Pet peeve and an informal poll
jacksonpt
Posts: 10,413 Member
First, the poll:
Would you rather:
1) Understand what's going on with your body when you eat certain things or do certain exercises (i.e. if you insulin is going up or down, if you're likely to store or burn, etc. Not talking molecular level here)?
2) Just be told what to eat and how to exercise?
Results are not guaranteed either way.
Now, my pet peeve. The "it worked for me" rationale, especially when given with no context.
My assumption is that most people want to have at least a basic level of knowledge about why they are doing the things they are doing. Knowledge does 2 things - it reassures us that we are in fact doing the right things, and it allows us to make informed decisions when we need to change things up because we are bored, something isn't working, etc etc.
Now, maybe I'm wrong... maybe there are a whole lot of people who just want to be told what to eat and how to exercise. Maybe there are a ton of people who don't care one iota about anything other than what the scale says. If that's the case, then I'll step down off my soapbox.
But if I'm not wrong, then the "it worked for me" rationale is of no help. We don't know anything about you or why it worked for you. People who make this argument... do you even know why it worked for you?
Would you rather:
1) Understand what's going on with your body when you eat certain things or do certain exercises (i.e. if you insulin is going up or down, if you're likely to store or burn, etc. Not talking molecular level here)?
2) Just be told what to eat and how to exercise?
Results are not guaranteed either way.
Now, my pet peeve. The "it worked for me" rationale, especially when given with no context.
My assumption is that most people want to have at least a basic level of knowledge about why they are doing the things they are doing. Knowledge does 2 things - it reassures us that we are in fact doing the right things, and it allows us to make informed decisions when we need to change things up because we are bored, something isn't working, etc etc.
Now, maybe I'm wrong... maybe there are a whole lot of people who just want to be told what to eat and how to exercise. Maybe there are a ton of people who don't care one iota about anything other than what the scale says. If that's the case, then I'll step down off my soapbox.
But if I'm not wrong, then the "it worked for me" rationale is of no help. We don't know anything about you or why it worked for you. People who make this argument... do you even know why it worked for you?
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Replies
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I personally like to know why it is working. It is a huge motivation for me to pick certain foods and eat them at a certain time. I like knowing how everything works.
I don't necessarily understand all the whys and hows and the contradictory information sometimes makes me feel crazy.
I also think that there are things that work for me that don't necessarily work for anyone else. Who knows why? I like combining a little bit of both - knowledge with previous experience.0 -
Probably Option A...but is there a cliff notes version or a 'Dummies' version? LOL
If not, then Option B....0 -
I am with you! I want to know the "why" behind these things. If I know and understand the "why" then I probably won't make the same mistake again.0
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I am, by nature, a knowledge seeker. I could not just do something because someone tells me it is what's best.
As for the "it worked for me" mentality, I think, as long as you look at it as a possibility and don't expect the same results, it can be a way to try new things and learn whether they do or do not work for you. However, while I know that avoiding grains works for me because of digestive issues, it is probably not a good diet for a "healthy" person whose body can digest and benefit from whole grains.0 -
In the beginning I just wanted someone to tell me what to do because I didn't have any idea where to even start. Now that I am finding what works and what doesn't work for me I am interested in the why.0
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I would want to know what was going on, and ironically enough the reason why is because I had my own kind of "Aha!" moment a couple weeks ago, but it was as you say a "it worked for me" scenario... But do I know *why* it worked? No clue, but it did. I wouldn't mind knowing.0
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As a healthcare provider and when teaching my patients, general guidelines are a starting point and I try to expand when I see readiness for more information. These issues are complex and it can be overwhelming to people to give too much information all at once.0
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I am a numbers guy and so like to know what is going on why it is going on and how much as it relates to me I am often running the calories in against the calorie burns of my exercise etc. and my projections as to my weight loss at so points in the future. I f something works for someone else I am glad for them but couldn't care less as it might relate to me. I have had people say this is how I do it as it works for me and I think good for you but give it little credence in my plans.0
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Those who succeed first get told what to do. If they do it long enough, along the way, they start figuring out the what and why with their bodies. Those who don't gain everything back after being told what to do are the ones who have learned the what and why.0
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I'd like to be told what to eat. It's just easier for my. But I'm not going to listen to just anyone. I eat what my trainer tell me each week and she explains why. So I would have to say... choice 3) both 1&20
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I'd rather understand.
