5 More Myths About Diet and Fitness That Are Bullshit
Hello again, tribe.
I recently shared a post about diet and weight loss myths that are total bullshit and should be thrown out with the garbage. Didn’t hear about this post? You need to be on my VIP list. But you can read the post here.
Today I decided… there’s more. And I don’t want you needlessly suffering to fatten the diet industry’s pockets.
Myth #1: “Fat-burning” supplements help lose weight
Toss ‘em — this shit is NOT GOOD for the body. This includes caffeine pills (unless, of course, they were instructed to you by a doctor). They might “help weight loss,” but what does that actually mean? Potentially starving or diseasing from the inside out?
Some contain prescription ingredients. Some are tainted with poisonous fillers. Some aren’t even legal…
Not to mention the side effects — heart issues, stroke risk, insomnia, muscle problems, mental health problems, digestive disorders…
Don’t put that shit in your body. I know it sucks sometimes, but let’s lose weight the right way, eh?
Myth #2: Your foods don’t matter as long as you’re busting your ass in the gym
Wrong.
Definitely keep working out, in whatever forms work for you. But don’t assume that simply because you stepped up yous daily step game, that fat will just melt off your body, or that just working out longer and harder means you’ll see added benefits. You have to commit to eating better, and this doesn’t mean protein bars.
You’ve heard the phrase that “abs are made in the kitchen” or that “weight loss is 80% diet, 20% exercise”… I’m not saying you need abs or that those proportions are even remotely generalizable to the entire population, but diet definitely does play a role — specifically for inflammation.
To eat in an anti-inflammatory way, I encourage you to stick to the perimeters of your grocery store — that’s where you’ll find fresh fruits and veggies, quality meats and deli, seafood, dairy (if you tolerate it), and other miscellaneous health foods like fermented beverages, organ meats, and dips like hummus or guacamole.
Myth #3: “Targeting” specific body parts like abs works
I mean… if you do 800 bicep curls every day, yes, you will gain muscle there. But you’ll also be imbalanced everywhere else (which the body hates), and this kind of work isn’t sustainable.
You’re better off incorporating full-body movements like a front- or back-racked squat, trap or barbell deadlift, bent over rows, etc. Why? Because full-body movements like that form the basis of your functionality — it provides you the strength and ability to do similar things in real life, like carrying your kid on your shoulders, moving furniture, doing yardwork, picking up heavy objects from the ground (think: children, boxes, etc.).
The bonus of a full-body focus is that it also works and strengthens your core. Over time, you will see this result come through.
Myth #4: Feeling like you have to be doing the latest fitness trend to lose weight
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for experimenting to see what works for you, but if you’ve already found it, you don’t need to keep trying the new things every time one comes out.
Does keto work well for you? Then you probably don’t need to try carnivore. Got lingering autoimmune issues? Maybe trying it would be a good idea.
Do you love yoga more than life? Then you probably don’t want to force yourself into high-intensity interval training (HIIT) three times a week. Looking to burn some extra body fat? Maybe you could consider it.
But truly weigh your pros and cons before bandwagon-hopping. Not everything is meant to be right for everyone.
Myth #5: Just doing cardio is good enough
This is called “chronic cardio.” And it’s no bueno. Yeah, unfortunately I’m lookin at you, marathoners. Time to consider cross training.
Our bodies aren’t mean to take continuous aerobic beatings like that. Only if you were being chased by a tiger daily for hours does that make sense, and even then, eventually biology would win and you would fail.
Only doing cardio workouts can actually lead to blood sugar imbalances, muscle wasting, and fat gain. To maintain muscle mass, you’ll want to continually be challenging them with regular weight training. Even better — the more muscle mass you have, the more efficiently you burn fuel and rev your metabolism. This leads not only to more strength, but stronger bones long-term, higher resilience to stressors, a more robust immune system, and — everyone’s favorite — body fat loss!
The takeaway
There are so many misleading suggestions in the health and fitness world. It makes me mad sometimes to see them STILL perpetuated in our culture today. We can learn a lot, though, from the last 60-70 years’ worth of diet and workout advice: what works and what doesn’t work. What’s scientifically sound and what’s not evidence-based. What works for one person and not for another.
It always comes down to bio-individuality. The world should get this memo!
