Really just tired of the lies....

Carbs DO make you fat.

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!!

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.

I do think this is worth pointing out something before people get too carried away with the "I'm a beautiful snowflake" mentality...

The science behind what causes weight loss, weight gain, muscle growth, strength increases, cardiovascular health, etc IS ALL THE SAME. My body works the same as your body which works the same as everyone else's on this site (with the only significant difference being people with legitimate health issues, like diabetes, etc.).

What varies, what falls under the "what works for you" umbrella is the method.

People need to sustain a healthy caloric deficit to lose weight. Period. That's the science part. The method is how you get there. Whole foods alone works. Prepared foods with elliptical works. Processed foods with zumba works. Diet with 15 minutes of running works. Diet with 4 hours of cycling works. Diet with free weights works. Diet with weight machines works. Diet with 5lb weights works. Diet with 400lbs works. Eating back exercise cals works. Not eating them back works. Etc. There are dozens of ways to skin the cat... but what you're doing doesn't change (skinning the cat), it's the HOW that changes.

Now, the more specific your goals get, and the more "accomplished" you become towards those goals, then less wiggle room you may have in trying different methods. If you're at 8% BF and looking to add 5lbs of lean muscle, the treadmill probably isn't your best bet. So goals do play a role in this as well.

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