As for the rant, I don't have a problem with people passing along their personal experiences so long as they don't generalize their experimental results from a sample of one to the entire human race. What worked for you may well work for me. Then, again, it may not.0 -
A. It just MAKES sense ....
i NEVER just blindly do things with out knowing the reasoning behind it...i'd lose my job and my licence if i did (i'm an engineer).
plus , its easier to talk myself away from things if I know the WHY0 -
I'd rather understand.
As for the rant, I don't have a problem with people passing along their personal experiences so long as they don't generalize their experimental results from a sample of one to the entire human race. What worked for you may well work for me. Then, again, it may not.
Ditto.0 -
Probably Option A...but is there a cliff notes version or a 'Dummies' version? LOL
If not, then Option B....
^This
I like to know the why, but not so much that my eyes go blank.
I have heard to many weird things that worked for someone to put much faith in that statement alone. I mean stuff like cabbage soup, a staple in the earlobe and nothing but fruit juices and diuretics, there is always someone who claims it "Worked for me" or someone I knew. I need a few more facts, at least.
Same goes for exercise advice.0 -
I'm a geek, I like to know the why's and wherefores.
Others I know would rather just be told, as long as it works.
I don't mind people sharing "what works," as long as they don't mind me taking it with a grain of salt, or at least exploring the possibilities of how and why it works.
"In my experience' is hardly a compelling argument to make to me, at least not in my experience:laugh: .0 -
I was diagnosed with diabetes 15 years ago. At first, I just wanted someone to tell me what to do, what to eat and so on. Just after receiving the diagnosis, the doctors and nutritionists threw so much information at me that it was overwhelming. Now that I've been in the habit of tracking my food and activities (and checking my blood sugar frequently) I can't imagine going through this process without having that information. None of it was something that I ever imagined knowing (or particularly wanting to know) but now that it's part of my lifestyle, I'm grateful for those tools in my day to day diabetes management.
At present, I am working with my doctor, a nutritionist and a personal trainer. Our collective goal is for me to build about 15 pounds of muscle over the next few months, in conjunction with losing about one hundred pounds. It was frustrating at first, because the scales were not showing any loss. Once I got my head around the idea that building muscle will mask fat loss, my motivation has remained high and I'm completely committed to learning what I need to know to reach my goals. The doctor even suggested that I stay away from the scales and instead, take my measurements monthly. She was right on target. I've begun losing inches all over my body, but I've only lost a few pounds.
It seems to me that each individual has to figure out how to incorporate healthy eating habits and exercise into his/her lifestyle. I also feel very strongly that as a society we do an abysmal job of teaching proper nutrition and exercise and its importance to long term good health.0 -
A big part of the 'it worked for me' thing comes from everyone arguing on here.
Examples:
Eat breakfast, itll help you lose weight, here's a study _______________________
2 posts later,
that doesnt prove it helps you lose weight, this study says the opposite _____________________________
Or:
Eat lean meats and vegetables and itll help you lose weight like this guide _____________________________
Post after that:
You can eat garbage and still lose weight, like the all chocolate diet here ____________________________________
The only way to avoid arguments and such on here is saying 'it worked for me' and that basically negates any arguments against what you're saying. Cause its then a fact that you did it, and lost weight. Wether or not that had an impact on your loss, is up in the air.
I've found this to be true in 103% of forum posts.
That being said, I've found being male helps you lose 80lbs.
Worked for me.0 -
I want to just be told what to do in the beginning, and after doing that for awhile I have reference points to understand what is really going on, how it works, and to tweak the program to meet my own needs.0
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Deffo option A so I can understand the science and apply it to different situations that I may not have been specifically told so I can make my own decisions based upon that knowledge. With you on this.0
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I want to know stuff up to a point, but if I get too much technical info it tends to trigger my disordered eating behaviour and I start making loads of rules based on all the info I get. So I try to avoid threads with too many studies or links to other articles because they start making me crazy in a very unhealthy way. And that's when I need to go back to "eat this many serves of veges, protein etc and don't read anything for a while". :laugh:0
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I meant to get to this yesterday. Like I told Jackson.
It's like your car. Do you need to be a mechanic? No not really. However, having a working knowledge of how your car works; and knowing how to do minor to moderate repairs will save you time, money, and frustration. If you run into a problem and you have to take your car to mechanic you're a lot more likely to pick-up on any BS they're giving you.
Same thing with weight loss & fitness. Having a working knowledge of how you body works, how muscles work, how food and nutrients affect athletic performace, and general health will save you time, money, and frustration. In the event you need to seek advice/help in the forums, hire a trainer, nutritionist, or go to a doctor (keep in mind not all doctors agree on stuff) you'll either agree based on how you know your body...or you're BS Alarm will go off.0
This discussion has been closed.
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