Things I've learned about health and fitness(my mantras)

So, after about 6 months on here, I tend to see similar questions repeated over and over, not because people don't listen, but because the posts go stale and people don't see them. Which is why I'm posting and I hope that other Vetrans of the site will contribute too so that people with some common questions will have them answered before they need to ask.

AS a note I have done extensive research and talked to doctors and nutritionists about all of this stuff, so I would request that if you do have things to add here, please make sure they are truths as opposed to rumors or thoughts.

Mike, any update on Sticky posts? Hopefully, this could be a sticky post candidate.

Anyway, here are some things I have learned from various sources that may be helpful. Please chime in if you have any other good facts about health, fitness, nutrition...etc. that may head off the disconnect between information and posts.

1) Exercise and diet = weight loss. NOT true. Not exactly at least. the idea that if you eat right and exercise, you will definately loose weight is not true in and of itself. Weight loss is a common result of this, especially if you are overweight, but it SHOULD read: Exercise and diet=healthier body. Some people see this in reduction of weight, others see it in body fat %, some see it in increased overall feelings of health and conditioning, and yet others see it in size reduction. The important thing is to track multiple areas, because until we know how our bodies react to the change, you don't know which area will improve.

2) You have to eat at least 1200 calories a day minimum or your body goes into starvation mode. This is a pet peave of mine. The premise is absolutely TRUE. But the static calorie number is false. Let look at this logically. I am a 6 foot 2 inch male that weighs 193 (whoo hoo) lbs. there is NO way 1200 calories will even come close to keeping me out of starvation mode, heck, that is my LUNCH sometimes. What you need to do (and I have heard multiple different percentages out there) is take your at rest calories (you can find this on the site if you put in Maintain for your goal) and take about 70 to 75% of it. THAT is a good way to find out what your minimum calories should be.
That 1200 calorie number was an average for WOMEN that was floated years ago and caught on, nothing more, nothing less. Forget 1200, if you really want a solid number that is taylored to your exact body, see a nutritionist.

3) Carbs are bad, so is fat. Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong. How many times must this be said by doctors. Carbs are as important as any other type of calorie. The reason carbs got a bad name is because with the advent of processed flour we as a species eat too many simple carbohydrates. Simple carbs are broken down by the body faster then our body can use them, thus they are stored (fat cells). Closer to the truth is that simple carbs in large quantity are bad. Things like white flour will break down fast in your body and are almost totally absorbed (not much of it goes out the other end, if you will). If you want better carbs, eat whole grains, wild grains. They contain complex carbs, much more difficult to break down, and the body can take it's time burning the calories they have stored.
FAT is a very wide term, too much fat can be bad, yes, but Fatty Acids are essential to our bodies for a multitude of things, don't be swayed by the name, don't exclude fat from your diet, just try to make sure it's good fat more then bad, eating fat doesn't necissarily turn it into fat, in moderation, just like other foods, fat is important.

4) Some foods burn more calories to eat then they contain. Well, technically this one is true for a couple of foods (mostly veggies), but if you look at the facts usually this turns out to be a break even point as opposed to a negative (or very close too it). But you need to remember one thing about this, we aren't trying to break even with the food we eat and the calories it takes to eat them, there is a reason why we eat calories, our bodies need them! Better to focus on food that give you the RIGHT kinds of calories then foods with very few calories.

5)You can target fat loss areas. NOT true. There is no way to make that fat around your thighs go first. Sad to say, but true. Your body doesn't work like that. Your body burns stored fat FIFO (First in First out), your body is lazy (sad to say), it will take the easiest energy it can get first. So that food you ate will be the first to be burned, then it will take the stored fat that is easiest to break down (the newest deposits). So those persistant "love handles" will probably be the last thing to go. You CAN target areas for muscle growth, but that doesn't speed fat loss in those areas, what targeting areas WILL do is make those areas look much better once the fat does come off.

So that is my little spout about health and fitness. I'm sure others have plenty more. But lets make sure we stick to things that have factual basis please. If just one person learns things from this, it will help.

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