What have you learned are myths, since joining MyFitnessPal?

Just because someone uses big words, doesn't make it true.

You can lose weight while eating junk food. While there are more nutritious options, a calorie is just a calorie. Really.

Well, muscle does weigh more than fat for the same density. Just saying

I've learned that eating more often doesn't boost your metabolism, that breakfast isn't necessary (although I actually have breakfast now, never used to), that what you eat doesn't really matter that much, that you can't build muscle on a calorie deficit, and that pretty much everything has more calories than you think.

The funny thing is that I still hear those myths from professionals, like the gym nurse who told me I need to build muscle and to eat small meals more often to boost my metabolism. I just roll my eyes now.

I haven't learned anything from MyFitnessPal itself. There are still very many myths being held up everyday on this site.

No eating after 7:00 PM and "you can't eat that."

Raisins aren't much healthier than a Snickers bar.

Fat makes you fat.
You can't lift weights if you have a bad back.
You can't squat if you have bad knees.
That I am 'big-boned' (I have a medium frame)
That skinnier is better.

That eating small frequent meals will boost my metabolism.

That skipping meals will slow down my metabolism.

That breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

That I should eat more when I hit a plateau.

And most importantly, healthy food doesn't mean low calories!

Screw *most of everything people say on the boards ( there are a lot of know it all's in here), do your own research and just "do what works for you"!

Some people DON'T know how to research (using pseudoscience and blogs are references) and if doing "what works for them" isn't always correct either.
There's lots to learn from people on here who are "in the know". You just have to find the right ones who don't just spout a bunch of BS.


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

You can lose weight while eating junk food. While there are more nutritious options, a calorie is just a calorie. Really.

This.

Hi all. I find this site and many of its posters to be very informative.

Since joining MyFitnessPal, I've come to learn that a lot of the things I've been taught about nutrition and exercise (Since Elementary School.) have been false.

For me, I would say the two huge items have been "You gain weight if you eat after 6:00," and "Muscle weighs more than fat."

What have you learned since joining MyFitnessPal.

Hmmm. Maybe I haven't learned anything.

I must admit, I still currently held the notion that a given quantity of muscle (mass) weighed more than a given quantity of fat (mass). Is that incorrect?

Now, I'm assuming that you aren't referring to whether a given weight of muscle weighs more than the same weight of fat (e.g. 1lb of muscle weighs more than1lb of fat), right?

I mean no one would think that, correct?

People like to be pedantic on this topic. When someone says "muscle weighs more than fat", we all know that they really mean "muscle is denser than fat", as you correctly identified, but for some reason, people love to jump on the semantics of this. It does get thrown around a lot when someone is supposedly eating at a deficit as a reason why they aren't losing weight, which is usually not the case (aside from small newbie gains, you can't gain muscle at a deficit).

That eating small frequent meals will boost my metabolism.

That skipping meals will slow down my metabolism.

That breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

That I should eat more when I hit a plateau.

And most importantly, healthy food doesn't mean low calories!

So is all the above untrue?

that soda does not count as water... (compare to eating pack of gummy bears while drinking water)
that coffee does not count as water... (compare to munching on some coffee beans while drinking water)