Why do people believe so much bad science when it comes to fitness and nutrition?
Replies
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I also think that in some cases, reputable sources provide dietary information that can get some people in trouble, so it makes it even harder to figure out who to believe. As an example, as ironic as it is, the American Diabetes Association and USDA recommends a diet that would get some diabetics in an even worse situation.0
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And daytime television.0
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »internet, marketing, wooo science, dr oz, other similar shows.... wanting to believe theres a magic way or pill or shake instead of hard work and common sense.
theres actually a thread going on in my local (Facebook) community information page and the amount of BS and crap being tossed around as 'the best way' to lose weight is giving me a migraine.
even when i tell people how much ive lost and what i did to do that, they dont listen.
i dont even get involved.
i get my alcohol, chocolate and bread and they can go do whatever the heck they want to and be in the same place next year
Watch the eyes glaze over when somebody notices you've lost weight, asks how you did it and you reply "by eating less and moving more". It's not sexy and it involves discipline and work. Tell them you were washing raspberry ketones down with apple cider vinegar and taking Snakeoilogy and the "Thermo-Oxy-Nuclear Fat Destroyer" pill, and they eagerly want to hear more.
ACV really inhibits the toxin-reducing properties of my Açai Rectal Cleansing Plug, but I'm very curious about your Thermo-Oxy-Nuclear Fat Destroyer pill, can you tell me more?
(Also, Raspberry Ketones is the name of my Mighty Mighty Bosstones cover band.)0 -
Then you have the tv shows like "My Diet is Better Than Yours", hosted by Shawn T. Which I am watching for amusement. 5 people get to pick their own diet and work directly with the "expert" behind the diet. After working all week with the expert, they weigh in and get to decide whether they want to stay with that particular diet/expert or dump their diet/expert and get a new one. They can only switch diets once throughout the whole competition and the person at the end who has lost the most percentage of weight will win $50,000, BUT in order to get to weigh in at the last weigh in and win, they also have to complete a half marathon. THIS is why people are being brainwashed.. The so called "experts" on this show are absolutely crazy. When I watch, I think, are these people serious?
When that man put butter in his coffee, I was like, "why!" Even after he explained it, I still thought, "why?" The only "diet" on there that makes sense is the Swap Food lady b/c it's basically CICO.0 -
I think also it's because our doctors and health experts aren't always the most knowledgable either. I had a doctor give me a really cruddy food plan. limited fiber and very little protien. and i was miserable. so i started subbing by researching foods and found MFP
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Desperation? Laziness? Dr. Oz?
All bad things, IMO...0 -
I don't think it's just that people are looking for an easy solution. I think a lot of it is about responsibility/blame. Even if it's not always vocalised, it's much easier to convince ourselves "I'm overweight, because I didn't pay money for <product>" than it is to admit "I'm overweight, because I ate too much or moved too little".0
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It was good ol' ignorance in my case. I knew very little about health, fitness and nutrition for most of my life. My schooling, family and friends didn't teach me much about it. The first research I did was The South Beach Diet. I read the book and followed the diet and did lose belly fat first as was advertised.
I still didn't know about portion control/serving sizes, glycogen depletion, macros etc. and quickly put the weight and gut back on when I went from Phase 1 to Phase 2 mainly due to not knowing a serving of pasta is not a plateload!
I've tried just about every supplement out there and wondered why I was a non-responder to them since I didn't know the supplement industry is a scam for the most part.
I have learned quite a bit over the years I've been on MFP (2nd account so not as new as I look) as well as Scooby's and IIFYM sites.
Like I said, that was my case but I bet a lot of other people just plain don't know. CICO is an incredibly simple concept but it isn't always easy and it doesn't lend itself to splashy full page ads with swimsuit models promoting quick miraculous results.
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holothuroidea wrote: »My observation as a science educator is that most people lack scientific literacy and critical reading skills due to a large-scale lack of public interest and political will in the public education system. That's my short answer.
