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Fitness and diet myths that just won't go away
Replies
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Staying hydrated assists in balancing the calorie deficit. It’s essential, not a myth, backed by science and any M.D. you can find.
Keeping hydrated is very important to overall health and helps the body function optimally in every aspect...I have no idea what "balancing the calorie deficit" means.
You can see if you're adequately hydrated or not by the color of your urine. There is no universally optimal amount of water to consume to keep hydrated as individual hydration needs will vary per numerous factors.16 -
My very pet peeve here on MFP, is that pasta and pizza are "bad" for you and you can never lose weight eating them. I live in Italy and can tell you after going out for pizza here for 36 years that those thin Italians eat a whole pizza plus other stuff. Most eat pasta everyday. However, they walk everywhere, and love fruits and vegetables.34
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janejellyroll wrote: »SuzySunshine99 wrote: »goal06082021 wrote: »SuzySunshine99 wrote: »The ones that annoy me the most are "rules" that make no sense...
-Don't eat any ingredients that you can't pronounce.
-Only shop the perimeter of the grocery store, not the middle.
-Don't eat after 7pm.
-Don't eat white foods.
So much wrong...
In the case of the bolded "rule" - the way most grocery stores are laid out, you'll find most of the whole foods around the perimeter of the store and most of the packaged foods in the aisles. I think it's a useful guideline for someone learning or re-learning how to shop for nutritious food, but yeah, there's nothing magic about it otherwise.
Also re: not eating after 7 PM, they call that intermittent fasting now and it's trendy.
I do agree with you on the "nothing you can't pronounce" and "nothing white" rules, though. If you just blindly apply the rule without trying to learn anything about what you're doing and why it works (or doesn't), that's the kind of anti-intellectual BS that got all your high school friends hitting you up to join their pyramid scheme and we could do with less of it, as a species.
I don't think it's useful, though. First of all, I'd challenge that "most" grocery stores are laid out a certain way. A lot of the big chains have been re-designing their stores in recent years. In mine (Kroger), the produce is in the middle of the store, and the bakery, ice cream, frozen pizzas, etc are on the perimeter.
Plus, as mentioned, some very nutritious staple foods can be found in the shelf-stable aisles....beans, rice, canned vegetables, etc.
I think that adults can learn to identify foods that meet their goals without being told that certain aisles of the store are naughty. I think that's what I dislike the most about these "rules"...they treat people as children who need black-and-white, yes-or-no parameters, instead of adults who can reason and think and make appropriate, educated decisions.
Yeah, you've pinpointed what makes most "diet rules" so annoying to me. They're based on the assumption that we're too stupid to flip over a package and figure out for ourselves what fits into our plan.
But honestly, it's easier for me to read a label on a soup can than it is to never buy shelf stable food again. And understanding my calorie and macronutrient needs requires a bit more pre-work on my end, but once that's done I can sustainably eat in a bunch of different circumstances and still meet my goals. Someone who is relying on rules is going to be lost when they're traveling for work or remodeling their kitchen for two weeks or going to a party because the rules won't necessarily work in those situations.
As a corollary to this: The "hidden sugars" plot. It's right there on the ingredient list. One just has to read it.
I grant that there are some more-obscure terms that can be used that some people might not know, but by and large, the ingredients list has obvious sweeteners - sugar, honey, corn syrup, apple juice concentrate, etc. Even before the "added sugar" line on US labels (which I do think is good), anyone who really wanted to avoid significant amounts of added sugar could do it by reading labels.
This also falls IMO into a category of "myths that are mostly a lame excuse".12 -
janejellyroll wrote: »SuzySunshine99 wrote: »goal06082021 wrote: »SuzySunshine99 wrote: »The ones that annoy me the most are "rules" that make no sense...
-Don't eat any ingredients that you can't pronounce.
-Only shop the perimeter of the grocery store, not the middle.
-Don't eat after 7pm.
-Don't eat white foods.
So much wrong...
In the case of the bolded "rule" - the way most grocery stores are laid out, you'll find most of the whole foods around the perimeter of the store and most of the packaged foods in the aisles. I think it's a useful guideline for someone learning or re-learning how to shop for nutritious food, but yeah, there's nothing magic about it otherwise.
Also re: not eating after 7 PM, they call that intermittent fasting now and it's trendy.
I do agree with you on the "nothing you can't pronounce" and "nothing white" rules, though. If you just blindly apply the rule without trying to learn anything about what you're doing and why it works (or doesn't), that's the kind of anti-intellectual BS that got all your high school friends hitting you up to join their pyramid scheme and we could do with less of it, as a species.
