Shit “Healthy” People Say

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Those Shit ____ Say videos seem to be quite the craze on YouTube.  I’ve only watched a couple including Shit Brides Say and I couldn’t help but laugh.  I thought I’d do my own post on something similar on what “healthy” people say.

While I could talk about fitness/nutrition/weight loss for days, one thing which drives me loco is listening to people perpetuate myths on those topics.  On the occasions where I listen to people spout complete nonsense about weight loss or good health in general, it takes every fiber in me to not retort back.   And trust me, these myths go beyond the common “eating after 7pm makes me fat” jazz.  So without further ado:

Shit “Healthy” People Say

  • Drinking cold water makes you lose weight: I wish… and if it were true, we wouldn’t be facing an obesity epidemic.  In order to lose weight, you must expend more calories than you consume.  When you drink a fluid that is below body temperature, your body has to burn some of its energy (i.e. calories) to warm the fluid up to body temperature.  However it is a miniscule amount (max 50 calories a day), and not enough to provide any benefit.
  • If eaten on an empty stomach, watermelon contains no calories: Trying to outsmart your body is wishful thinking.  Whether you eat watermelon when you wake up, on an empty stomach, or right after a meal, it always contains calories. In fact for diabetics, eating fruit with other foods is generally better than eating it on empty stomach as it reduces the overall GI content.

  • No pain, no gain: Exercise doesn’t need to hurt to be good for you.  I love that feeling of sore muscles as much as anyone else but sometimes it could be an indication you’ve done something wrong.  With any exercise, give your muscles time to adapt and don’t do too much too soon or you’ll risk injury.
  • Multi-grain bread is as healthy as wholegrain bread: ‘Multi-grain’ simply means the product is made from at least 2 different types of grains like wheat, oats or barley.  However the term gives no indication whether the whole grain was used, or if the grain was refined in any way.  Your best bet is look for ‘multi-grain products’ with the wholegrain stamp.
  • The more I sweat, the more fat I lose: Sweat does not necessarily reflect how hard you’re working.  Sweating profusely is an outcome of various factors including excessive body weight, poor conditioning, heredity clothing choices or high temperatures.  While the scales may show a loss after a sweaty workout, that lost weight is almost entirely water, and will return as soon as you replenish your fluid levels.
  • Organic foods are more nutritious:  Various factors contribute to a fruit or vegetable’s nutrient content including how it is grown, stored, processed, and cooked.  While eating foods which lack chemical fertilizers/pesticides may be safer, it’s no guarantee of the quality of the soil in which they were grown.  Rather than the ‘organic’ label, choose foods which are in season and locally grown.  Also opt for cooking methods like steaming, sautéing or roasting in order to preserve the most vitamins and minerals.

  • Stay away from saturated fats: talk about a big fat lie!  Moderate doses of saturated fats are needed by the body for SO many reasons including liver protection, vitamin D absorption, heart muscle protection, and body immunity.  While consuming excessive amounts can cause serious health implications, small amounts are needed for optimal health.  Sources of saturated fats include coconut oil, full-fat dairy, butter, ghee, and red meat.

And my personal favorite:

What shit about fitness/nutrition have you heard over the years?

35 thoughts on “Shit “Healthy” People Say”

  2. forgottenbeast

    GREAT! Love that you’ve debunked some of these stupid misconceptions. And that sweating one–I am NOT a person who sweats, never have been. I might have a few drops on a really hot day, but otherwise it doesn’t matter how hard I’m working. I always thought it meant I wasn’t working out right! But turns out it’s definitely a hereditary thing, as my mom doesn’t really sweat either. I DO turn brightly, gloriously red while working out though 🙂

    Reply
  3. Ameena

    I heard that cucumbers have negative calories…interesting to note the watermelon one! I also use to avoid fat like the plague…but now I eat tons of olive oil and avocados and have actually LOST weight. It’s crazy what I used to believe…

    Reply
    1. JoJo

      I agree with you completely!! It takes A LOT for women to really bulk up…

      I’ve never heard of the watermelon myth! That just cracks me up!

      Reply
  6. Tracy's Treats

    The worst is the whole sugar-free fad! It bothers me so much when people constantly reach for some “diet” whatever….it’s not healthier for you and it actually makes you crave sugar even more!

    Reply
  9. Honey What's Cooking

    Love this. It’s so funny I just heard about the iced water stuff on the Rachael Ray show. I have no problems eating saturated fat… infact I love it, but of course I eat the more healthy kind like avocado, sometimes coconut – hehe.

    When I was overweight the one thing I did was eat a lot of packaged foods – noodles and all and say, oh the calories are not that bad, so it’s fine, but it was all processed. and i didn’t lose weight, I only gained it back. Having an overall healthy lifestyle with a little bit of this and that, butter et al, is the way to go.

    Reply
    1. Khushboo Thadani

      I defintely think quality needs to be taken into account, even when calorie counting! All that sodium & chemicals in processed foods (regardless of how low the calories are) just can’t be good for us!

      Reply
  11. ritika

    okay, i have a question here, is blood group diet any good? dr. peter d adamo written books – eat for your type, live for your type have flooded my parents book shelf. google hasn’t helped me with any reports on its authenticity.

    Reply
    1. Khushboo Thadani

      I actually tried the blood group diet years back! I can see how it might be beneficial in the micro-cellular level but as for weight loss, I don’t think it has any advantage over a calorie-controlled diet. Again, this is my personal opinion so I could be wrong!

      Reply
  12. sprint2thetable

    These make me laugh. I have never heard the watermelon thing!

    How about the one where you burn more calories digesting celery than you take in from the food. Whatever – just eat good, clean food.

    Reply
  13. hotlyspiced

    The worst nonsense I ever came across was the ‘Israeli Girls Army Diet’. We were told this is what the Israeli girls had to eat once they joined the army. Of course, we couldn’t find out if it was true because these were the pre-internet and google days but the diet went for eight days. The first two days all you could eat was apples. The next two days only cheese. The next two day only chicken and the last two days nothing but salad. And trust me, there were a lot of women trying this diet thinking it would work wonders. xx

    Reply
  15. Sarah

    This is such a great (and hilarious) post! I had a friend who used to exercise with her stomach wrapped in clingfilm because then she would ‘sweat away the fat’… I just didn’t bother…

    Reply

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