Exactly. And laziness (in the population as whole). The same Google that leads to "detoxcleansefatburnersuperfood" for weight loss is the same Google that will send us all the correct information to educate ourselves. We're just too lazy of a society to click to the next page (or look in Google Scholar or PubMed).0 -
When you say "staying within your caloric limit and living a healthy, active lifestyle ", what do you mean by "healthy"? Isn't that usually the whole controversy?0
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A bit tongue in cheek, but besides what we get from the internet and our lack of science literacy, there's a conspiracy of slim people to keep the rest of the world fat.
As an example, my BF (who doesn't eat much at all and is borderline underweight) says that it's because of her genes from her father's side. Whereas, she says that her sisters (who overeat and are correspondingly obese and morbidly obese) have genes from their mother's side of the family. The woman is a pharmacist so university educated and supposedly science-literate. And she's not the only very slim/skinny person I meet who claims that "it's natural; it's my metabolism; I have great genes; I can eat anything".
I remember like 30 years ago already, a slim friend of my mom selling her Herbalife...
And we, fat people, believe them! Why wouldn't we.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »When you say "staying within your caloric limit and living a healthy, active lifestyle ", what do you mean by "healthy"? Isn't that usually the whole controversy?
No, it isn't.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »When you say "staying within your caloric limit and living a healthy, active lifestyle ", what do you mean by "healthy"? Isn't that usually the whole controversy?
No, it isn't.
Is so.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »When you say "staying within your caloric limit and living a healthy, active lifestyle ", what do you mean by "healthy"? Isn't that usually the whole controversy?
No, it isn't.
Is so.
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It is true though that some people need more calories per lb of bodyweight than others. For example, I have an active lifestyle and need 20 calories per lb of bodyweight to maintain my weight (2550 calories). I'm also very slim. Another guy who is say 170 lbs with the same lifestyle as mine may need 3000 calories to maintain his weight, which is not even at a full 18 calories per lb of bodyweight. So from that perspective, I think the metabolism idea is true; some people do have a faster metabolism in that they need more calories than others relative to their size.A bit tongue in cheek, but besides what we get from the internet and our lack of science literacy, there's a conspiracy of slim people to keep the rest of the world fat.
As an example, my BF (who doesn't eat much at all and is borderline underweight) says that it's because of her genes from her father's side. Whereas, she says that her sisters (who overeat and are correspondingly obese and morbidly obese) have genes from their mother's side of the family. The woman is a pharmacist so university educated and supposedly science-literate. And she's not the only very slim/skinny person I meet who claims that "it's natural; it's my metabolism; I have great genes; I can eat anything".
I remember like 30 years ago already, a slim friend of my mom selling her Herbalife...
And we, fat people, believe them! Why wouldn't we.0 -
callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »internet, marketing, wooo science, dr oz, other similar shows.... wanting to believe theres a magic way or pill or shake instead of hard work and common sense.
theres actually a thread going on in my local (Facebook) community information page and the amount of BS and crap being tossed around as 'the best way' to lose weight is giving me a migraine.
even when i tell people how much ive lost and what i did to do that, they dont listen.
i dont even get involved.
i get my alcohol, chocolate and bread and they can go do whatever the heck they want to and be in the same place next year
Watch the eyes glaze over when somebody notices you've lost weight, asks how you did it and you reply "by eating less and moving more". It's not sexy and it involves discipline and work. Tell them you were washing raspberry ketones down with apple cider vinegar and taking Snakeoilogy and the "Thermo-Oxy-Nuclear Fat Destroyer" pill, and they eagerly want to hear more.
ACV really inhibits the toxin-reducing properties of my Açai Rectal Cleansing Plug, but I'm very curious about your Thermo-Oxy-Nuclear Fat Destroyer pill, can you tell me more?
SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!!0 -
ForecasterJason wrote: »I also think that in some cases, reputable sources provide dietary information that can get some people in trouble, so it makes it even harder to figure out who to believe. As an example, as ironic as it is, the American Diabetes Association and USDA recommends a diet that would get some diabetics in an even worse situation.
I agree with this as well. I read MSN.com for the news and daily headlines but almost all of their health and fitness articles throw around the words "detox" and "metabolism boosters" and list foods you must not eat as though it's fact, etc. I just roll my eyes and move on, but they certainly aren't the only reputable news site that does this.0 -
A bit tongue in cheek, but besides what we get from the internet and our lack of science literacy, there's a conspiracy of slim people to keep the rest of the world fat.