I don't think it's useful, though. First of all, I'd challenge that "most" grocery stores are laid out a certain way. A lot of the big chains have been re-designing their stores in recent years. In mine (Kroger), the produce is in the middle of the store, and the bakery, ice cream, frozen pizzas, etc are on the perimeter.
Plus, as mentioned, some very nutritious staple foods can be found in the shelf-stable aisles....beans, rice, canned vegetables, etc.
I think that adults can learn to identify foods that meet their goals without being told that certain aisles of the store are naughty. I think that's what I dislike the most about these "rules"...they treat people as children who need black-and-white, yes-or-no parameters, instead of adults who can reason and think and make appropriate, educated decisions.
Yeah, you've pinpointed what makes most "diet rules" so annoying to me. They're based on the assumption that we're too stupid to flip over a package and figure out for ourselves what fits into our plan.
But honestly, it's easier for me to read a label on a soup can than it is to never buy shelf stable food again. And understanding my calorie and macronutrient needs requires a bit more pre-work on my end, but once that's done I can sustainably eat in a bunch of different circumstances and still meet my goals. Someone who is relying on rules is going to be lost when they're traveling for work or remodeling their kitchen for two weeks or going to a party because the rules won't necessarily work in those situations.
As a corollary to this: The "hidden sugars" plot. It's right there on the ingredient list. One just has to read it.
I grant that there are some more-obscure terms that can be used that some people might not know, but by and large, the ingredients list has obvious sweeteners - sugar, honey, corn syrup, apple juice concentrate, etc. Even before the "added sugar" line on US labels (which I do think is good), anyone who really wanted to avoid significant amounts of added sugar could do it by reading labels.
This also falls IMO into a category of "myths that are mostly a lame excuse".
Pasta sauce is the one you always hear about and I'm just really doubtful that it's the sugar calories in pasta sauce that are tipping the scales for anyone when it comes to weight loss.12 -
Absolutely. Especially with people who are ego lifters and do nothing but partial reps.Speakeasy76 wrote: »In fitness (especially strength training): more is better, or quantity over quality. I see this in terms of people doing every move possible when targeting a body part, and in adding more weight before they're really ready and their form taking a big hit.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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lol, the only thing working all the time is digestion. What's NOT told by these gurus that say that crap is that TEF is already accounted for.So many of my favorites are here already!
I'll add: you have to eat lots of snacks or mini meals to keep your metabolism going or because if you get too hungry you will uncontrollably overeat.
I think eating often works for some, but it's a pattern that is individual, and personally it makes me stressed and miserable and I never feel satisfied.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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You're Toxed so you need a detox. If you were actually Toxed you would be on life support somewhere. Your kidneys and liver would be kaput.30
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Eating breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism for the day.
There is some diet where you have to put all your food in their special containers. I dont remember the name. It sort of works from a portion control standpoint, but its pretty limiting if you want to be crazy and mix ingredients and cook them!7 -
Also "breakfast is the most important meal of the day"...............................the others, not so important.4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »Eating breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism for the day.
There is some diet where you have to put all your food in their special containers. I dont remember the name. It sort of works from a portion control standpoint, but its pretty limiting if you want to be crazy and mix ingredients and cook them!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
13 -
goal06082021 wrote: »I think the rise in popularity of Keto has done a lot to quash the myth that dietary fat -> body fat (and therefore the way to stop being fat is to stop eating fat), but there are still some people clinging to that mistaken belief.
Low-fat and fat-free versions of foods may have fewer calories per serving than their full-fat cousins, but (1) fat is flavor, so to make those foods palatable, manufacturers often add sugar; and (2) you'll gain weight eating anything if you eat more calories than you burn, so just because the cookie or ice cream or whatever is "low fat" doesn't mean you can eat as much of it as you want. You also need some dietary fat to properly absorb certain micronutrients (vitamins A, D, E, and K) - eating too little fat can lead to vitamin deficiencies that cause other health problems.
Key and Peele sketch Froyo is a perfect illustration of this.5 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »Eating breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism for the day.
There is some diet where you have to put all your food in their special containers. I dont remember the name. It sort of works from a portion control standpoint, but its pretty limiting if you want to be crazy and mix ingredients and cook them!
21 Day Fix does this, I think they're used in some other Beach Body plans too. I get how it works for portion control, but I do think it would be really hard if you were used to eating dishes that were mixes of macronutrients (like many of us actually eat).
My mom did do a homemade version of this for my sister with Down Syndrome. She wanted to pack her own lunch, but struggled with portion control. So Mom got her a set of color coded containers, one for the main dish, one for vegetables, one for fruit, one for a treat. It has worked really well so far.21 -
That there is a really deep reason people put on weight.
