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What commonly given MFP Forum advice do you personally disagree with?
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cheryldumais wrote: »maureenkhilde wrote: »Copper_Boom wrote: »Nutrition/fitness/weight loss.
I can truly understand why to someone who is new to posting on the forum, that some replies or statements come across as very harsh or disbelieving. Some but not all of the seasoned posters come across pretty heavy handed, which can turn people off. Their answers still can be rock solid, but it is often how something may come across.
But some of the questions about certain diets or way to do things are asked over and over just by different people.
What I see the most is people who are not willing to consider other peoples ideas may have value.
This is totally what bugs me. I don't see bad advice specifically but there seem to be a few select individuals who seem to go through the boards looking for something to jump on and argue with. I come here to be encouraged and to encourage others if at all possible. I have gotten so much good from many on these boards and will be forever grateful to those who helped me attain my goals. I just want to pass it on where I can. Those who come across hard and heavy may possibly scare away the newbies who might have been helped. Having said all that I will say that I understand the longer you are on here the more frustrating it is to see the same silly ideas quoted so I do understand to a point why there are those that get frustrated.
I just have to say, @cheryldumais , I appreciate the kindness and graciousness you bring to these boards. You're also a wonderful example of being open to learning and your continued success is a testimony to that.8 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
I don't get the underlying assumption that people aren't smart enough to make wise choices to avoid hunger while counting calories nor do I get the underlying assumption that people don't already know anything about nutrition.
Granted, some may not, but they're not in the majority.
When I started on here, I was eating a whole foods vegetarian diet. I made choices about which foods to keep eating based on which delivered maximum nutrition for the least calories. I paid particular attention to meeting protein and fiber goals, because I realized those two things filled me up.
As I started losing weight and reading the boards, I realized I didn't need to be as strict with what I was eating as I had been because no one went around giving gold stars for eating extra servings of fruit and vegetables. And I was eating plenty. So I started having a little treat at the end of the day. Maybe a fun-sized candy bar. Maybe 2 cookies.
Counting calories taught me about balance in my approach to diet.
Focusing solely on "eating healthy" didn't solve anything for me. I reached my highest weight ever just focusing on eating healthy.12 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Counting calories by itself, without making any adjustments to how many you're consuming, isn't going to do anything besides make you aware of how many you're eating. I'm not sure why you'd think this is an unpopular opinion?8 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
If the calories counted are greater than the calories burned, then you're right. You can't just count calories, a deficit is required.12 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
There seems to be an assumption that everyone who wants to lose weight eats a nutritionally poor or unsatisfying diet or will struggle with hunger or doesn't cook or I'm not sure -- what changes do you think EVERYONE needs to make?
I'm wondering if he meant to say "everyone" instead of "anyone"?1 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
You're absolutely right. I count my calories and I'm maintaining my weight because I'm eating as many calories as my body is using.
Just counting calories does nothing for weight loss.
Counting calories is simply a tool that some people use to reach a calorie deficit, which is what creates weight loss.6 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.6
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chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Finally someone got what I was saying. Not everyone has the ability to lose weight by counting calories, logging, and continually maintaining a deficit.
Everyone else just took offense that they and many others have done it.14 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Finally someone got what I was saying. Not everyone has the ability to lose weight by counting calories, logging, and continually maintaining a deficit.
Everyone else just took offense that they and many others have done it.
But the weight loss still occurs because of the calorie deficit, whether a person counts calories or not. Eating plans like IF and keto are just different tools to accomplish that. I don't think I've ever seen anyone say you can't lose weight if you don't count calories.8 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Finally someone got what I was saying. Not everyone has the ability to lose weight by counting calories, logging, and continually maintaining a deficit.
Everyone else just took offense that they and many others have done it.
Unfortunately, your first post was incredibly vague and left much open to interpretation. I read it a couple of times and thought you could have meant that no one can lose by just counting calories, that some people can lose by just counting calories but some can't, that counting calories has to be accompanied by diet changes, that some people can't lose even if they are in a calorie deficit, and I could keep going.
