Top 10 MFP community falsehoods

Cliffs?

Tl;dr I'm going to simplify this whole diet and fitness thing by writing an entire freaking essay that's got some truths but just about as many flaws.

Cliffs?

Tl;dr I'm going to simplify this whole diet and fitness thing by writing an entire freaking essay that's got some truths but just about as many flaws.

^this

The keys to success are applying the knowledge you gain to your own plan, and adjusting based on your personal results.

The biggest falsehoods are "I'm experiencing X, therefore X is the truth for everyone" followed closely by "that doesn't apply to me, we are all different".

The balance is not in either statement.

Yes, plateaus are a phenomenon mostly generated by improper adherence and inconsistency in diet and/or exercise. But they are very much a real experience - people do see weight loss plateau and stop and the reasons vary. It seems that you make the assumption that one just "needs to stick to the plan" and everything will be resolved. Except this clearly ignores the simple fact the adherence (you have problems with "discipline"?) is a multi-faceted element that touches on emotional and physiological interactions. Why do binges occur? Why is adherence hard? Why do most diets fail?
"You have no discipline" is not only patently false but not helpful. Inconsistent discipline in most things is a fact of life as priorities change or get impacted by external influences - how well one adjusts to them matters.

Eat more to lose weight actually works for many people if it reduces cravings and increases adherence and provides sufficient energy to perform. Your rapid loss project is not the way everyone needs or wants to go. I'm quite comfortable at my very slow recomp as I eat food I enjoy. And that enjoyment is part of the lifestyle I want to life. I would not stick to it long term if I was eating 1200. Adherence and satisfaction can be key long term elements for many.

The same goes for people who swear that even for obese people, a specific number of lbs per week is the maximum "healthy" rate of loss. There is no science to support that exact number. There *is* science to support the limit of roughly 6% of your body's fat mass per week as an upper limit on the rate of fat loss.

Actually not true. There are a lot of possible complications due to rapid weight loss - from pituitary damage to gall stones. Nutritional needs are a lot harder to meet at larger cuts. When we see people on the boards complaining of hair loss or other medical issues due to hard cuts, it is incorrect to tell then there isn't medical reasons to increase calories.

As to the 6% number, that science is based on a weak interpretation of studies from the 50s. Would suggest you review the source of that one.

Another good example is the "your problem is that you are addicted to the scale" argument. Preposterous. There is nothing wrong with weighing yourself every 5 minutes if you want to. All data is good data.

Misses out on the psychological aspect of weighing oneself all the time. Obsessing over weight can result in adherence problems. That you don't doesn't mean others don't.

Your metabolism is not by default faster or slower than everyone else's. It just isn't. Your level of physical activity, your diet, your current state of and/or history of obesity, and your overall size and frame do affect your metabolism. But yours is going to be pretty much the same as someone else with the same background and stats. As with all things, there is some variation within those groups, but it's not a significant amount.

Metabolic variation exist and are significant. We are just beginning to understand this.
Suggested start ... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2581785/
Variations can be well above/below 20% estimated although LBM weight remains the largest indicator of change.

footnote - Adaptive Thermogenesis

AT itself is not a falsehood. I already have 10 of those on my list, but AT deserves a mention on this list because it *is* a real thing that gets manipulated and otherwise falsified quite often. People will see the effects of AT and call it something else. Or, they will think that they have done irreparable damage to their bodies because of the effects of AT. Adaptive Thermogenesis is, when simplified, a reduction in overall body temperature.

Already dealt with this in an entire thread - AT has a variety of other elements which you are chosing to ignore.

Overall you have some great info but I suggest temperance in that your experience or method might not suit everyone.

Cliffs?

Tl;dr I'm going to simplify this whole diet and fitness thing by writing an entire freaking essay that's got some truths but just about as many flaws.

"And I base all my conclusions on the premise that everyone is just like me."

Sorry OP, in order to gain muscle on a deficit one needs to be fat enough that their fat cells can supply the excess energy needed to build muscle. But keep dreaming that you are building so much muscle because of strength increases, if that's what keeps you adhering to your workouts.