controversial? 10 fitness facts everybody gets wrong

I really, really get tired of hearing "this is wrong, this is right" when it comes to losing weight. I'm not in the greatest mood, but there's just too much information, and worse, misinformation out there.

This. I ran (albeit slowly) yesterday and today. I certainly felt hungry afterwards. I don't even understand the argument that exercise doesn't cause hunger. If calories are burned during exercise and we gain calories from food, how the heck could one not be hungry after exercise?

I get hungry when I'm bored. I get hungry when I think I should be eating a meal. I get hungry when in the car for a long time. I get hungry thinking about food. Our body's need for food has nothing to do with being "hungry".

But your body doesn't need food when you are bored or in the car for a long time. These times would be more desirous than need based. Those things are not burning calories and energy. Exercise does thus the hunger.

My point was that anything can make you feel hungry. Exercising may make you feel "hungry", but does it really have anything to do with the fact that your body is really in need of calorie intake?

I have to remind myself that I am not hungry just because the McD's commericial came on and showed me french fries.

I really, really get tired of hearing "this is wrong, this is right" when it comes to losing weight. I'm not in the greatest mood, but there's just too much information, and worse, misinformation out there.

This. I ran (albeit slowly) yesterday and today. I certainly felt hungry afterwards. I don't even understand the argument that exercise doesn't cause hunger. If calories are burned during exercise and we gain calories from food, how the heck could one not be hungry after exercise?

I get hungry when I'm bored. I get hungry when I think I should be eating a meal. I get hungry when in the car for a long time. I get hungry thinking about food. Our body's need for food has nothing to do with being "hungry".

But your body doesn't need food when you are bored or in the car for a long time. These times would be more desirous than need based. Those things are not burning calories and energy. Exercise does thus the hunger.

My point was that anything can make you feel hungry. Exercising may make you feel "hungry", but does it really have anything to do with the fact that your body is really in need of calorie intake?

It's a poorly written, shoddy article full of misinformation. The one about low-carb diets being ineffective and dangerous was the one I found most offensive. So much so, that I wrote a blog post on it here: http://www.wellness-pro.co.uk/2012/01/31/the-pro-low-fat-brigade-get-off-your-high-horse/

Just because this sort of article is "published" by a reputable source doesn't make it true!

AHA Science Advisory



Dietary Protein and Weight Reduction

A Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism of the American Heart Association

High-protein diets have recently been proposed as a “new” strategy for successful weight loss. However, variations of these diets have been popular since the 1960s. High-protein diets typically offer wide latitude in protein food choices, are restrictive in other food choices (mainly carbohydrates), and provide structured eating plans. They also often promote misconceptions about carbohydrates, insulin resistance, ketosis, and fat burning as mechanisms of action for weight loss. Although these diets may not be harmful for most healthy people for a short period of time, there are no long-term scientific studies to support their overall efficacy and safety. These diets are generally associated with higher intakes of total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol because the protein is provided mainly by animal sources. In high-protein diets, weight loss is initially high due to fluid loss related to reduced carbohydrate intake, overall caloric restriction, and ketosis-induced appetite suppression. Beneficial effects on blood lipids and insulin resistance are due to the weight loss, not to the change in caloric composition. Promoters of high-protein diets promise successful results by encouraging high-protein food choices that are usually restricted in other diets, thus providing initial palatability, an attractive alternative to other weight-reduction diets that have not worked for a variety of reasons for most individuals. High-protein diets are not recommended because they restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients and do not provide the variety of foods needed to adequately meet nutritional needs. Individuals who follow these diets are therefore at risk for compromised vitamin and mineral intake, as well as potential cardiac, renal, bone, and liver abnormalities overall.