Top 10 MFP community falsehoods

Well said and thank you!

That is, without a doubt, the most intelligent and well-articulated post that I've ever read on these forums, and I agree with you 100%. Well done, sir.

THis^^ Thanks OP for sharing!

bump to read when i get a break

guys... thyroid issues are exceptions to the rule. I think if you'll read back a few pages you'll see that my own wife has hypothyroidism and I am intimately familiar with its effects. I did not intend for my generalization to include people with extreme and untreated hormonal imbalances... that would be silly. But, as more than one person has taken it that way I do sincerely apologize. Thyroid issues can be a ***** to deal with.

God help us all. I let most of your sweeping generalizations slide because you have a right to your opinions as much as anyone else here at mfp (and let’s not lose sight of the FACT that you posted just that – your opinions), but your claim of being "intimately familiar" with thyroid disease because your wife has thyroid issues is really pushing the envelope and it turns my stomach. Should anyone actually consider your opinion, they are in for a world of hurt AND your disclaimer for “people with extreme and untreated hormonal imbalances” doesn’t get you off the hook either. You are way out of your league.

My primary care physician, a licensed M.D., is NOT an expert in this area, but that didn't stop her from ordering useless TSH tests and prescribing more ineffective medication. Now, let's throw in the cost containment issues used by so many HMOs and PPOs who don't like referring patients to specialists (in this case, an endocrinologist), and those who suffer from this stinking malady will spiral down both physically and emotionally because they believe they are being treated appropriately. Not necessarily true.

Good People of MFP: If you have ANY symptoms associated with a thyroid disorder, get to a doctor. If ANY symptoms persist following your physician’s treatment (regardless of your TSH level), see an endocrinologist and don’t fail to have regular rechecks. Better yet, if you can afford to skip the general practitioner altogether and go straight to an endocrinologist, do it. Do your homework and get to know this disease inside and out; know the symptoms and know what to look for. Review the research on new treatments and the different tests available and find out for yourself if that one little molecule of difference between levothyroxine and Synthroid is making a difference in your treatment, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. KNOW this disease, OWN it, and take control because it will destroy you if not properly treated. Oh, and stay away from anyone’s advice to the contrary, including general practitioners (and engineers).

Bump for a read later

Today right now i am UNDER my macros by 75 calories. I wont eat them. I will go to bed without eating them. I do not believe i will be in starvation mode, nor will i be in trouble, nor worry about them. I believe i will be ok.

guys... thyroid issues are exceptions to the rule. I think if you'll read back a few pages you'll see that my own wife has hypothyroidism and I am intimately familiar with its effects. I did not intend for my generalization to include people with extreme and untreated hormonal imbalances... that would be silly. But, as more than one person has taken it that way I do sincerely apologize. Thyroid issues can be a ***** to deal with.

God help us all. I let most of your sweeping generalizations slide because you have a right to your opinions as much as anyone else here at mfp (and let’s not lose sight of the FACT that you posted just that – your opinions), but your claim of being "intimately familiar" with thyroid disease because your wife has thyroid issues is really pushing the envelope and it turns my stomach. Should anyone actually consider your opinion, they are in for a world of hurt AND your disclaimer for “people with extreme and untreated hormonal imbalances” doesn’t get you off the hook either. You are way out of your league.

My primary care physician, a licensed M.D., is NOT an expert in this area, but that didn't stop her from ordering useless TSH tests and prescribing more ineffective medication. Now, let's throw in the cost containment issues used by so many HMOs and PPOs who don't like referring patients to specialists (in this case, an endocrinologist), and those who suffer from this stinking malady will spiral down both physically and emotionally because they believe they are being treated appropriately. Not necessarily true.

Good People of MFP: If you have ANY symptoms associated with a thyroid disorder, get to a doctor. If ANY symptoms persist following your physician’s treatment (regardless of your TSH level), see an endocrinologist and don’t fail to have regular rechecks. Better yet, if you can afford to skip the general practitioner altogether and go straight to an endocrinologist, do it. Do your homework and get to know this disease inside and out; know the symptoms and know what to look for. Review the research on new treatments and the different tests available and find out for yourself if that one little molecule of difference between levothyroxine and Synthroid is making a difference in your treatment, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. KNOW this disease, OWN it, and take control because it will destroy you if not properly treated. Oh, and stay away from anyone’s advice to the contrary, including general practitioners (and engineers).

