Just for fun: what’s everyone’s favorite fitness/health “fact” that’s been debunked?

[thebestatheist]

@rinalamb Has this been debunked tho? Most ppl recommend 0.8-1.0g/lb bodyweight and even more if you're on a deficit so not sure how it's been debunked.

 

[rinalamb]

@thebestatheist https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/healthy-tips/protein-myths

 

[thebestatheist]

@rinalamb Hm, there are dozens of PhD fitness experts still claiming the g/lb while this food network dietitian was right all along!

 

[aaren]

@notaperfectchristian A pound of fat weighs more than a pound of muscle or vice versa.

 

[notaperfectchristian]

@aaren Yeah this one cracks me up cause like a pound is a pound. They are talking about the density which is very very different. A pound of each of these will be different sizes but weigh the same and that’s what people try to verbalize with that statement

 

[csh97]

@notaperfectchristian I don’t know that this one matters. People don’t usually say a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat, because obviously a pound is a pound and everyone knows that. What they do say is that “muscle weighs more than fat”, and what they’re really saying is that muscle weighs more than fat per a certain amount of volume - a six inch square of muscle will weigh more than a six inch square of fat. They’re not wrong, we all know what they really mean, and people who respond to people who’ve said it tend to just do it to be pedantic.

 

[simple_man]

@csh97 This is gonna be harsh but it's not pedantic because the people saying it typically have mondo body fat and are overweight. They end up using it as a way to pretend they're experiencing weight loss/ pretend that they are doing what they should be to support their weight loss.

 

[ahmedc]

@simple_man I pretty much only see people saying this to those who are lifting heavy and clearly getting stronger, and are panicking that the number on the scale isn't going down. And not for nothing if someone - even someone who is gasp, overweight - is putting on muscle, that's good for their overall health and they might not see the number on the scale go down as quickly as someone more focused on deficits and cardio.

So, yes, it is definitely pedantic. You can't 'pretend' to be lifting heavier - either you are or you aren't. If you are noticeably stronger than before but weigh exactly the same, you've likely lost some fat. It might not be much, but that's neither here nor there.

 

[ahmedc]

@aaren I mean, obviously a pound is a pound....but you do know what they meant to say, right? This feels pedantic to me lol

 

[lettuce]

@notaperfectchristian That BMI is the most important arbiter of health and fitness.

BMI was invented as a demographic tool to record trends across populations. It can give a ballpark idea of someone's general health/fitness, especially on the more extreme ends of the scale. But body composition is so variable, especially when comparing physically active to sedentary people, that BMI alone really can't tell you much. Especially when looking at people close to the (completely arbitrarily defined) "normal" range.

 

[notaperfectchristian]

@lettuce Omg can we just throw the stupid thing out the window already? I have seen it do terrible things for people and their healthcare

 

[lettuce]

@notaperfectchristian Oh, yeah, I forgot about how health insurance works in the USA. That is a particularly insidious and monstrous aspect of it.

I will add, another health myth that crops up a lot here especially: skinnier isn't always better and weighing less isn't always the most effective health goal.

 

[notaperfectchristian]

@lettuce Yes to all of this. I have had doctors tell me I need to lose weight even back when I was 4’10 and 90lbs as a competitive soccer player based on my BMI

 

[midushi]

@notaperfectchristian wtf that's literally in the healthy range?

 

[notaperfectchristian]

@midushi Yup boarding on underweight. It was the stupidest thing ever and I stopped seeing that doctor shortly after this.

Even now at between 118 - 120 I still get it. I am on the higher end of healthy from a bmi perspective but I’m healthy otherwise and eat well.

 

[sweetkf]

@notaperfectchristian “Carbs make you fat” so false lol

 

[marc123]

@notaperfectchristian That “lower abs” are a thing

 

[notaperfectchristian]

@marc123 Ooo yes. Closely followed by the YouTube core workouts we used to believe would give us abs back in the day

 

[jakob1997]

@notaperfectchristian Stomach crunches for 10 minutes after every step aerobics class in the 90s . Don’t think it did anything

 

[simple_man]

@notaperfectchristian It's not really a widespread fact but 5 years ago my ex told me to lose weight (I never mentioned losing weight btw he just randomly brought this up) I should just eat 3 Mcchickens a day and nothing else.