Fitness Misconceptions that drive you nuts?

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  • healthyfoxx
    healthyfoxx Posts: 104 Member
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    Muscle weighs more than fat

    I am sure, this is the absolute biggest misconception.

    How so? Please explain the physics in detail.

    LOL, now I am confused. Oh yes, wait, 1 lbs fat weighs a lot more than 1 lbs of muscle.

    Funny enough, this in itself is one of my biggest peeves. The "by volume" is implied. People aren't literally saying that 1 lb or muscle weighs more than 1 lb of fat. You're just nit picking the wording.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    That if you're eating at a deficit you will lose.

    Uhmmm...

    That's not a misconception.
    Agreed. If you're at a deficit, what exactly is being stored?

    Laughs, I knew this would get someone. Okay I'm 135 and 5'4. I've eaten at under 1300 cal for the last 3 months. Three weeks ago I stalled out. I lift heavy 5 days a week followed by 25-30 minutes of cardio. My BMR is 1325, my TDEE is 2061. I've lost nothing in 3 weeks. I'm either a very bad logger (NOT), yes I use a digital scale and I'm anal, or I'm NOT losing at a deficit!
    Yes I would LOVE advice/explanation.
    P.S. I raised my calories 1 week ago today to 1600.
    you stalled for 3 weeks, not much of a plateau. easily could be an issue of water retention
    you could be using inaccurate calorie entries, or maybe you have some unknown thyroid issue, or maybe you arent logging as accurately as you think
    plus your 5 lbs from your goal weight, the pounds are going to creep off
  • JustAnotherGirlSuzanne
    JustAnotherGirlSuzanne Posts: 932 Member
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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*

    As a 36 DD....I wish this were so freakin' true. Otherwise I'd be running no matter how sore I get, haha.

    My mom told me this one... and I ran, and I ran, and I ran... and I lost overall weight/body fat. So I guess it was a good thing, but nope, did not have the desired effect.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    That if you're eating at a deficit you will lose.

    Uhmmm...

    That's not a misconception.
    Agreed. If you're at a deficit, what exactly is being stored?

    Laughs, I knew this would get someone. Okay I'm 135 and 5'4. I've eaten at under 1300 cal for the last 3 months. Three weeks ago I stalled out. I lift heavy 5 days a week followed by 25-30 minutes of cardio. My BMR is 1325, my TDEE is 2061. I've lost nothing in 3 weeks. I'm either a very bad logger (NOT), yes I use a digital scale and I'm anal, or I'm NOT losing at a deficit!
    Yes I would LOVE advice/explanation.
    P.S. I raised my calories 1 week ago today to 1600.

    Just changed your frequency/intensity/style of exercise? Likely it's water/glycogen masking fat loss (assuming energy in/out has been accurately factored)

    TDEE from calculators is an estimate based on average populations. You may have a higher or lower TDEE. You will not however, bend the laws of physics. If you are eating less than you burn you will, over a 2-4 week period, lose weight. If not, then your numbers are off somewhere.
  • KombuchaCat
    KombuchaCat Posts: 834 Member
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    "A calorie is a calorie" different food effects the body in different ways people!
  • cryptonyt
    cryptonyt Posts: 85 Member
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    Running will wreck your knees........:noway: :noway:

    ^This^

    And hearing 80% of the people who ask me what I do for cardio, and I say run, and they say I can't do that I have bad knees. How the hell can 80% of the people I know have bad knees?? Ok, fair enough, maybe I attract bad knee people.

    I guess this is not a misconception, but a common excuse.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    "A calorie is a calorie" different food effects the body in different ways people!
    i agree with this but i think in most cases people say this referring specifically to weight loss, in which case where a calorie comes from really doesnt make any difference (but where the weight comes from will be effected)
  • pithole
    pithole Posts: 75 Member
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    Skinny = Healthy.

    Grrrrrr...
  • _funrungirl
    _funrungirl Posts: 145 Member
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    Lifting weights will make women bulkly...UGH!
  • KombuchaCat
    KombuchaCat Posts: 834 Member
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    "A calorie is a calorie" different food effects the body in different ways people!
    i agree with this but i think in most cases people say this referring specifically to weight loss, in which case where a calorie comes from really doesnt make any difference (but where the weight comes from will be effected)

    However eating certain foods will make losing weight easier or more difficult. If you eat a ton of sugar you'll stay on the hypoglycemic roller coaster and chances are be tied to constant snacking and cravings. Eliminate or at least greatly reduce sugar and you can free yourself from this making eating a calorie deficit much easier...and making your mood, skin, digestion, etc better :love:
  • biggsterjackster
    biggsterjackster Posts: 419 Member
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    Muscle weighs more than fat

    I am sure, this is the absolute biggest misconception.

