Worst diet myth you have heard?

LemonPoppySeedMuffin
edited October 3 in Chit-Chat
Here are some I have heard-
1, Food eaten late at night is more fattening.
ACTUALLY: Many diets tell you not to eat after a certain time in the evening. They say the body will store more fat because it is not burned off with any activity.
A study at the Dunn Nutrition Centre in Cambridge suggests otherwise.
Volunteers were placed in a whole body calorimeter, which measures calories burned and stored.
They were fed with a large lunch and small evening meal for one test period, then a small lunch and large evening meal during a second test period.
The results revealed the large meal eaten late at night did not make the body store more fat.
It's not when you eat that's important, but the total amount you consume in a 24-hour period.
Lyndel Costain adds: 'It is true that people who skip meals during the day, then eat loads in the evening are more likely to be overweight than those who eat regularly throughout the day.
'This may be because eating regular meals helps people regulate their appetite and overall food intake.'

2. Crash dieting or fasting makes you lose weight.
ACTUALLY: This may be true in the short term, but ultimately it can hinder weight loss.
Claire MacEvilly, a nutritionist at the MRC Human Nutrition Research Centre in Cambridge, explains: 'Losing weight over the long term burns off fat. Crash dieting or fasting not only removes fat but also lean muscle and tissue.'
The loss of lean muscle causes a fall in your basal metabolic rate - the amount of calories your body needs on a daily basis.
This means your body will need fewer calories than it did previously, making weight gain more likely once you stop dieting.
It's also why exercise is recommended in any weight-loss plan to build muscle and maintain your metabolic rate.
Claire MacEvilly adds: 'Fasting can also make you feel dizzy or weak so it's much better to try long-term weight loss.'

So the moral of the story is, when someone gives you a diet tip, do a little research first!
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Replies

  • ChitownFoodie
    ChitownFoodie Posts: 1,562 Member
    Bump
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    From the book '' the dunk diet" : That vegetarians are a sub human species
  • Carbohydrates should be avoided. Carbs are not the problem, it is the TYPE of carbs people consume that is the problem. Complex carbs help stabilize blood sugar levels and help with digestion.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Only carbs make you fat

    you can spot reduce

    more frequent meals "stokes the metabolism"

    you have to eat breakfast

    you have to eat "clean" to lose weight

    keto diets have a metabolic advantage
  • 1. The seafood diet - You see food and you eat it....doesn't work

    2. The beer and sex diet - altough it was fun, didn't have much results


    :laugh:
  • 1. The seafood diet - You see food and you eat it....doesn't work

    2. The beer and sex diet - altough it was fun, didn't have much results


    :laugh:

    Heheh :D
  • Marianna194
    Marianna194 Posts: 145 Member
    I'm constantly being told HOW I should eat by people with no exerience whatsoever.

    Most frequent one hear is that you should completely eliminate carbs. Yes, there are studies that attempt to show this is true, but I don't beeive a word of it.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    "Drink as much water as possible every single day to keep from retaining water weight."
  • Only carbs make you fat

    you can spot reduce

    more frequent meals "stokes the metabolism"

    you have to eat breakfast

    you have to eat "clean" to lose weight

    keto diets have a metabolic advantage
    Sorry if I sound ignorant, but why wouldn't more frequent meals boost metabolism? I thought that every time you eat, your body has to expend more energy to digest the food.
  • Birder150
    Birder150 Posts: 677 Member
    Eating fat makes you fat.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    No surprises to my ones...

    "You have to drink 43943609693850435985039 cups of water a day"

    "If you have a soda/coffee, you have to drink an extra glass of water to make up for the dehydration effect"
  • capriciousmoon
    capriciousmoon Posts: 1,263 Member
    Eating fat makes you fat.

    You mean I quit eating for nothing? :(
  • Birder150
    Birder150 Posts: 677 Member
    I'm constantly being told HOW I should eat by people with no exerience whatsoever.

    Most frequent one hear is that you should completely eliminate carbs. Yes, there are studies that attempt to show this is true, but I don't beeive a word of it.

    What diet has you completely eliminating carbs?
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Only carbs make you fat

    you can spot reduce

    more frequent meals "stokes the metabolism"

    you have to eat breakfast

    you have to eat "clean" to lose weight

    keto diets have a metabolic advantage
    Sorry if I sound ignorant, but why wouldn't more frequent meals boost metabolism? I thought that every time you eat, your body has to expend more energy to digest the food.
    Each time you eat, metabolic rate increases slightly for a few hours. Paradoxically, it takes energy to break down and absorb energy. This is the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). The amount of energy expended is directly proportional to the amount of calories and nutrients consumed in the meal.

    Let's assume that we are measuring TEF during 24 hours in a diet of 2700 kcal with 40% protein, 40% carbohydrate and 20% fat. We run three different trials where the only thing we change is the the meal frequency.

    A) Three meals: 900 kcal per meal.

    B) Six meals: 450 kcal per meal.

    C) Nine meals: 300 kcal per meal.

