% of my family is big (on my mom AND my dad's side) yet I am succeeding.....

HOLY **** I SECOND, THIRD, AND FOURTH THIS!! How can so many people have ****ed up genetics or thyroid problems?! Keep it up, I'm so in your corner!!

Also, every time someone says "I'm going to lift light because I just want to tone..." My brain just starts misfiring.

Lauramh31

Oh I really hate when people talk about "muscle turning into fat" as in, "I used to play sports but when I stopped by muscles turned into fat." No, what really happened is you didn't work those muscles anymore but kept eating like you always did and you lost muscle mass and added fat. There was no magical process by which your muscle fibers went "poof" and were suddenly huge fat cells. Ugh. They are two different things biologically - one does NOT "turn into" the other!

jadams1650

I can't stand "muscle weighs more than fat" Drives me nuts. 1 pound = 1 pound regardless of what it is made of. Muscle is denser than fat so 1 pound of muscle takes up less space than 1 pound of fat!

Biggest pet peeve in excuses? "I'm scared" WTF is there to be scared of? Being fit, being thin, living longer?

But muscle does weigh more than fat. If you took the same volume of each, muscle would weigh more.

I hope so, she is absolutely correct.

Lyby

I stand by my statement!
Some people on this site appear to go out of their way to be mean and judgmental. I feel sorry for them.

Since poor self-esteem goes hand-in-hand for many of us, we need to keep in mind that the comments are generated by human beings and not computers.

If someone is having tremendous results from hard work and persistence, I take my hat off and applaud them.
But if that same someone is talking out their butt from ego instead of dealing with their own self-esteem issues and consistently judging those they deem "unworthy", then they have missed the point.

LACK OF FAT AND HEALTHY MUSCLE DO NOT MAKE ANYONE A BETTER PERSON!

Many of us are absolutely scared to death! The prospect of trying (yet again) to make changes (that appear insurmountable) and keep going (one day at a time) to reach somewhere that we may never have been before --- that is some overwhelming shxt!
Many of us don't have family or co-workers that are supportive ---- if we all had a fantastic support system in the "real world", we wouldn't be investing as much time on here now would we. The gym/Y can be a terrifying place for "outsiders".

Too many of us eat to overcome shame and fear. Before I hit the "post reply" button, I have to ask myself if I'm adding to someone's shame and fear? Am I making it a little harder for somebody else today just so I can feel better about myself and make my own road a little easier today? Am I just as selfish as I am fat?????

WE ALL WERE FULL OF EXCUSES & MYTHS WHEN WE STARTED THIS ROAD!
What would make this string productive is if everyone took just a minute to admit their own #1 excuse/myth AND most importantly, what they did/changed to overcome that barrier.

I don't want anybody's dxmned advice -- If I wanted advice I could get it from Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, and anybody else on tv/net with a "cracker jack degree" (lol). The only place I haven't found weight-loss advice is Reddit (because they haven't made it into a video game, yet -- there are apparently no fat people in outer space aagghh).

What I am desperate for is the Experience, Strength, and Hope from those who have walked this road before me.
Don't tell me what to do, tell me what you did!

I will start off with my #1 myth that keeps me trapped:

"This is not really me. I am really a skinny person. I've spent most of my life underweight and I don't know how this happened to me; I don't know how I got from where I was to where I am now."

I am getting over this one by looking in the mirror naked every day [I hate this I hate this I hate this] and acknowledging that this is me. I am not (and may never get to) "I love you just the way you are no matter what" and all the psychobabble bs from the 1980s.

I'll even add my #2 myth because it is the answer to my #1 myth:

"It's not what I eat that matters, it's what is eating me"

If psychotherapy could cure weight-issues, I'd be 110 pounds of lean muscle! Y'all have already figured out that I like to talk and I have no trouble bending someone's ear about the bs crap that I have dragged into my life or was hoisted on me in my childhood.
None of that has ever helped me lose a pound.
It has given me a little insight on why I don't apparently value myself enough to say "no" to myself when I need to.
That is one of the reasons I keep coming back to MFP --- yesterday I passed on a cookie before bedtime because I knew my MFP friends would see it when I put it on my food diary and call me on it (thanks to a pal who busted me for 3 oreos the night before). You all keep reminding me daily that it is all about what I eat and I have the power to change it!

Crawling out of the pit of unhealthy is a mighty feat; pulling others up out of the pit is a true accomplishment.

KaltieEm

"I'm just chubby by nature. I started working out, and I did it every day for a week but didn't lose any weight so I stopped"

KaltieEm

1) LIFTING WEIGHTS WILL MAKE WOMEN BULKY.... NOO!!!!!:explode:


2) I actually heard this: "I can't squat because I have bad knees.... besides, it's not like i use that in my everyday life."

WHAAT?! No. You have bad knees BECAUSE you don't squat.

And if you don't think you use it in everyday life, i'd like to know how you get on and off the toilet. :huh:


What are some of the "myths" and excuses you can't stand to hear????

I must be doing it wrong. When I do squats, it hurts my knees really bad. I never had knee pain before,

Make sure your knees don't go further to the front than your feet! I used a mirror to check if I'm doing it correctly at the beginning, with time you will know how to do it. It will be hard to keep the balance at the beginning but just stick your butt to the back and go as low as you can without driving your knees in front of your feet.