Fitness Misconceptions that drive you nuts?

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  • lillyrose2020
    lillyrose2020 Posts: 178 Member
    The boobs one is an interesting debate.. when I was 10st I was a 34DD, now I'm 2 stone heavier I'm a 36G. I hope to drop a size or two as the weight comes off - watch this space (not literally the space where my boobs are LOL)
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    "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.

    A 29cm waist? Time to eat, my friend... :-]
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Something even some more experienced people fall for: everyone should do stretching.

    Not true. In some cases stretching is detrimental to your chosen sport and creates instability at the joints.
  • anacepeda
    anacepeda Posts: 15 Member
    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.

    Exactly! I dont have thyroid problems but my dog has and the above statements apply (not trying to compare people and dogs, but some things happen the same way on both!)
    She was obese and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, before the meds she had no energy to go for a proper walk (and you can't say its laziness, its a dog!). Now with the proper daily medication and daily 40 minutes of fast paces walk, the stamina went up and I have a healthy dog and not obese anymore!
  • SinCityFit
    SinCityFit Posts: 96
    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*

    Running most definitely made mine smaller :\

    Granted, they were full of fat before, but still.....

    I went through a binging period where I gained 30 lbs (20 lbs lighter than that now) and I would look down and think to myself... they ARE right! I had trouble fitting on dresses that fit before... and the stomach or legs or arms were not the issue.....
  • scottacular
    scottacular Posts: 597 Member
    "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.

    A 29cm waist? Time to eat, my friend... :-]

    I am quite a small person. But if I needed to put weight on, it'll be fine - I'll just drink several bottles of diet coke...
  • steveyinasia
    steveyinasia Posts: 121 Member
    Put on this ab sculptor belt, sit on the lounge eating pizza and drinking beer and you will have those 6 pack abs in 30 days or less.
  • Thatslimgal84
    Thatslimgal84 Posts: 152
    eating meat makes u fat... only vegetarians can lose weight! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • jshmiami
    jshmiami Posts: 2 Member
    "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.

    A 29cm waist? Time to eat, my friend... :-]

    I am quite a small person. But if I needed to put weight on, it'll be fine - I'll just drink several bottles of diet coke...

    Uhh I think you're wrong about the 29cm.. I just Googled the smallest waist size ever and a lady born in 1937 had a waist size of 38.1 cm.. Maybe you mean inches?
  • jshmiami
    jshmiami Posts: 2 Member
    "I'm not losing weight because I'm building muscle. "

    Depends on how big the person is, but for many people (including myself) the only way they can gain muscle is by eating waay more than normal. I just finished a bulk and gained a lot of fat in the process. But clearly "gaining muscle" forever by eating over your maintenance isn't a good idea, so I'm about to start a cut. But judging by your fit picture, I'm guessing you know what I'm talking about!
  • I_need_moar_musclez
    I_need_moar_musclez Posts: 499 Member
    Squatting is bad for your knees.
  • the_summer_belle
    the_summer_belle Posts: 353 Member
    Use light weights and do high reps (for females) so you dont get big and bulky muscles and look like a man. :huh:
  • the_summer_belle
    the_summer_belle Posts: 353 Member
    Only thing that bugs me is that when females think they will get even SLIGHTLY fu*** bulky looking from lifting weights.

    Seriously.

    I know right I'll tell then just look at my pic and ask them, do i look bulky like a man? I lift. :laugh:
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
    Put on this ab sculptor belt, sit on the lounge eating pizza and drinking beer and you will have those 6 pack abs in 30 days or less.

    :laugh: This. Also those 'Sweatz vests' which are basically bin liners you wear whilst exercising to make you sweat more.
  • mruntidy
    mruntidy Posts: 1,015 Member

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


    :laugh:

    I wish this worked

    It doesn't, hell this is the only reason I do them :tongue:
  • superjules17
    superjules17 Posts: 8 Member
    My mum used to say that she was the size she was because she had 'big bones' and no amount of exercise or diet could change that. Apparently her mother was like that , as were all the women in her family....
  • scottacular
    scottacular Posts: 597 Member
    "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.

    A 29cm waist? Time to eat, my friend... :-]

    I am quite a small person. But if I needed to put weight on, it'll be fine - I'll just drink several bottles of diet coke...