I"m not really sure what you're on about, or why you think me dealing with my wife's lifelong condition does not make me intimately familiar with how it affects her... but I have recommended the exact same thing as you many times, even right here in this thread. Don't presume to have a clue about what my league is.

My presumptions are based on several factors: 1) You're not an endocrinologist, nor even an M.D., 2) You are basing your "opinions" on how one woman, your wife, deals with thyroid issues, 3) You have painted broad strokes and made generalized statements over fairly sophisticated subjects without a single reference to professional journals or subject matter experts, 4) You seem to enjoy the sound of your own "virtual voice" over legitimate facts, and 5) I will presume anything I damn well please. Finally, 6) I'm also going to presume you don't handle criticism or conflict very well.

If you want to pass yourself off as a weight loss guru with all the answers, go for it - this is a public forum and there are lots of "experts" here. But, that shouldn't impede MY right to question and comment on what I perceive as misleading, inaccurate, and possibly dangerous "opinion."

My best wishes for a healthy and successful weight loss journey.

Confused... This was a generalised post about general topics - when did it turn into a slanging match about people with an endocrine disease. I reiterate, this was an amazing , well written post that was a breath of fresh air here. I don't believe it was supposed to be a feature of weight loss when you're suffering from any disease that would need careful management by a medic.

Very Interesting!

Confused... This was a generalised post about general topics - when did it turn into a slanging match about people with an endocrine disease. I reiterate, this was an amazing , well written post that was a breath of fresh air here. I don't believe it was supposed to be a feature of weight loss when you're suffering from any disease that would need careful management by a medic.

The problem is that some people are intimately familiar with a situation that goes against a post, and feel they have a duty to tell the OP they are stupid and harming others for not posting every single exception. Along with this they reason that the OP is wrong in all things posted since this exception was not included as part of the initial post.

I know I've been in a situation like that before, but I really try to be civil and point out the exception. The OP generally agrees and we are all happy and move on. But, as we've seen, this does not always happen. <sigh>

I for one wish this was a sticky in the threads so it would always be at the top. Maybe we just need to keep commenting!

Figure out how much your fat mass weighs. Calculate 31kcal per day per lb of fat mass. That's your maximum sustainable deficit, without cutting into LBM too often.

According to this I can happily have just 650 cals a day without losing my LBM. :noway:

I would suggest that this is neither healthy nor sustainable. :noway:

The 31 cals per day is based on a theoretical calculation and should not be applied out of context. It also only refers to the theoretical maximum fat that can be oxidized a day, and does not refer to the minimum needed to sustain hormonal balance. It also assumes that enough protein is consumed to minimize muscle protein breakdown.

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According to this I can happily have just 650 cals a day without losing my LBM. :noway:

The lower limit is probably a couple of hundred calories higher - likely need to ingest a smidgen of carb/fat to go with the protein. Between that and some safety margin and suddenly that 650 calories is 1000 calories and not so unreasonable sounding.

Getting through resistance training on such a diet is going to be hell, though, and you're probably going to crash very very hard if you try any cardio above the level of "crawl from bed to couch". Not something I'm going to (intentionally) try, that's for sure! I tried being "active" at 1500 calories and that was already brutal enough.

I would suggest that this is neither healthy nor sustainable. :noway:

Weight loss itself is not sustainable, so that's not really an issue.

Figure out how much your fat mass weighs. Calculate 31kcal per day per lb of fat mass. That's your maximum sustainable deficit, without cutting into LBM too often.

According to this I can happily have just 650 cals a day without losing my LBM. :noway:

I would suggest that this is neither healthy nor sustainable. :noway:

No. It means that you can eat 650 cal under tdee and retain LBM through strength training. I doubt your TDEE is 1300 cal/day.

One of us is doing the maths wrong and honestly I don't think it is me.

31 x 44lbs = 1358

That is apparently the maximum deficit.

Tdee = 2000

2000-1358

so 632 cals a day (I rounded up for convenience)

Deficit is the number you take off your TDEE - ie a 500 cal deficit would be 1500 cals a day.

edit: spelling :noway: