Fitness Misconceptions that drive you nuts?

SemperAnticus1643 · August 2014

I will get shot here - The belief that you must eat 6 meals a day!!!

That's only for the 1200 calorie diet.

Velum_cado · August 2014

"I can't do pole dancing, I'm not strong enough!"

Well, that's why you do pole dancing.

Lleldiranne · August 2014

I guess I'd better add my own, too

That you can ever be really accurate with any of your numbers. BMR is an estimate. Calories burned is an estimate. Calories consumed is an estimate. Yes, you want to be close, but accept that nothing is 100% spot on, and you have to adjust based on actual results.

Also, that any sort of medical condition can negate CICO. Yes, hypothyroid and other issues can make it harder to lose weight, but that's because those conditions affect calories out. It's still a balance, just not the same balance as for someone else.

perseverance14 · August 2014

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-Women shouldn't do the bench press because it'll make your boobs shrink lol

:laugh:

I wish this worked

What bench presses can do is develop your pectoral muscles, which give your boobs more lift, which makes them look bigger and perkier too.

TMM211073 · August 2014

Don't eat after a certain time at night.... Calories can't tell the time!!

There are so many, but most of them have already been mentioned lol

xXx

bugaboo_sue · August 2014

"I'm not losing weight because I'm building muscle. "

I disagree.

The scale might not be moving but your measurements are.

mathmatt · August 2014

My boobs get smaller when I run. Does that count?

mathmatt · August 2014

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This is funny, but I can say that whenever I lose weight, that's the part it comes from first. I've lost 10 lbs in this go-round and dropped from a 38B to a 38A. It's one of those things that is not true for everyone, but does happen to some of us, so the rumor continues...

I went from a 38B to a 36C...so far.

FYI, 38B and 36C are equivalent bra sizes or "sister sizes." When band size decreases the cup letter increases to keep the same cup volume. http://www.brasize.com/bra-sister-size.html

likitisplit · August 2014

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This is funny, but I can say that whenever I lose weight, that's the part it comes from first. I've lost 10 lbs in this go-round and dropped from a 38B to a 38A. It's one of those things that is not true for everyone, but does happen to some of us, so the rumor continues...

I went from a 38B to a 36C...so far.

FYI, 38B and 36C are equivalent bra sizes or "sister sizes." When band size decreases the cup letter increases to keep the same cup volume. http://www.brasize.com/bra-sister-size.html

I thought that was the point? Maybe I'm wrong?

ILoveGingerNut · August 2014

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It had more to do with the fact it's the ONLY word you've been drawing on.
And I see nothing wrong with using TV to learn new words though- why begrudge someone from learning something new?
PS: nice passive aggressive- I don't get my vocabulary from Family Guy- it's just next to them, you're the only one I know who uses that word SO much.

You were the one who was trying to be insulting by bringing up Family Guy. You don't get to whine about me responding to it. If you didn't like it, you shouldn't have gone there. It was your choice.
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My behavior isn't at question here honestly- you're making what's tantamount to a personal (this is the second one by the way you've made) attack on someone- that is NOT relevant to the discussion, so good job for completely side stepping the ACTUAL issue of dealing with people using the wrong words to properly explain a concept. Either you understand the concept or you do not.

And yes- as someone who is in a scientific field- It is/was relevant to the conversation.

1) No it wasn't. It was a complete logical fallacy - appeal to authority. I have my own credentials I bring to the table. The difference between us is that my argument isn't so weak that I felt the only way to bolster it was by bringing them up. Being an engineer means you took some science classes in college. So did a lot of people. Including me. You don't like having been called out on it. But it doesn't change the fact that you did it in the first place.

2) I didn't make any personal attacks. I responded to *your* statement. I said it was irrelevant. And this is what you regard as a personal attack? Really? You should really brush up on what the words mean if that's what you believe it to be.
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Actually- you haven't made ANY point- other than you don't understand how it's important to use the proper terms to explain concepts to people.
You've done a great job at circumventing ANYTHING relevant to discussing why it's important (or not for your argument) and simple discussed that you think we are being petty.

Actually, *I* was the one who brought up the point. So the original point was mine to begin with. You responded with the intellectual equivalent of "nuh uh, because I'm an engineer and I say so." If that's what you regard as making a point or presenting an argument, then we truly are done here.

But thanks for trying!!!

[/quote]

It was a funny thread before you two walked in... can you please argue in private???

mathmatt · August 2014

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This is funny, but I can say that whenever I lose weight, that's the part it comes from first. I've lost 10 lbs in this go-round and dropped from a 38B to a 38A. It's one of those things that is not true for everyone, but does happen to some of us, so the rumor continues...

I went from a 38B to a 36C...so far.

FYI, 38B and 36C are equivalent bra sizes or "sister sizes." When band size decreases the cup letter increases to keep the same cup volume. http://www.brasize.com/bra-sister-size.html

I thought that was the point? Maybe I'm wrong?