    What we'd find is a different pattern in regards to TEF. Example "A" would yield a larger and long lasting boost in metabolic rate that would gradually taper off until the next meal came around; TEF would show a "peak and valley"-pattern. "C" would yield a very weak but consistent boost in metabolic rate; an even pattern. "B" would be somewhere in between.

    However, at the end of the 24-hour period, or as long as it would take to assimilate the nutrients, there would be no difference in TEF. The total amount of energy expended by TEF would be identical in each scenario. Meal frequency does not affect total TEF. You cannot "trick" the body in to burning more or less calories by manipulating meal frequency.

    Further reading: I have covered the topic of meal frequency at great length on this site before.

    The most extensive review of studies on various meal frequencies and TEF was published in 1997. It looked at many different studies that compared TEF during meal frequencies ranging from 1-17 meals and concluded:

    "Studies using whole-body calorimetry and doubly-labelled water to assess total 24 h energy expenditure find no difference between nibbling and gorging".

    Since then, no studies have refuted this. For a summary of the above cited study, read this research review by Lyle McDonald.

    Earlier this year, a new study was published on the topic. As expected, no differences were found between a lower (3 meals) and higher meal (6 meals) frequency. Read this post for my summary of the study. This study garnered some attention in the mass media and it was nice to see the meal frequency myth being debunked in The New York Times.

    http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

    Batman+and+Joker+Diet+Discussion.jpg
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
    I want to weigh in on the eating late at night is fattening myth that OP listed. I think the basis for "eating late at night is fattening" is wrong, but I think there is some merit to this statement if you believe the advantages of being in a fasted state (as opposed to a fed state) as explained in Eat Stop Eat. I can't say I've figured this one out for myself yet but Eat Stop Eat makes it seem like there are some definite advantages to being in a fasted state...even if you're not doing the 24 hour intermittent fasting that the book recommends, I think there are advantages to being in a fasted state for 12 hours (6:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m., for example)...rather than only 6-8 hours (bedtime until wake up). I do know at least a few folks who lose weight whenever they stop eating after 7 p.m.....and otherwise making no other changes in their diet. I've known that this works for these folks for a while, but having recently read Eat Stop Eat, I think the reason for this relates to being in a fasted state for a little longer every day.

    Again, I can't say that I've figured this out for myself just yet...but I think there's a possibility that the eating late at night idea isn't necessarily a myth.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Only carbs make you fat

    you can spot reduce

    more frequent meals "stokes the metabolism"

    you have to eat breakfast

    you have to eat "clean" to lose weight

    keto diets have a metabolic advantage
    Sorry if I sound ignorant, but why wouldn't more frequent meals boost metabolism? I thought that every time you eat, your body has to expend more energy to digest the food.

    No it doesn't. It's one of the myths. =)
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
    2. The beer and sex diet - altough it was fun, didn't have much results

    If only I liked beer... :laugh:
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Saturated fat is bad for you and causes CVD/CHD.
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
    bump
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
    Only carbs make you fat

    you can spot reduce

    more frequent meals "stokes the metabolism"

    you have to eat breakfast

    you have to eat "clean" to lose weight

    keto diets have a metabolic advantage
    Sorry if I sound ignorant, but why wouldn't more frequent meals boost metabolism? I thought that every time you eat, your body has to expend more energy to digest the food.

    No it doesn't. It's one of the myths. =)


    I'm not touting or recommending intermittent fasting, but I found a lot of interesting stuff in Eat Stop Eat...including scientific studies to show that eating more frequent meals does not boost metabolism. In short, I recommend that book even if you have no interest in IF.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    I want to weigh in on the eating late at night is fattening myth that OP listed. I think the basis for "eating late at night is fattening" is wrong, but I think there is some merit to this statement if you believe the advantages of being in a fasted state (as opposed to a fed state) as explained in Eat Stop Eat. I can't say I've figured this one out for myself yet but Eat Stop Eat makes it seem like there are some definite advantages to being in a fasted state...even if you're not doing the 24 hour intermittent fasting that the book recommends, I think there are advantages to being in a fasted state for 12 hours (6:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m., for example)...rather than only 6-8 hours (bedtime until wake up). I do know at least a few folks who lose weight whenever they stop eating after 7 p.m.....and otherwise making no other changes in their diet. I've known that this works for these folks for a while, but having recently read Eat Stop Eat, I think the reason for this relates to being in a fasted state for a little longer every day.

    Again, I can't say that I've figured this out for myself just yet...but I think there's a possibility that the eating late at night idea isn't necessarily a myth.

    net caloric balance governs weight gain/loss eating after a certain time doesn't somehow make those calories worse and shuttled directly to fat.
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
    I want to weigh in on the eating late at night is fattening myth that OP listed. I think the basis for "eating late at night is fattening" is wrong, but I think there is some merit to this statement if you believe the advantages of being in a fasted state (as opposed to a fed state) as explained in Eat Stop Eat. I can't say I've figured this one out for myself yet but Eat Stop Eat makes it seem like there are some definite advantages to being in a fasted state...even if you're not doing the 24 hour intermittent fasting that the book recommends, I think there are advantages to being in a fasted state for 12 hours (6:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m., for example)...rather than only 6-8 hours (bedtime until wake up). I do know at least a few folks who lose weight whenever they stop eating after 7 p.m.....and otherwise making no other changes in their diet. I've known that this works for these folks for a while, but having recently read Eat Stop Eat, I think the reason for this relates to being in a fasted state for a little longer every day.