As an example, my BF (who doesn't eat much at all and is borderline underweight) says that it's because of her genes from her father's side. Whereas, she says that her sisters (who overeat and are correspondingly obese and morbidly obese) have genes from their mother's side of the family. The woman is a pharmacist so university educated and supposedly science-literate. And she's not the only very slim/skinny person I meet who claims that "it's natural; it's my metabolism; I have great genes; I can eat anything".
I think there is something to your BF's philosophy, though I think metabolism is only a small part of it. I know several families where one parent is overweight/obese and the other is one of the "naturally skinny" people and the children who look more like the thin parent are thin while the children who favor the fat parent struggle with weight. Genetics play a part.0 -
callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »internet, marketing, wooo science, dr oz, other similar shows.... wanting to believe theres a magic way or pill or shake instead of hard work and common sense.
theres actually a thread going on in my local (Facebook) community information page and the amount of BS and crap being tossed around as 'the best way' to lose weight is giving me a migraine.
even when i tell people how much ive lost and what i did to do that, they dont listen.
i dont even get involved.
i get my alcohol, chocolate and bread and they can go do whatever the heck they want to and be in the same place next year
Watch the eyes glaze over when somebody notices you've lost weight, asks how you did it and you reply "by eating less and moving more". It's not sexy and it involves discipline and work. Tell them you were washing raspberry ketones down with apple cider vinegar and taking Snakeoilogy and the "Thermo-Oxy-Nuclear Fat Destroyer" pill, and they eagerly want to hear more.
so so SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO true0 -
It's wishful thinking and for many people disbelief in the principle of cause and effect.0
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Then you have the tv shows like "My Diet is Better Than Yours", hosted by Shawn T. Which I am watching for amusement. 5 people get to pick their own diet and work directly with the "expert" behind the diet. After working all week with the expert, they weigh in and get to decide whether they want to stay with that particular diet/expert or dump their diet/expert and get a new one. They can only switch diets once throughout the whole competition and the person at the end who has lost the most percentage of weight will win $50,000, BUT in order to get to weigh in at the last weigh in and win, they also have to complete a half marathon. THIS is why people are being brainwashed.. The so called "experts" on this show are absolutely crazy. When I watch, I think, are these people serious?
When that man put butter in his coffee, I was like, "why!" Even after he explained it, I still thought, "why?" The only "diet" on there that makes sense is the Swap Food lady b/c it's basically CICO.
I agree 100%.. then the lady with the self oil massage.... and the Mommy lady is soo annoying, I just want to slap her through the TV... the butter thing was crazy. I would totally agree that the SuperFood Swap diet expert is the best so far, she has not been weird in any way.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »A bit tongue in cheek, but besides what we get from the internet and our lack of science literacy, there's a conspiracy of slim people to keep the rest of the world fat.
As an example, my BF (who doesn't eat much at all and is borderline underweight) says that it's because of her genes from her father's side. Whereas, she says that her sisters (who overeat and are correspondingly obese and morbidly obese) have genes from their mother's side of the family. The woman is a pharmacist so university educated and supposedly science-literate. And she's not the only very slim/skinny person I meet who claims that "it's natural; it's my metabolism; I have great genes; I can eat anything".
I think there is something to your BF's philosophy, though I think metabolism is only a small part of it. I know several families where one parent is overweight/obese and the other is one of the "naturally skinny" people and the children who look more like the thin parent are thin while the children who favor the fat parent struggle with weight. Genetics play a part.
Except that you missed that she doesn't eat much. Of course she will be thinner if she eats less than she burns0 -
It was always so much easier for me to believe that I had some mysterious medical condition or needed some surgery or Rx or complicated MLM that I couldn't afford than to say to myself "I am a lazy overeater."0
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »internet, marketing, wooo science, dr oz, other similar shows.... wanting to believe theres a magic way or pill or shake instead of hard work and common sense.
theres actually a thread going on in my local (Facebook) community information page and the amount of BS and crap being tossed around as 'the best way' to lose weight is giving me a migraine.
even when i tell people how much ive lost and what i did to do that, they dont listen.
i dont even get involved.
i get my alcohol, chocolate and bread and they can go do whatever the heck they want to and be in the same place next year
Watch the eyes glaze over when somebody notices you've lost weight, asks how you did it and you reply "by eating less and moving more". It's not sexy and it involves discipline and work. Tell them you were washing raspberry ketones down with apple cider vinegar and taking Snakeoilogy and the "Thermo-Oxy-Nuclear Fat Destroyer" pill, and they eagerly want to hear more.