...fair enough...

scrittrice · August 2014

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Maybe this is a question for a psychologist/psychiatrist rather than random strangers on a discussion board, but WHY is fitness/nutrition the one area where even smart, educated people who are sensible about everything else in life are willing to believe and repeat nonsense? Recently I had a meal with two friends, and they started talking about juicing. They went from there to how helpful they find it to be gluten-free (one proceeded to eat a piece of toast, which I noted but didn't mention). Then they talked about Crossfit (which one said she'd been inspired to check out because I'd mentioned that I've found weight-lifting an important component of fitness; again I kept my mouth shut). These are smart, accomplished people. I bite my tongue, because people don't want to hear the truth (too boring???)

I went to get a haircut recently and the woman who cuts my hair noted that I looked slim and asked whether I'd changed what I've been doing, and I gave the same (poker-faced) answer I do every time (which happens to be the truth): "I moved more and ate less."

And she blurted out, "Well, I don't want to do that!" Points for honesty.

No one knows what's correct anymore. there's so much misinformation, designed to separate your money from your wallet.
Which is why they're so willing to believe any fad that comes along.

Oh, I agree with you, but these are smart, analytical people who have lived in different countries on various continents and been exposed to multiple cultures and lifestyles over the years. They are not easily "taken," if you know what I mean. If we were--just as an example--discussing an article on politics in the newspaper, they would both be perfectly adept at looking behind the curtain and skeptically picking apart the slant of the article. Yet when it comes to this stuff, they're suddenly naive. I'm just interested in the psychological impetus behind it. Is this the hardest thing about ourselves to change, so we grab onto anything that lets us off the hook? I think there's a connection between the willingness to be gullible about fads and our own inability to see ourselves clearly. (Look at how many people were driven to this site by spotting themselves in photos--myself included. We've all seen ourselves in mirrors, yet seeing one's own image in a photo clearly has a different effect.)

likitisplit · August 2014

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Maybe this is a question for a psychologist/psychiatrist rather than random strangers on a discussion board, but WHY is fitness/nutrition the one area where even smart, educated people who are sensible about everything else in life are willing to believe and repeat nonsense? Recently I had a meal with two friends, and they started talking about juicing. They went from there to how helpful they find it to be gluten-free (one proceeded to eat a piece of toast, which I noted but didn't mention). Then they talked about Crossfit (which one said she'd been inspired to check out because I'd mentioned that I've found weight-lifting an important component of fitness; again I kept my mouth shut). These are smart, accomplished people. I bite my tongue, because people don't want to hear the truth (too boring???)

I went to get a haircut recently and the woman who cuts my hair noted that I looked slim and asked whether I'd changed what I've been doing, and I gave the same (poker-faced) answer I do every time (which happens to be the truth): "I moved more and ate less."

And she blurted out, "Well, I don't want to do that!" Points for honesty.

No one knows what's correct anymore. there's so much misinformation, designed to separate your money from your wallet.
Which is why they're so willing to believe any fad that comes along.

Oh, I agree with you, but these are smart, analytical people who have lived in different countries on various continents and been exposed to multiple cultures and lifestyles over the years. They are not easily "taken," if you know what I mean. If we were--just as an example--discussing an article on politics in the newspaper, they would both be perfectly adept at looking behind the curtain and skeptically picking apart the slant of the article. Yet when it comes to this stuff, they're suddenly naive. I'm just interested in the psychological impetus behind it. Is this the hardest thing about ourselves to change, so we grab onto anything that lets us off the hook? I think there's a connection between the willingness to be gullible about fads and our own inability to see ourselves clearly. (Look at how many people were driven to this site by spotting themselves in photos--myself included. We've all seen ourselves in mirrors, yet seeing one's own image in a photo clearly has a different effect.)

I think it's because it's at the intersection of a lot of drives, so we're not necessarily in complete rational control of our behavior.

LAT1963 · August 2014

"I work out for an hour everyday and eat 1200 calories a day and I don't lose weight." A friend told me that once at the gym...she was on the elliptical going at a snails pace because she "doesnt like to sweat" and on the way out got cheetos and a juice from the vending machine....

ROFL!

WalkingAlong · August 2014

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What drives me nuts?

- People who get pedantic about "muscle weighs more than fat." Every moron on the planet knows that 1 lb = 1 lb, and you know full well that they're trying to communicate the idea that "a given volume of muscle weighs more an equivalent volume of fat." If you're nitpicking because they didn't use the word "density," then you are trying way too hard to find fault.

Or they actual care that words mean something and if you can't be bothered to type DENSITY instead of WEIGHT it indicates either that you're lazy or have a lack of comprehensive knowledge and general ignorance and poor grasp of the entire concept. It is not THAT difficult to use the right words to properly express yourself. The statement is wrong. Things that are wrong bother me- sorry if that's pedantic to you- but it's just a false statement.

Plus you sound stupid- especially if you know better.

So- no I do not agree that it's knit picking- it's about using the correct words to properly describe a concept to someone and NO- not everyone grasps the concept that 1 pound of bowling ball is the same as 1 pound of feathers- you're assuming... quiet a bit actually.

or they could just be engineers.

