Dieting, Nutrition, Losing Weight and Myths Debunked

NOTE: THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG POST.

After reading the first few paragraphs if I don't have your attention then you probably won't be interested and/or you may already be shaking your head in disbelief.

I honestly felt it was time I make a thread myself regarding dieting, losing the weight and some myths that have been debunked.

First things first let me list some of the myths that have been debunked. I could list studies and studies that were performed by the NIH (http://www.nih.gov) which is the National Institutes of Health. For those of you that don't know what this organization is, they are basically a medical research facility that is the size of a small city located in Bethesda, MD. To be honest there is ALOT of misinformation out there, but NIH has proven studies that they test time and time again and back it with scientific research. It's really the only place I completely trust anymore.

Moving forward....

MYTHS DEBUNKED
Here are some myths that have been debunked: (You may be in disbelief, you may shake your head, you may even close this page, but these have been proven and are backed by scientific research.)

1. Meal timing is irrelevant. - Yes it may have "worked for you" to eat 5-6 small meals a day to "stoke the metabolic fire", but it's completely unneccessary. Alot of people go crazy trying to fit 5-6 or even 7 meals a day into their daily routine and it does not matter. There are folks that eat 2 or 3 days a time and have lost alot of weight just fine.

2. Eating late at night is bad for you and will make you fat[/b[ - This is false. In fact there are studies that have shown that people actually lost more weight by eating late at night as opposed to eating breakfast.

Study 1: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3508745
Study 2: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1550038
Study 3: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9040548
Study 4: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17483007
Study 5: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475137 (This is the one where more people had greater weight loss eating more carbs at dinner.)


3. Eat ONLY 40-50g of protein per meal - There is alot of misinformation out there where people say "You should only eat 40-50g of protein per meal as that is the most the body can handle at once."

SURVEY SAYS: "X"

This is again wrong. There is no difference between eating 20g per meal or 100g per meal as long as you obtain your minimum protein macro intake per day. Now there is a difference between eating 100g of protein per meal and eating 400-500g of protein in one meal which is WAY MORE than the body should consume throughout an entire day.

(More on macros later)

4. I can't eat fat, it will make me fat!! - I thoroughly enjoy reading people's blogs and/or posts/articles regarding fat consumption. This is so incredibly false that if you just do a LITTLE research you will find this out. We all need fat in our diet. Fats are required to produce and build new cells. They are a source of energy and are critical in the transmission of nerve impulses and brain function and development. They are also involved in the synthesis of other essential molecules such as hormones. Fats provide sanity, satiety, energy, and libido!

You should be ingesting .35-.75g of dietary fat per lb of bodyweight per day. You should try to get your fats from fat sources such as almonds, fish oil, fatty fish, flaxseed, hempseed, canola, olive oil, eggs, lean meats and poultry and dairy products.

5. Saturated Fats are bad for you and cause CVD and CHD - One of my favorite myths debunked. No, saturated fats are NOT bad for you and they do NOT cause Cardiovascular and Coronary Heart Disease. Trans fat on the other hand is an unsaturated fat and is the worst kind. This is where McDonalds french fries come into play.

6. Protein causes fat loss - I must eat more protein! - This is also wrong. Protein itself does not cause fat loss. Eating a calorie deficit under your maintenance does. Proteins are the building blocks of muscle. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. All of the antibodies and enzymes, and many of the hormones in the body are proteins. They provide for the transport of nutrients, oxygen and waste throughout the body. They provide the structure and contracting capability of muscles. They also provide collagen to connective tissues of the body and to the tissues of the skin, hair and nails.

7. I have to eat super clean to lose weight/burn fat - You don't have to eat super clean to burn fat and lose weight. As long as you hit your macros everyday while eating at a calorie deficit from what your maintenance is you will lose weight. I know natural bodybuilders that eat bacon, drink chocolate milk, eat burritos while watching their calorie intake/macros and they still cut up to contest condition.

8. I have to do lots of cardio to burn the fat off. - Truth be told, weight loss and fat burning are 95% diet and 5% training. You do NOT have to step inside a gym to lose weight if your diet is in check. Period. Cardio training, Aerobics, Weight Training are not the cause of losing weight. Make a mental picture of your heart with arms and it picks up a dumbell and starts lifting it over and over. Thats cardio in a quick nutshell. Obviously there is a little more to it then that.

Note: You could run outside in 100 degree heat for hours on end, run on that treadmill until you sweat so much you can water plants, but NOTHING and I repeat NOTHING will happen regarding weight loss if your diet is not right. Period. End of story.

I made this thread shorter so people don't have to read a long wall of text as bad.