10 diet rules that are proven wrong!

10 diet rules that we had wrong (backed by science & featured in shape magazine):
1: You CAN skip breakfast if you want.
2: It's OK to eat a big dinner. (you have a calorie limit. if you don't go over, then it doesn't matter when during the day you have more calories for a meal.
3: Snacking does NOT affect metabolism. (no evidence of improved weight loss by eating smaller, more frequent meals)
4: Eat carbs to get lean. (avoid processed carbs. get them from whole foods such as fruit & veggies)
5: There is a weight loss pill worth buying. Vitamin D3.
6: Exercise on an empty stomach.
7: Eat saturated fats. (cholesterol is important for healthy kidneys)
8: Consider fasting for better health. (a study found if people fasted 1 day a month, they were 40% less likely to suffer from clogged arteries)
9: Going organic won't help lose weight. (yes it helps avoid pesticides & toxins which is important, but not all organic foods are weight loss friendly. high calorie or high sugar is still bad whether organic or not)
10: There is no such thing as too much protein. Just keep an eye on calories.
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Replies

  • bob_day
    bob_day Posts: 87
    Interesting. But what are your sources for all these?
  • And next month, there will be an article in another magazine with vague "scientific" backup that says all the above are right.
  • jerryvo
    jerryvo Posts: 66 Member
    Not sure what their source is for this information but there are plenty of people on here, including me, that will disagree with the assertion that some of these rules are "wrong" especially the first few. It's not that they are right or wrong for weight loss its that it does not matter either way if you eat breakfast, big dinner, snack, exercise on an empty stomach, etc... as long as you are hitting your calorie goals.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    10 diet rules that we had wrong (backed by science & featured in shape magazine):
    1: You CAN skip breakfast if you want.
    2: It's OK to eat a big dinner. (you have a calorie limit. if you don't go over, then it doesn't matter when during the day you have more calories for a meal.
    3: Snacking does NOT affect metabolism. (no evidence of improved weight loss by eating smaller, more frequent meals)
    4: Eat carbs to get lean. (avoid processed carbs. get them from whole foods such as fruit & veggies)
    5: There is a weight loss pill worth buying. Vitamin D3.
    6: Exercise on an empty stomach.
    7: Eat saturated fats. (cholesterol is important for healthy kidneys)
    8: Consider fasting for better health. (a study found if people fasted 1 day a month, they were 40% less likely to suffer from clogged arteries)
    9: Going organic won't help lose weight. (yes it helps avoid pesticides & toxins which is important, but not all organic foods are weight loss friendly. high calorie or high sugar is still bad whether organic or not)
    10: There is no such thing as too much protein. Just keep an eye on calories.

    Avoid processed carbs? Not proven wrong

    Vit D for weight loss? Ephedrine is a weight loss pill worth buying

    Are you supposed to exercise on an empty stomach or not?

    And yes there is such thing thing as too much protein for certain medical conditions or being at risk for them
  • Tilran
    Tilran Posts: 627 Member
    10 diet rules that we had wrong (backed by science & featured in shape magazine):
    1: You CAN skip breakfast if you want.
    2: It's OK to eat a big dinner. (you have a calorie limit. if you don't go over, then it doesn't matter when during the day you have more calories for a meal.
    3: Snacking does NOT affect metabolism. (no evidence of improved weight loss by eating smaller, more frequent meals)
    4: Eat carbs to get lean. (avoid processed carbs. get them from whole foods such as fruit & veggies)
    5: There is a weight loss pill worth buying. Vitamin D3.
    6: Exercise on an empty stomach.
    7: Eat saturated fats. (cholesterol is important for healthy kidneys)
    8: Consider fasting for better health. (a study found if people fasted 1 day a month, they were 40% less likely to suffer from clogged arteries)
    9: Going organic won't help lose weight. (yes it helps avoid pesticides & toxins which is important, but not all organic foods are weight loss friendly. high calorie or high sugar is still bad whether organic or not)
    10: There is no such thing as too much protein. Just keep an eye on calories.

