Weightloss myths!!!!

Oh I like this. I have nothing to add just want to save it for some good reading later.

The less you eat, the more you lose.

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When you exercise you are turning fat into muscle. Ummm soo wrong. A fat cell is always a fat cell. A muscle cell is always a muscle cell. When you lose weight you are simply reducing the amount of fat stored in the fat cell and thusly it becomes smaller.

Does this mean the muscle cell gets bigger when you start using it?

How about the one always starting arguments here: muscle weighs more than fat.

My kids and I just discussed this one today.

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"You're building muscle."

Not likely. It's VERY difficult to build muscle mass while in a calorie deficit. This is one of the reasons bodybuilders have a "bulking" phase where they eat tons of calories, lift like crazy, and get all puffy. Then they do a "cutting" phase where they cut the fat while trying to minimize muscle loss.

Even serious lifters have trouble gaining more than a few pounds of muscle mass a year.

However, it is true that your muscles can retain water right after you lift hard, a by-prodouct of the muscle fiber tear-down process, I believe. This can lead to temporary (small) weight gain.

marking for later

"You're building muscle."

Not likely. It's VERY difficult to build muscle mass while in a calorie deficit. This is one of the reasons bodybuilders have a "bulking" phase where they eat tons of calories, lift like crazy, and get all puffy. Then they do a "cutting" phase where they cut the fat while trying to minimize muscle loss.

Even serious lifters have trouble gaining more than a few pounds of muscle mass a year.

However, it is true that your muscles can retain water right after you lift hard, a by-prodouct of the muscle fiber tear-down process, I believe. This can lead to temporary (small) weight gain.

The gain the next day after a workout. I have been wanting to ask this question! I notice a slight gain the next day. But then it goes away. Thank you for the answer.

Myth: If women life any weights, they'll bulk up like the Hulk

Truth: Women simply don't have the ability to naturally hulk out

It's quite remarkable the number of women that believe that. It's hard enough for guys to add muscle mass unless they're on roids or its their first few weeks. Women don't have the testosterone levels either to acquire much muscle mass unless drugs are used.

How many women do you know have "bulk" or serious muscles? Maybe 1 in 10,000, if that.
How many women are of a Costco "bulk" size? Probably 1 in 10.
Nail on coffin to that argument
But you all like to use it as an excuse not to do some serious weight lifting, and NOT the 2-5lb dumbbell crap.

Besides, which one's more physically appealing in general to guys? A fit "hulky" woman or an obese "bulky" woman?
Answer depends if you're a scrawny dude or not
Nail HAMMERED into coffin!!!

How about the one always starting arguments here: muscle weighs more than fat.

It's like the old axiom: Which weighs more; a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?

Now, for identical volumes, muscle weighs more (has greater density).


Myth: doing cardio while wearing garbage bags makes you lose more weight.
Truth: it's a false loss - you're simply dehydrating. When you rehydrate, the weight comes back.

Myth: Aerobics is better for shaping up than weight lifting.
Fact: to transform your physique, you must train with weights.

Myth: If you exercise, it doesn't matter what you eat.
Fact: If you exercise, it matters even more what you eat.

Myth: If women lift weights, they'll get bulky.
Fact: Resistance exercise helps women create lean, toned bodies.

Myth: Weight training is only for young people.
Fact: People of all ages should be weight training.

Myth: The longer you exercise, the better.
Fact: Too much exercise prevents results.

Myth: Muscles grow while you're working out.
Fact: Muscles grow while you're resting and recuperating.

Myth: To lose fat, and improve your body, don't eat.
Fact: To build a lean, healthy body, you have to eat.

Myth: High-carbohydrate, low-fat diets work best.
Fact: People are becoming fat from a "carb overdose."

"You're building muscle."

Not likely. It's VERY difficult to build muscle mass while in a calorie deficit. This is one of the reasons bodybuilders have a "bulking" phase where they eat tons of calories, lift like crazy, and get all puffy. Then they do a "cutting" phase where they cut the fat while trying to minimize muscle loss.

Even serious lifters have trouble gaining more than a few pounds of muscle mass a year.

However, it is true that your muscles can retain water right after you lift hard, a by-prodouct of the muscle fiber tear-down process, I believe. This can lead to temporary (small) weight gain.

Expounding on this one slightly and I'll probably get a few arguments against it but this is a common missconception.


Myth: lifting heavy weight at lower reps = more mass, lifting light weight at higher rep = more tone.

For starters the easy one, tone comes from reducing fat (and dehydration in many cases) bigger, stronger muscles means more kcals burned, more tone.

As for bulk, low rep/high weight to fatigue == high rep/low weight, i,e working a muscle to fatigue is working to fatigue regardless of the strategy. The difference you're going to get with these two strategies is not bulk vs tone, it's strength vs endurance.

Take a look at real word examples, if a dancer lifts say 15 lbs for 20 reps, then a body builder must be lifting a mac truck like two or three times right? Wrong, Body builder's usually do (relatively) low weight high rep workouts just prior to competition (when size matters) because they want a pump. On the other hand look at those who lift the largest amount of weight, olympic lifters, strongman competition, etc. those guys aren't huge like body builders, they're huge like line backers... strength not size.