I remember watching Chris Powell on Extreme Weight Loss make people breakdown and cry because they had these HUGE life issues and used food to cope.
I just love food. It's yummy.22 -
janejellyroll wrote: »SuzySunshine99 wrote: »goal06082021 wrote: »SuzySunshine99 wrote: »The ones that annoy me the most are "rules" that make no sense...
-Don't eat any ingredients that you can't pronounce.
-Only shop the perimeter of the grocery store, not the middle.
-Don't eat after 7pm.
-Don't eat white foods.
So much wrong...
In the case of the bolded "rule" - the way most grocery stores are laid out, you'll find most of the whole foods around the perimeter of the store and most of the packaged foods in the aisles. I think it's a useful guideline for someone learning or re-learning how to shop for nutritious food, but yeah, there's nothing magic about it otherwise.
Also re: not eating after 7 PM, they call that intermittent fasting now and it's trendy.
I do agree with you on the "nothing you can't pronounce" and "nothing white" rules, though. If you just blindly apply the rule without trying to learn anything about what you're doing and why it works (or doesn't), that's the kind of anti-intellectual BS that got all your high school friends hitting you up to join their pyramid scheme and we could do with less of it, as a species.
I don't think it's useful, though. First of all, I'd challenge that "most" grocery stores are laid out a certain way. A lot of the big chains have been re-designing their stores in recent years. In mine (Kroger), the produce is in the middle of the store, and the bakery, ice cream, frozen pizzas, etc are on the perimeter.
Plus, as mentioned, some very nutritious staple foods can be found in the shelf-stable aisles....beans, rice, canned vegetables, etc.
I think that adults can learn to identify foods that meet their goals without being told that certain aisles of the store are naughty. I think that's what I dislike the most about these "rules"...they treat people as children who need black-and-white, yes-or-no parameters, instead of adults who can reason and think and make appropriate, educated decisions.
Yeah, you've pinpointed what makes most "diet rules" so annoying to me. They're based on the assumption that we're too stupid to flip over a package and figure out for ourselves what fits into our plan.
But honestly, it's easier for me to read a label on a soup can than it is to never buy shelf stable food again. And understanding my calorie and macronutrient needs requires a bit more pre-work on my end, but once that's done I can sustainably eat in a bunch of different circumstances and still meet my goals. Someone who is relying on rules is going to be lost when they're traveling for work or remodeling their kitchen for two weeks or going to a party because the rules won't necessarily work in those situations.
As a corollary to this: The "hidden sugars" plot. It's right there on the ingredient list. One just has to read it.
I grant that there are some more-obscure terms that can be used that some people might not know, but by and large, the ingredients list has obvious sweeteners - sugar, honey, corn syrup, apple juice concentrate, etc. Even before the "added sugar" line on US labels (which I do think is good), anyone who really wanted to avoid significant amounts of added sugar could do it by reading labels.
This also falls IMO into a category of "myths that are mostly a lame excuse".
As a corrolary to this, the diet myth that fruit juice is better than other soft drinks for weight loss.11 -
janejellyroll wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »Eating breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism for the day.
There is some diet where you have to put all your food in their special containers. I dont remember the name. It sort of works from a portion control standpoint, but its pretty limiting if you want to be crazy and mix ingredients and cook them!
21 Day Fix does this, I think they're used in some other Beach Body plans too. I get how it works for portion control, but I do think it would be really hard if you were used to eating dishes that were mixes of macronutrients (like many of us actually eat).
Oh, that reminds me! The claims that you can't lose (or whatever) if you eat carbs with fat or carbs with protein or fat with protein or whatever the special keep macros separate diet gurus claim.7 -
That you must eat breakfast when stopping eating breakfast for me was a major breakthrough in my quest to control my eating as it "starts me off" and I am then hungry all day.
That you need to "eat less and move more". Sure "move more" is helpful if only a tiny bit and it is certainly good for health but for losing weigh, especially if you have a lot to lose, then no. Ever looked at how far you have to walk to burn off a single biscuit (or cookie)???? Weight gain and weight lose starts and stops in the kitchen.15 -
Also "breakfast is the most important meal of the day"...............................the others, not so important.4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »Eating breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism for the day.