    Again, I can't say that I've figured this out for myself just yet...but I think there's a possibility that the eating late at night idea isn't necessarily a myth.

    net caloric balance governs weight gain/loss eating after a certain time doesn't somehow make those calories worse and shuttled directly to fat.

    I agree with you from a pure caloric deficit look at things. Specifically, I agree that whether you eat a hamburger at 7 p.m or at 10 p.m., you are consuming the same calories. I realize some folks believe that its as simple as creating a caloric deficit....and, maybe it is. I will agree that creating a caloric deficit is the most important part of the equation. but I also believe there are things you can do ... besides creating a known caloric deficit ... to assist with fat loss. For example, from personal experience, I have experienced the benefits of EPOC that follow HIIT....something that goes beyond the actual calories burned during the work-out, and calories consumed during the day. Likewise, I believe the things that occur in your body during the fasted state *may* be one of those things that assists with fat loss that work in addition to creating a caloric deficit.

    EDIT: I want to add that I have never recommended that anyone stop eating after a particular time because I don't personally know whether that helps or not. However, in a thread about "myths", I wanted to give my input on something I have been thinking about recently...something that may have some merit, but nothing I'm going mainstream about just yet. Everyone is free to disregard my thoughts on this topic.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    I want to weigh in on the eating late at night is fattening myth that OP listed. I think the basis for "eating late at night is fattening" is wrong, but I think there is some merit to this statement if you believe the advantages of being in a fasted state (as opposed to a fed state) as explained in Eat Stop Eat. I can't say I've figured this one out for myself yet but Eat Stop Eat makes it seem like there are some definite advantages to being in a fasted state...even if you're not doing the 24 hour intermittent fasting that the book recommends, I think there are advantages to being in a fasted state for 12 hours (6:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m., for example)...rather than only 6-8 hours (bedtime until wake up). I do know at least a few folks who lose weight whenever they stop eating after 7 p.m.....and otherwise making no other changes in their diet. I've known that this works for these folks for a while, but having recently read Eat Stop Eat, I think the reason for this relates to being in a fasted state for a little longer every day.

    Again, I can't say that I've figured this out for myself just yet...but I think there's a possibility that the eating late at night idea isn't necessarily a myth.

    net caloric balance governs weight gain/loss eating after a certain time doesn't somehow make those calories worse and shuttled directly to fat.

    I agree with you from a pure caloric deficit look at things. Specifically, I agree that whether you eat a hamburger at 7 p.m or at 10 p.m., you are consuming the same calories. I realize some folks believe that its as simple as creating a caloric deficit....and, maybe it is. I will agree that creating a caloric deficit is the most important part of the equation. but I also believe there are things you can do ... besides creating a known caloric deficit ... to assist with fat loss. For example, from personal experience, I have experienced the benefits of EPOC that follow HIIT....something that goes beyond the actual calories burned during the work-out, and calories consumed during the day. Likewise, I believe the things that occur in your body during the fasted state *may* be one of those things that assists with fat loss that work in addition to creating a caloric deficit.

    EDIT: I want to add that I have never recommended that anyone stop eating after a particular time because I don't personally know whether that helps or not. However, in a thread about "myths", I wanted to give my input on something I have been thinking about recently...something that may have some merit, but nothing I'm going mainstream about just yet. Everyone is free to disregard my thoughts on this topic.

    don't get me wrong i follow the leangains style of IF, but it's more out of convenience sake then thinking it has some spherical weight loss properties.

    really you can eat right up till the min you go to bed and assuming you are still in a caloric deficit you will lose weight, cutting off eating at X time doesn't confer any special benefits for weight loss
  • Carbs are the devil
    Fat free food is the "key"
    Heavy lifting makes women bulky
    1000 calories a day is healthy
    Jamba juice is a "diet drink" hahaha! Girls at work.
  • No surprises to my ones...

    "You have to drink 43943609693850435985039 cups of water a day"

    "If you have a soda/coffee, you have to drink an extra glass of water to make up for the dehydration effect"



    Hahahahahahaha!

    These are good
  • idcatiej22
    idcatiej22 Posts: 49 Member
    carbs and fruit will make you fat
    lifting more than 3 lb weights make you bulky (women)
    to lose weight you have to cut out dessert completely
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    Today someone wrote "if you wait until you're hungry to eat, you'll go into starvation mode".
    I wanted to poke my eye out with a pencil.
  • Today someone wrote "if you wait until you're hungry to eat, you'll go into starvation mode".
    I wanted to poke my eye out with a pencil.
    That's utterly ridiculous.
  • LilMissFoodie
    LilMissFoodie Posts: 612 Member
    From the book '' the dunk diet" : That vegetarians are a sub human species

    OH MY GOD! I'm not a vegetarian by the way, but how can they even get away with saying that!?!
This discussion has been closed.