While I agree that words mean things and thus should be used correctly, colloquially, "lighter" is substituted for "less dense" ALL THE TIME.

- Helium is lighter than air
- Oil is lighter than water
- What is the heaviest element: http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/f/heaviest-element.htm

I agree. I don't think there's the slightest thing wrong with 'muscle weighs more than fat'.

shor0814 · August 2014

running does makes my boobs smaller, that is not a misconception

I am going to be pedantic here but isn't that only if you have a calorie deficit? I know you burn a lot of calories running, but I can certainly out-eat any running I do if I want.

CkepiJinx · August 2014

Bump

Unknown · August 2014

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shabaity · August 2014

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I'm just curious to see what you guys have heard from people who don't know anything about fitness.

My most recent one? "Running makes your boobs smaller" *eye twitch*

Well....

Any form of exercise that causes you to lose body fat will almost definitely have some effect on the size of your breasts since fat gets deposited there as well. If you shrink the size of your fat cells through a program of diet and exercise, you *are* going to "make your boobs smaller." That's just a fact.

So, while it may be unfair to single out running per se, it's not actually inaccurate to say that "running makes your boobs smaller" any more than saying "losing weight (generally) will make your boobs smaller" is inaccurate.

Really? Couldn't prove that one by me been everywhere from 140 lbs all the way up to 206 lbs and in that time my boobs have stayed a consistent 34G for the last hmm 7 years now. And the 140 lbs was about 5 yrs ago.

imaginaryplant · August 2014

I've also been repeatedly told that I'm a terrible mother because I work out, apparently I am not spending enough time with my child because I'm "always in the gym". If "anyways in the gym" means 50-60 minutes 3 times a week whilst my son is napping, then yes, I'm a terrible mother because I'm always in the damn gym. I mean it's not like I'm here for him every single waking moment of every single day and I just chose to work out (rather than sit down) whilst he's having a sleep.

I don't know how that would make you a bad mom, unless you just left your kid at home alone by himself while you went to the gym. In that case I'd agree, otherwise, it's good for you to work out!

imaginaryplant · August 2014

FYI, 38B and 36C are equivalent bra sizes or "sister sizes." When band size decreases the cup letter increases to keep the same cup volume. http://www.brasize.com/bra-sister-size.html

Thanks for sharing this! I dunno if the person who you were responding to found it useful but I do! Thanks!

firststepformefal · August 2014

No pain, no gain. Ugh. If you are really hurting, you are damaging yourself.

fangedneko · August 2014

"Eating fatty foods will make you fat."
Anyone talking about somatotypes. They always get it wrong.
"Eating healthy costs more than eating fast food." Learn to shop, to budget, and to cook.

And just because I didn't see any cat gifs.

LovelyValentina · August 2014

a calorie is not a calorie.

I absolutely hate that one too. It gives SOME ignorant people an excuse to eat thousands of calories of 'health' foods like diet sour cream or something in excess and even if they don't lose weight they still have the nerve to defy what even children learn in science class about energy storage in the human body.

Sorry guys rant over.

cwoyto123 · August 2014

Only thing that bugs me is that when females think they will get even SLIGHTLY fu*** bulky looking from lifting weights.

Seriously.

healthyfoxx · August 2014

If I have to listen to ONE more person tell me they just can't possibly lose because of a thyroid condition while they shove bags of chips in their face... >_< Bonus points if they have never even been diagnosed by a doctor and just assume they have it.

My thyroid hasn't functioned on its own since I was 8. If you're off meds, yes, it does make it much harder and sometimes even maintaining weight is really hard to do... but you can fix that by (guess what!) GETTING ON MEDICATION. You have to actually DO something about it for it to get better. Will it make weight just fall off you without effort? No. You still have to work for it, and you may even have to work harder than some other people have to. It sucks, but too bad. It is NOT impossible.

WolverhamptonFitness · August 2014

People have said it, but its the whole.... Women lifting makes them bulky....

Schtroumpfkin · August 2014

"It's OK - it's OLIVE oil" said whilst drizzling (aka ladling) it over EVERYTHING.

OllyReeves · August 2014

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What drives me nuts?

- People who get pedantic about "muscle weighs more than fat." Every moron on the planet knows that 1 lb = 1 lb, and you know full well that they're trying to communicate the idea that "a given volume of muscle weighs more an equivalent volume of fat." If you're nitpicking because they didn't use the word "density," then you are trying way too hard to find fault.

Lol yeah, this.

the kind of people that quote this as their biggest peeve, are the kind of people that I go out of my way to avoid.

Muscle DOES weigh more than fat (in equal amounts, which is BLINDINGLY OBVIOUSLY what people are talking about)

scottacular · August 2014

"Diet coke will make you fat."

Been my drink of choice whenever I'm in a club, I'm 165 cm tall, have a 29 cm waist and weigh about 66kg..and yet people who would be classed as obese by the BMI see fit to lecture me on the apparent perils of diet coke. The last person who told me that, I told them how much I weigh and asked them how much they weigh (hint: they were very round), they never answered.

Fitness Misconceptions that drive you nuts?

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