There is some diet where you have to put all your food in their special containers. I dont remember the name. It sort of works from a portion control standpoint, but its pretty limiting if you want to be crazy and mix ingredients and cook them!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Breakfast *is* the most important meal of the day, insofar as it is important for most people to eat something (i.e., break their fast) at some point during a typical day. Breakfast *isn't* necessarily waffles and cereal and bacon and eggs and coffee and orange juice at 7 AM.6 -
Absolutely. Especially with people who are ego lifters and do nothing but partial reps.Speakeasy76 wrote: »In fitness (especially strength training): more is better, or quantity over quality. I see this in terms of people doing every move possible when targeting a body part, and in adding more weight before they're really ready and their form taking a big hit.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Yep, there's a guy at my gym who was banging out partial rep chin-ups like he was in a race for half-completed chin-ups, then did some barbell bicep curls by throwing the weight around like he was supposed to be working his back (and even legs) instead of his biceps. It was totally an ego thing, because the guy wasn't even all that big.3 -
goal06082021 wrote: »
Also "breakfast is the most important meal of the day"...............................the others, not so important.4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »Eating breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism for the day.
There is some diet where you have to put all your food in their special containers. I dont remember the name. It sort of works from a portion control standpoint, but its pretty limiting if you want to be crazy and mix ingredients and cook them!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Breakfast *is* the most important meal of the day, insofar as it is important for most people to eat something (i.e., break their fast) at some point during a typical day. Breakfast *isn't* necessarily waffles and cereal and bacon and eggs and coffee and orange juice at 7 AM.
I don't live in a "waffles and bacon and eggs" country.
Point is.... it has been drummed into me AND this is advice today on the NHS website as well as dieting shows you see on the telly, that a meal when you get up is the best way to control your eating. For me and for quite a few others I have discussed this with in the last few years, that is really really really really really really really bad advice.
If it works for you and others, that's great, but in a nutshell what we have had banged into us (in my country anyway) is that not eating breakfast makes you fat. For me and other, it is quite the opposite.19 -
goal06082021 wrote: »
Also "breakfast is the most important meal of the day"...............................the others, not so important.4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »Eating breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism for the day.
There is some diet where you have to put all your food in their special containers. I dont remember the name. It sort of works from a portion control standpoint, but its pretty limiting if you want to be crazy and mix ingredients and cook them!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Breakfast *is* the most important meal of the day, insofar as it is important for most people to eat something (i.e., break their fast) at some point during a typical day. Breakfast *isn't* necessarily waffles and cereal and bacon and eggs and coffee and orange juice at 7 AM.
I don't live in a "waffles and bacon and eggs" country.
Point is.... it has been drummed into me AND this is advice today on the NHS website as well as dieting shows you see on the telly, that a meal when you get up is the best way to control your eating. For me and for quite a few others I have discussed this with in the last few years, that is really really really really really really really bad advice.
If it works for you and others, that's great, but in a nutshell what we have had banged into us (in my country anyway) is that not eating breakfast makes you fat. For me and other, it is quite the opposite.
I actually began eating more breakfast a few weeks ago because I thought maybe it would help me eat less at night. But nope... I was starving at night because I had less calories left! Now, I'm back to having like 150 calories at breakfast and saving the rest for later.18 -
goal06082021 wrote: »
Also "breakfast is the most important meal of the day"...............................the others, not so important.4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »Eating breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism for the day.
There is some diet where you have to put all your food in their special containers. I dont remember the name. It sort of works from a portion control standpoint, but its pretty limiting if you want to be crazy and mix ingredients and cook them!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Breakfast *is* the most important meal of the day, insofar as it is important for most people to eat something (i.e., break their fast) at some point during a typical day. Breakfast *isn't* necessarily waffles and cereal and bacon and eggs and coffee and orange juice at 7 AM.
I don't live in a "waffles and bacon and eggs" country.
Point is.... it has been drummed into me AND this is advice today on the NHS website as well as dieting shows you see on the telly, that a meal when you get up is the best way to control your eating. For me and for quite a few others I have discussed this with in the last few years, that is really really really really really really really bad advice.
If it works for you and others, that's great, but in a nutshell what we have had banged into us (in my country anyway) is that not eating breakfast makes you fat. For me and other, it is quite the opposite.
I actually began eating more breakfast a few weeks ago because I thought maybe it would help me eat less at night. But nope... I was starving at night because I had less calories left! Now, I'm back to having like 150 calories at breakfast and saving the rest for later.
Me too... I am a natural IF person (food is an abomination when it is served before noon).
On the hidden sugars thing - even before they started putting added sugars on the labels, all you had to do was read the nutrition info and the amount of sugar in a serving was listed right there in black and white - so how the @#$% are they hiding sugar in the food?!?!?
The other one that bothers me is this - once you start lifting weights you cannot stop because all that muscle you build will turn to fat as soon as you stop... SMDH!10
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