    Avoid processed carbs? Not proven wrong

    Vit D for weight loss? Ephedrine is a weight loss pill worth buying

    Are you supposed to exercise on an empty stomach or not?

    And yes there is such thing thing as too much protein for certain medical conditions or being at risk for them

    I think all her points were things you SHOULD do. So in the case of empty stomach, she is saying you are supposed to. As for the processed carbs, I think the point was that you dont need to avoid carbs to get lean (Atkins)
  • jandub
    jandub Posts: 5 Member
    I think I'd have to agree with these, just based on what has and has not worked for me. The number one best weight loss factor for me? Working out on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning. Grueling at times, but worth it. Also one summer we went to Mississippi and I knew the food was amazing, so I did not eat one bite until dinner, where I ate at least 1500 calories or more in one sitting, with fried fish, fries, hushpuppies, and a lot of dessert. I ended up losing five pounds that summer. That was a good summer! :)
  • mmm_drop
    mmm_drop Posts: 1,126 Member
    I'm just glad I don't diet so I don't have to read or adhere to rules or keep track of whether or not they are true or false this week.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    10 diet rules that we had wrong (backed by science & featured in shape magazine):
    1: You CAN skip breakfast if you want.
    2: It's OK to eat a big dinner. (you have a calorie limit. if you don't go over, then it doesn't matter when during the day you have more calories for a meal.
    3: Snacking does NOT affect metabolism. (no evidence of improved weight loss by eating smaller, more frequent meals)
    4: Eat carbs to get lean. (avoid processed carbs. get them from whole foods such as fruit & veggies)
    5: There is a weight loss pill worth buying. Vitamin D3.
    6: Exercise on an empty stomach.
    7: Eat saturated fats. (cholesterol is important for healthy kidneys)
    8: Consider fasting for better health. (a study found if people fasted 1 day a month, they were 40% less likely to suffer from clogged arteries)
    9: Going organic won't help lose weight. (yes it helps avoid pesticides & toxins which is important, but not all organic foods are weight loss friendly. high calorie or high sugar is still bad whether organic or not)
    10: There is no such thing as too much protein. Just keep an eye on calories.

    Just to be clear, are these the rules we should be not doing, or what Shape magazine tells us we should be doing?
  • swillybay
    swillybay Posts: 61 Member
    I'm just glad I don't diet so I don't have to read or adhere to rules or keep track of whether or not they are true or false this week.

    I love this! Exactly. If you are trying to eat a sustainable diet over the long term, you just can't get all wrapped up in "rules," especially ones like these, which change from week to week, day to day, minute to minute.
  • jandub
    jandub Posts: 5 Member
    I do love the no rules thing, and it used to work for me, but as I am approaching 40, if I don't have rules, the weight just does not budge. I'd love to be able to just have it happen without my own personal rules for myself. I have to think it may be this way the rest of my life...depressing.
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    Its just harder on your body to have to digest a huge amount of food all at once if you save all your calories for one giant meal. Also I think eating breakfast works for some and doesnt work for other people, but they have done studies where people ate breakfast and weighed less than people who didnt. Maybe you end up eating a smaller lunch?
  • CARBLEGEND
    CARBLEGEND Posts: 47 Member
    before you post such stupidity actually THINK...many of your rules are RIGHT..geniass
  • SHAPE magazine did the article. My news station reported on it. So i guess you could check out shape online to find the article.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Assuming "diet" means eating for fat loss, there really is only one proven diet rule. Consume less than you burn.
  • those are rules that shape says you SHOULD be doing. but always keep in mind, things do change. like one day something is bad for you & then a new study says it's not. it's trial & error to see what works best for you.
  • No one ever said you couldn't exercise on an empyty stomach, it's just that if you do high intensity workouts for a prolonged period of time on an empty stomach you do risk hypoglycemia., which just sucks haha
  • Hannah_Hopes
    Hannah_Hopes Posts: 273 Member
    Another magazine with generalise diet rules again this week that really don't work for everyone..? :yawn:

    Here is to a lifestyle change and not worrying about 'diets' and 'rules' and the constant change of good and bad :drinker:
  • 10 diet rules that we had wrong (backed by science & featured in shape magazine):
    1: You CAN skip breakfast if you want.
    2: It's OK to eat a big dinner. (you have a calorie limit. if you don't go over, then it doesn't matter when during the day you have more calories for a meal.
    3: Snacking does NOT affect metabolism. (no evidence of improved weight loss by eating smaller, more frequent meals)
    4: Eat carbs to get lean. (avoid processed carbs. get them from whole foods such as fruit & veggies)
    5: There is a weight loss pill worth buying. Vitamin D3.
    6: Exercise on an empty stomach.
    7: Eat saturated fats. (cholesterol is important for healthy kidneys)
    8: Consider fasting for better health. (a study found if people fasted 1 day a month, they were 40% less likely to suffer from clogged arteries)
    9: Going organic won't help lose weight. (yes it helps avoid pesticides & toxins which is important, but not all organic foods are weight loss friendly. high calorie or high sugar is still bad whether organic or not)
    10: There is no such thing as too much protein. Just keep an eye on calories.

    1.) Of course you CAN skip breakfast if you want to but it's better to eat breakfast because, as the name says, it breaks your fast. Breakfast is quite an important meal but if you want to skip it, by all means feel free.
    2.) Of course it's OK to eat a big meal, that is up to personal preference but generally it is better to go from big meal to small meal. Of course, it depends on the person. Everyone divides their calories differently and one should figure out what works best for them.
    3.) Yeah snacking really doesn't affect metabolism that's been known for ages *yawn* boring fact.
    4.) There are CERTAIN carbs that are good for losing weight, for example lentils are good because they are a complex carb.
    5.) Vitamins in pill form are not worth buying. The best way to get vitamins is through your diet. When you take vitamin in pill form, you don't absorb enough of it to be worth taking. While it may say there's x amount in each capsule your body only absorbs a very small portion of that.
    6.) Exercising on an empty stomach is good if you're looking to lose a certain kind of weight. Do research on what to eat before exercising. It truly depends on the exercises you're doing! Are you building muscle? Burning calories? Burning fat? Different foods help each different thing.
    7.) *siiiiiiiiiiiiigh*
    8.) Don't fast. Fasting for religious reasons? Fine. Otherwise? Please don't.
    9.) You're right, going organic won't necessarily help but if you buy foods from farmers' markets you're more likely to know exactly what's in them and there won't be added things that are really bad for you and assist in putting on weight. In fact, knowing what is in your food is really important to losing weight so if you're going to buy bread, yogurt, whatever, I suggest buying it from a farmers' market where you can actually find out what goes into your food!
    10.) There is most definitely such a thing as too much protein. Everything should be portioned out correctly and there is a certain maximum amount a person should eat a day. It is something that is going to be different based on height, body composition, exercise routine, medical issues, etc. Too much protein is BAD.

    Hope this helps :wink:
  • Assuming "diet" means eating for fat loss, there really is only one proven diet rule. Consume less than you burn.

