Agreeing & being supportive are not the same thing

Often on these boards one sees a poster complain that a reply is "mean" or "insulting" because it disagrees with a certain statement or presents results of recent research that conflict with common practice or previous knowledge.

In this category is a recent posting about water consumption and weight loss, the common practice idea that drinking a gallon of water (and only water) helps weight loss. The OP suggests that since the message boards are motivational no negative or conflicting statements should be made.

Balderdash! Agreeing with wrong ideas is NOT supportive. Presenting the best information possible is. Some folks lose more weight when they drink more water because it replaces some food intake for those individuals but recent research indicates that there is no reason to drink a gallon of water a day. As long as one stays sufficiently hydrated through any means, that is sufficient.

Some folks indeed lose weight when they take one or another weight loss supplement but with very rare exceptions, this is correlation mistaken for causality and the placebo effect at work. When someone points out that the supplement is more likely to lighten your wallet than cause any weight loss, this does not suggest you are stupid, it merely states the case.

Pointing out recent research findings that conflict with current popular knowledge is supportive. It is not mean; it is important and a service.

The science of weight loss is not wholly known. We must accept the fact that what was common wisdom a few years ago may be found false tomorrow and make our decisions based on the best information available. We must also be diligent to sort the bogus information from those who make money off our quest from those who provide information without a financial agenda.