Also I think a lot of people have general health problems that they cannot pinpoint the reason for. Some of those health problems are probably related to how they eat. These people seem to strongly cling to the diets that seem to provide all the answers. Honestly a lot of the time people with overall poor health sometimes can't really figure out what is wrong from a doctor. You see this with paleo, or gluten free diets. I have so many people tell me they have to eat that way because of their health. Okay, if it works then do it. A lot of the time though it doesn't work as a long term solution, and they go back to whatever they did before.0 -
PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »It was always so much easier for me to believe that I had some mysterious medical condition or needed some surgery or Rx or complicated MLM that I couldn't afford than to say to myself "I am a lazy overeater."
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singingflutelady wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »A bit tongue in cheek, but besides what we get from the internet and our lack of science literacy, there's a conspiracy of slim people to keep the rest of the world fat.
As an example, my BF (who doesn't eat much at all and is borderline underweight) says that it's because of her genes from her father's side. Whereas, she says that her sisters (who overeat and are correspondingly obese and morbidly obese) have genes from their mother's side of the family. The woman is a pharmacist so university educated and supposedly science-literate. And she's not the only very slim/skinny person I meet who claims that "it's natural; it's my metabolism; I have great genes; I can eat anything".
I think there is something to your BF's philosophy, though I think metabolism is only a small part of it. I know several families where one parent is overweight/obese and the other is one of the "naturally skinny" people and the children who look more like the thin parent are thin while the children who favor the fat parent struggle with weight. Genetics play a part.
Except that you missed that she doesn't eat much. Of course she will be thinner if she eats less than she burns
No I didn't miss it. The question remains why does she eat less. Especially when comparing siblings raised in the same environment.0 -
Because deluding myself burns more calories than exercise. It's true, my herbalife cleanse coach told me so.0
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I have always wondered this myself. The reason people fall for any of it is simply, like others have said, they want to believe in a "quick, easy solution." Everywhere I look I see ads for products that claim to "suppress your appetite" or "make you burn fat', etc.
Around town I see those places that people actually pay money to attend, where you get "magic supplements" that "only work with diet and exercise"... the diet and exercise alone would work anyways!!!
@shellma00, omg I saw that show and I found it interesting as well! Like get real people! Just cuz one "diet plan" will work for one of those people doesn't mean it is the "best diet' or anything! So now people will think the winner's diet is the diet to go by. Like, wow.0 -
Then you have the tv shows like "My Diet is Better Than Yours", hosted by Shawn T. Which I am watching for amusement. 5 people get to pick their own diet and work directly with the "expert" behind the diet. After working all week with the expert, they weigh in and get to decide whether they want to stay with that particular diet/expert or dump their diet/expert and get a new one. They can only switch diets once throughout the whole competition and the person at the end who has lost the most percentage of weight will win $50,000, BUT in order to get to weigh in at the last weigh in and win, they also have to complete a half marathon. THIS is why people are being brainwashed.. The so called "experts" on this show are absolutely crazy. When I watch, I think, are these people serious?
When that man put butter in his coffee, I was like, "why!" Even after he explained it, I still thought, "why?" The only "diet" on there that makes sense is the Swap Food lady b/c it's basically CICO.
I agree 100%.. then the lady with the self oil massage.... and the Mommy lady is soo annoying, I just want to slap her through the TV... the butter thing was crazy. I would totally agree that the SuperFood Swap diet expert is the best so far, she has not been weird in any way.
The Taskercise woman is a nut. I cannot deal with her. I would have dropped her after 1 weigh-in just b/c her personality would have driven me to insanity.0 -
That mommy lady freaked me out as well LOL...her eyes like go big and then creepy smile,"I don't believe you are 100% into this. Say it again!!!" "NO...you looked away!!!" LOL0
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