    Actually fat loss is affected by ones diet. There are certain amounts of certain foods to be eaten that affect fat loss. You can find general "rules" in Diet for Dancers (I'm a ballet dancer which is why I say that book but I'm sure there are others out there) but of course these "rules" should be tailored to each persons' needs. Also when I say diet I mean what you eat because that's your diet.
  • Hannah_Hopes
    Hannah_Hopes Posts: 273 Member
    1.) Of course you CAN skip breakfast if you want to but it's better to eat breakfast because, as the name says, it breaks your fast. Breakfast is quite an important meal but if you want to skip it, by all means feel free.
    2.) Of course it's OK to eat a big meal, that is up to personal preference but generally it is better to go from big meal to small meal. Of course, it depends on the person. Everyone divides their calories differently and one should figure out what works best for them.
    3.) Yeah snacking really doesn't affect metabolism that's been known for ages *yawn* boring fact.
    4.) There are CERTAIN carbs that are good for losing weight, for example lentils are good because they are a complex carb.
    5.) Vitamins in pill form are not worth buying. The best way to get vitamins is through your diet. When you take vitamin in pill form, you don't absorb enough of it to be worth taking. While it may say there's x amount in each capsule your body only absorbs a very small portion of that.
    6.) Exercising on an empty stomach is good if you're looking to lose a certain kind of weight. Do research on what to eat before exercising. It truly depends on the exercises you're doing! Are you building muscle? Burning calories? Burning fat? Different foods help each different thing.
    7.) *siiiiiiiiiiiiigh*
    8.) Don't fast. Fasting for religious reasons? Fine. Otherwise? Please don't.
    9.) You're right, going organic won't necessarily help but if you buy foods from farmers' markets you're more likely to know exactly what's in them and there won't be added things that are really bad for you and assist in putting on weight. In fact, knowing what is in your food is really important to losing weight so if you're going to buy bread, yogurt, whatever, I suggest buying it from a farmers' market where you can actually find out what goes into your food!
    10.) There is most definitely such a thing as too much protein. Everything should be portioned out correctly and there is a certain maximum amount a person should eat a day. It is something that is going to be different based on height, body composition, exercise routine, medical issues, etc. Too much protein is BAD.

    Hope this helps :wink:

    :flowerforyou:
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Science means never having to cite anything.
  • yaa i think u should have started off by clarifying that these are the things u should do haha
  • FakingFitness
    FakingFitness Posts: 325 Member
    I'm just glad I don't diet so I don't have to read or adhere to rules or keep track of whether or not they are true or false this week.

    yep
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,031 Member
    1.) Of course you CAN skip breakfast if you want to but it's better to eat breakfast because, as the name says, it breaks your fast. Breakfast is quite an important meal but if you want to skip it, by all means feel free.
    Doesn't that really mean that the first meal one eats then is break fast? Mines after 12pm.
    4.) There are CERTAIN carbs that are good for losing weight, for example lentils are good because they are a complex carb.
    In the end, all carbs are broken down to glycogen for the body. Some carbs have better nutrient value, but GI doesn't matter that much when it comes to weight loss.
    8.) Don't fast. Fasting for religious reasons? Fine. Otherwise? Please don't.
    Fasting for 24 hours isn't harmful to the body. If there is I'd like to see it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • qsmoss
    qsmoss Posts: 4 Member
    I know for one the number about snacking makes no sense...If it helps or not with metabolism Im not sure but I stick to the eating every 2-3 hours for a few reasons before my weight lost I was on no plan as far when to eat i just ate when I felt the need. Now with calorie counting and working out I need to stick to a plan Breakfast at around 7-8am 2-3hrs later I may have a fruit orange or apple 10-11am around 1-2pm i have my lunch around 4 i have a light snack protein shake or bar i wait an hour then hit the gym I eat dinner by 7:30 then maybe some nuts if i feel the need after but keeping this schedule has helped me keep the weight off so long story short it may not help with metabolism but it sure helps me stay on top of eating right
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
    10 diet rules that we had wrong (backed by science & featured in shape magazine):
    1: You CAN skip breakfast if you want.
    .....
    10: There is no such thing as too much protein. Just keep an eye on calories.