I'm still not really sure what you meant.16 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
I don't get the underlying assumption that people aren't smart enough to make wise choices to avoid hunger while counting calories nor do I get the underlying assumption that people don't already know anything about nutrition.
This is really a better and shorter way of making the point I was trying to.
I do not get that at all!5 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Finally someone got what I was saying. Not everyone has the ability to lose weight by counting calories, logging, and continually maintaining a deficit.
Everyone else just took offense that they and many others have done it.
Disagreement != offense.
It's weird to me how so many people leap to "Oh, you're offended" when people disagree with them.21 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Finally someone got what I was saying. Not everyone has the ability to lose weight by counting calories, logging, and continually maintaining a deficit.
Everyone else just took offense that they and many others have done it.
Your statement was unclear.
If the statement was intended to be: "not everyone can lose weight merely by counting calories, some need other tools too, or instead of that," then I don't even think it's an unpopular opinion. I'd add to it that you need to be ready and willing to do what is necessary to lose weight, and some people just aren't. That's not a slam, there was a time when I wasn't.11 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Finally someone got what I was saying. Not everyone has the ability to lose weight by counting calories, logging, and continually maintaining a deficit.
Everyone else just took offense that they and many others have done it.
Your statement was unclear.
If the statement was intended to be: "not everyone can lose weight merely by counting calories, some need other tools too, or instead of that," then I don't even think it's an unpopular opinion.
Yep- I don't think anyone would have batted an eyelash.6 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Finally someone got what I was saying. Not everyone has the ability to lose weight by counting calories, logging, and continually maintaining a deficit.
Everyone else just took offense that they and many others have done it.
There are times when counting calories is torture for me, so in those instances I pull out a different tool to get me where I need to go. I get it my man...0 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Finally someone got what I was saying. Not everyone has the ability to lose weight by counting calories, logging, and continually maintaining a deficit.
Everyone else just took offense that they and many others have done it.
But the weight loss still occurs because of the calorie deficit, whether a person counts calories or not. Eating plans like IF and keto are just different tools to accomplish that. I don't think I've ever seen anyone say you can't lose weight if you don't count calories.
I don't believe he is arguing that...2 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Finally someone got what I was saying. Not everyone has the ability to lose weight by counting calories, logging, and continually maintaining a deficit.
Everyone else just took offense that they and many others have done it.
But the weight loss still occurs because of the calorie deficit, whether a person counts calories or not. Eating plans like IF and keto are just different tools to accomplish that. I don't think I've ever seen anyone say you can't lose weight if you don't count calories.
I don't believe he is arguing that...
Maybe not. He just mentioned "continually maintaining a deficit".0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »chrisahubbard wrote: »chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Finally someone got what I was saying. Not everyone has the ability to lose weight by counting calories, logging, and continually maintaining a deficit.
Everyone else just took offense that they and many others have done it.
Disagreement != offense.
It's weird to me how so many people leap to "Oh, you're offended" when people disagree with them.
Yeah, I find this odd too.7 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Yeah, anyone can though. I mean, anyone mentally capable of doing the calculations and mentally capable of abiding by them. It may not be fun, it may not be pretty, but even someone whose basal metabolism is tiny, even someone with a deficient thyroid, even someone on medication which causes weight gain can eat less, create a deficit, and if there is a deficit, that person will lose weight.
In some cases a person may need to eat far less than the default calculations suggest to create a deficit, but there are no people who can magically survive without food. If there were, they would be signing them up for the trip to Mars - it would save NASA a whole heap of trouble!4 -
chrisahubbard wrote: »chrisahubbard wrote: »I don't personally believe "anyone" can lose weight by counting their calories alone. That's my unpopular opinion.
Finally someone got what I was saying. Not everyone has the ability to lose weight by counting calories, logging, and continually maintaining a deficit.
Everyone else just took offense that they and many others have done it.
Actually everyone (at least everyone reading this that has access to the internet and ability to use it along with many who can do it manually) DOES have the ability to lose weight by counting calories, logging, and maintaining a deficit. Some people just need to find a different way that fits their personality/lifestyle better.
I don't think most of the regulars here care what method a person chooses to get into a calorie deficit as long as it is not scammy in nature.
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