    Uhh I think you're wrong about the 29cm.. I just Googled the smallest waist size ever and a lady born in 1937 had a waist size of 38.1 cm.. Maybe you mean inches?

    Oh crap, I didn't even realise I'd put cm - force of habit. For some reason I measure height and weight in metric, but waist and neck size in inches. So yeah, don't worry - I'm not a skeleton.
  • MandyGraham73
    MandyGraham73 Posts: 21 Member
    LOL

    My uterus just fell out from laughing so much. That would have been so funny to watch.
  • erockem
    erockem Posts: 278 Member
    "running will wreck your knees"

    I used to explain how proper running uses the ankles as a lever as it has been efficiently designed to be.

    Now I look them in the eye and say, "NO! Being fat will wreck my knees." I think they get the hint.
  • rjmudlax13
    rjmudlax13 Posts: 900 Member
    Saying "a pound equals a pound" to explain the incompleteness of the statement "muscle weighs more than fat."

    You can not combat stupidity with more stupidity.
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
    How about some of the most commonly posted (and repeated) threads on MFP:
    -"I've been dieting for 2 days and I went to the gym for 3 hours yesterday and I haven't lost any weight yet!!!"
    -"I'm 5'6" and weigh 130lbs but I want to weigh 90 and can't seem to lose anything!" (people focus on weight alone and not being healthy)
    My personal favorite:
    -"I weighed myself today and I gained 2 pounds since yesterday!!!! I must be getting fat!!! WHAT DO I DO????????????"

    -_-
  • otter090812
    otter090812 Posts: 380 Member
    I was talking to my sister-in-law, who has a history of eating disorders and yo-yo dieting. It turned out the advice she'd been getting from my mother-in-law for years is that if you are dieting you need to burn more calories in actual exercise than you eat. No reference whatsoever to the calories you burn just being alive and carrying out your daily tasks. She actually nags her on the phone if she doesn't exercise off her entire daily calorie consumption. I was livid!
  • biggsterjackster
    biggsterjackster Posts: 419 Member
    Muscle weighs more than fat

    I am sure, this is the absolute biggest misconception.
  • rjmudlax13
    rjmudlax13 Posts: 900 Member
    Muscle weighs more than fat

    I am sure, this is the absolute biggest misconception.

    How so? Please explain the physics in detail.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    No, not again we already had that and I had to stop myself from commenting on it.
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
    eating meat makes u fat... only vegetarians can lose weight! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    The one that gets me is "Vegetarians are healthier". Technically, a diet of potato chips and Coke is vegetarian, but not very healthy at all. Most vegetarians are more health-conscious people to begin with, so they tend to pay attention to what they eat and eat healthier than the general pubic. Strictly removing all meat from your life does not make your diet "healthier".
  • SaltNBurnBoys
    SaltNBurnBoys Posts: 170 Member
    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*

    Running most definitely made mine smaller :\

    Granted, they were full of fat before, but still.....

    I went through a binging period where I gained 30 lbs (20 lbs lighter than that now) and I would look down and think to myself... they ARE right! I had trouble fitting on dresses that fit before... and the stomach or legs or arms were not the issue.....

    Running didn't make them smaller. Eating at a calorie deficit and losing body fat made them smaller. My friend genuinely believes that if she runs (and only runs without any kind of diet change or calorie deficit) her boobs will get smaller, and that simply isn't the case.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    LIFT HEAVY!!!!!!$$$$&&*........Now what was the question...

    And the suggestion that CV training wastes the muscles

    Those who appear to have credibility, through personal success, pronouncing on their own preferred form of exercise as the ONE TRUE WAY (tm)
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    LIFT HEAVY!!!!!!$$$$&&*........Now what was the question...

    And the suggestion that CV training wastes the muscles

    Those who appear to have credibility, through personal success, pronouncing on their own preferred form of exercise as the ONE TRUE WAY (tm)

    ^This drives me nuts too.

    Lots of things are effective and fun. Enjoy some quality human movement, eat to support the activity level you are undertaking. How hard does it need to be?
  • Kat5343
    Kat5343 Posts: 451 Member
    "Muscle weighs more than fat..."

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