    1.) Of course you CAN skip breakfast if you want to but it's better to eat breakfast because, as the name says, it breaks your fast. Breakfast is quite an important meal but if you want to skip it, by all means feel free.
    2.) Of course it's OK to eat a big meal, that is up to personal preference but generally it is better to go from big meal to small meal. Of course, it depends on the person. Everyone divides their calories differently and one should figure out what works best for them.
    3.) Yeah snacking really doesn't affect metabolism that's been known for ages *yawn* boring fact.
    4.) There are CERTAIN carbs that are good for losing weight, for example lentils are good because they are a complex carb.
    5.) Vitamins in pill form are not worth buying. The best way to get vitamins is through your diet. When you take vitamin in pill form, you don't absorb enough of it to be worth taking. While it may say there's x amount in each capsule your body only absorbs a very small portion of that.
    6.) Exercising on an empty stomach is good if you're looking to lose a certain kind of weight. Do research on what to eat before exercising. It truly depends on the exercises you're doing! Are you building muscle? Burning calories? Burning fat? Different foods help each different thing.
    7.) *siiiiiiiiiiiiigh*
    8.) Don't fast. Fasting for religious reasons? Fine. Otherwise? Please don't.
    9.) You're right, going organic won't necessarily help but if you buy foods from farmers' markets you're more likely to know exactly what's in them and there won't be added things that are really bad for you and assist in putting on weight. In fact, knowing what is in your food is really important to losing weight so if you're going to buy bread, yogurt, whatever, I suggest buying it from a farmers' market where you can actually find out what goes into your food!
    10.) There is most definitely such a thing as too much protein. Everything should be portioned out correctly and there is a certain maximum amount a person should eat a day. It is something that is going to be different based on height, body composition, exercise routine, medical issues, etc. Too much protein is BAD.

    Hope this helps :wink:

    Where do you get your sources from? I'd like to see you back most of what you're asserting as fact here.

    - "it's better to eat breakfast because, as the name says, it breaks your fast" - how is that a reason?
    - "it is better to go from big meal to small meal" - Why? I don't think that's true.
    - "lentils are good because they are a complex carb" - How is being a complex carb in itself a reason for why something's good at losing weight?
    - Why are you sighing at eating saturated fats? I recommend you do research on this if you still think saturated fat is evil.We've been eating saturated fats for a long long time and it never caused the health issues that we see today.
    - Why not fast? I fast and have found it to really helps me. I'm more alert in the mornings and it helps me stay within my calorie limits. There is also a lot of evidence that it helps with general health as well.
    - It is true that there *could* possibly be such a thing as too much protein. I think that this is a non-issue for 99% of the population though. Unless you're pounding back whole chickens, protein shakes and bars, and more protein shakes and bars, I don't think there's much of an issue. It's like saying 'There is no such thing as drinking too much water'. Yes, you can definitely go overboard and get water poisoning, but as a general rule, people aren't going to harm themselves by having too much water.
  • linsey0689
    linsey0689 Posts: 753 Member
    Hmm... they may be "proven" but if they are they must show me that facts.

    Because I surely am not going to try to eat more saturated fats? I think almost everyone gets enough of those to keep their kidneys healthy.

    Vitamin d3 is a fat soluble vitamin (meaning if you have to much you will not just pee it out like you will with vit b&c) so I would suggest anyone adding this "weight loss pill" to their diet to talk to the doctor first.

    The snacking I totally disagree with. So this diet rules say that I be be fine getting all my calories in at lunch & dinner. No way! Skipping all my snacks and breakfast would be so silly and wouldn't help me what so ever.
  • AutumnisBSB
    AutumnisBSB Posts: 131 Member
    ]

    5.) Vitamins in pill form are not worth buying. The best way to get vitamins is through your diet. When you take vitamin in pill form, you don't absorb enough of it to be worth taking. While it may say there's x amount in each capsule your body only absorbs a very small portion of that.

    Actually from my experience as a nurse and having multiple patients on and off Vitamin D with weekly and monthly labs to prove whether it is working or not this is incorrect. I have personally seen it work in too many patients. Not to say that happens with all.
  • GymRatGirl13
    GymRatGirl13 Posts: 157 Member
    All I have to say is that I would never listen to Shape magazine in terms of a reliable fitness and nutrition source, considering they are funded primarily by ads advocating diet pills and full of articles that feed the diet industry, as a whole. Steer clear of trash magazines like this... :-)