    How so? Please explain the physics in detail.

    LOL, now I am confused. Oh yes, wait, 1 lbs fat weighs a lot more than 1 lbs of muscle.

    Funny enough, this in itself is one of my biggest peeves. The "by volume" is implied. People aren't literally saying that 1 lb or muscle weighs more than 1 lb of fat. You're just nit picking the wording.

    No shi..tell them.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    "A calorie is a calorie" different food effects the body in different ways people!
    i agree with this but i think in most cases people say this referring specifically to weight loss, in which case where a calorie comes from really doesnt make any difference (but where the weight comes from will be effected)

    However eating certain foods will make losing weight easier or more difficult. If you eat a ton of sugar you'll stay on the hypoglycemic roller coaster and chances are be tied to constant snacking and cravings. Eliminate or at least greatly reduce sugar and you can free yourself from this making eating a calorie deficit much easier...and making your mood, skin, digestion, etc better :love:

    That still isn't the argument in the context "a calorie is a calorie" is brought up.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    "A calorie is a calorie" different food effects the body in different ways people!
    i agree with this but i think in most cases people say this referring specifically to weight loss, in which case where a calorie comes from really doesnt make any difference (but where the weight comes from will be effected)

    However eating certain foods will make losing weight easier or more difficult. If you eat a ton of sugar you'll stay on the hypoglycemic roller coaster and chances are be tied to constant snacking and cravings. Eliminate or at least greatly reduce sugar and you can free yourself from this making eating a calorie deficit much easier...and making your mood, skin, digestion, etc better :love:
    100 % agree:drinker:
  • KombuchaCat
    KombuchaCat Posts: 834 Member
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    "A calorie is a calorie" different food effects the body in different ways people!
    i agree with this but i think in most cases people say this referring specifically to weight loss, in which case where a calorie comes from really doesnt make any difference (but where the weight comes from will be effected)

    However eating certain foods will make losing weight easier or more difficult. If you eat a ton of sugar you'll stay on the hypoglycemic roller coaster and chances are be tied to constant snacking and cravings. Eliminate or at least greatly reduce sugar and you can free yourself from this making eating a calorie deficit much easier...and making your mood, skin, digestion, etc better :love:

    That still isn't the argument in the context "a calorie is a calorie" is brought up.

    I guess it's a reflection of looking at weight loss on it's own or in the context of the entire health of the individual...I suppose I'm using the more figurative meaning of this phrase.
  • GrammyPeachy
    GrammyPeachy Posts: 1,723 Member
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    Running will wreck your knees........:noway: :noway:

    ^This^

    And hearing 80% of the people who ask me what I do for cardio, and I say run, and they say I can't do that I have bad knees. How the hell can 80% of the people I know have bad knees?? Ok, fair enough, maybe I attract bad knee people.

    I guess this is not a misconception, but a common excuse.
    I do have a bad knee, but I'm working up to running,(walking and a little jogging). I don't see how running can be much worse than walking around on my knee with a hundred extra pounds on it.
  • cheripugh1
    cheripugh1 Posts: 357 Member
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    Muscle weighs more than fat

    This... (most often said by the 'experts' here too)

    a pound of muscle on a scale, a pound of fat on the scale... HELLO a pound is a pound! It will look different but it will make the scale perfectly balanced!
  • pepperpat64
    pepperpat64 Posts: 423 Member
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    "Drink a lot of water to stop feeling hungry."

    Yeah right. LOL
  • eslcity
    eslcity Posts: 323 Member
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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.

    Amen brother.......
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
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    "Drink a lot of water to stop feeling hungry."

    Yeah right. LOL

    So I drink the water, and then I'm hungry AND I have to pee. And people wonder why I'm biting their heads off. Sheesh.

    <wanders off muttering to get yogurt and fruit from the staff kitchen>
  • xXBabyBelleXx
    xXBabyBelleXx Posts: 110 Member
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    When people refer to normal (ie not diet) coke as "full fat" ... its fat free but high in sugar!

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