Whats the biggest weight loss myth you have ever heard/read?

You can "eat all the -------- (lettuce, cucumbers, etc.) you want" and still lose weight.

Cows "graze" all day.

That "Your Brain WILL NOT FUNCTION without Carbohydrates!"

What a load of crap! This is the same person who told me that I needed to be eating AT LEAST 220 carbs a day!

Eating fat is what makes you fat, so if you stick to all lean and fat free everything the weight will come right off. (told to me by dietician I saw when I first started to gain weight)

Umm, then how come all of our Atkins friends who are eating bacon and cheese every day are losing hundreds of pounds?

Removing anything greatly or completely from your diet will result in weightloss, temporarily. Carbs, fats, calories, etc. I believe the myth to be focusing in on any one factor, because I believe all-around moderation, not singularity moderation, is the only key to long-term success.

"You can eat whatever you want, as long as you eat 1/2 grapefruit afterwards."

Oh my, that one had me gain 10 lbs! I used to carry 1/2 grapefruit everywehre with me, and eat it immediately after eating my fried chicken.

How about all the "diet pills" in the magazine. The warnings they place on them "Do not take this unless you are extreme overweight, it can cause massive weight loss". Oh, if I could have all the $1,000's I've spent, I could have self paid for my lap-band, and had plenty left over to spare!

And I got sick of this one - "Low Carb is not Healthy", or "eat anything you want, just in moderation" - Or Just diet and exercise! Duh.......you dummies, don't you think I tried that?

There was a drug a few years back (can't remember the name) that my wife took for awhile. Ok, I barrowed a few. They were supposed to let the fat go through your system. Anyway, they left a nasty oil slick when you did a number two. Had to live close to the bathroom, hope you never have to sneeze in public, and bleach your undies! What a way to lose weight and your dignity!

Bruce

Bruce, that drug is Xenical. Did you happen to notice that this very week they are starting to sell this drug, at half strength, over the counter? They call it Alli (pronounced ally). I'm sure that the next big marketing plan will be to sell it in a combo pack with Clorox.

It's sad now people will do anything to lose weight even if it doesn't work. Lord knows, I did the same. I think the lap band is going to become incredibly popular over the next 5 years.

Yes, that's the stuff...

Bruce

I'm no high Protein advocate as you all know. I say it often enough.

But I do wholeheartedly believe that the whole high carb/low fat food pyramid that we were fed all through the 80's and 90's is a crock. Its a big reason why the population has just got fatter and fatter.

Drinking a glass of Water with lemon juice in the morning will kickstart your metabolism- ah, bulldust.

I also think Atkins philosophy is ridiculous - all you want of steak, cheese, eggs? May as well just shove it all down your aorta, that's where its going to end up anyway.

Eat anything you want in moderation DOES work for me, but my idea of moderation when I was fat was slightly dysfunctional, lol.

I wish I could post this anonymously because I know I'm probably going to catch hell for it, but here it is. I think the idea that you need to drink 8 glasses of Water a day is complete crap. I'm not saying that 8 glasses a day will do any harm, I just don't think it's necessary unless you are very active, eat tons of salty food, or are exposed to hot weather.

In fact, snopes.com has an article about this very topic. I think someone a long time ago came up with this theory and it has since taken on a life of its own. See: http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

I have been trying to drink about 8 cups of Fluid a day, but that's only because having a bottle of water in my hand prevents me from having food in my hand (and subsequently in my mouth). It's only in this regard that I think drinking water helps you lose weight.

And drinking water when I'm hungry has certainly never helped quell the hunger. Water will not curb your appetite.

....that the Band is 'the easy way' and it is somehow more admirable to suffer Morbid Obesity than to do something effective rather than continue whatever personal ineffective favorite weight control the casual uninformed and ignorant critic wants to impose upon us...

:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Jack for president! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

I agree completely with the litres and litres of Water thing. Its crapola. You drink when you're thirsty till you're not thirsty same as with eating.

How on earth can shoving litres of water that you dont want down your gullet help? It does not flush anything from your system and it doesnt help your skin either. All the Fluid in your cells is derived from the metabolism of fat, not from water you drink. You dont drink water and it plumps out your skin, just doesnt happen that way.

Water is good for you and not drinking enough is not good for you. But you dont have to force it down your throat every second of the day. Other fluids count too, even when they contain undesirables like caffeine.

And if I'm hungry I'm hungry, drinking water doesnt solve the problem. And I dont know about anyone else, but my body is evolved enough to tell me that its thirsty. It doesnt mix its signals and tell me its hungry when really its thirsty!

Some of my favorite "guaranteed weight loss" ideas include:

Please note my sarcasm!

* You can eat anything in moderation! (What's moderation?!?)

* Eat lettuce; it burns more calories to eat it than it is. (I ate it until I vomited one day.)

* Use a food journal - it makes you accountable and you just stop eating. (Nope, just made me more depressed.)

* Eat five times a day to keep your metabolism fired up. (Great, another excuse to eat more!)

* Exercise more than what you consume and you will lose the weight. (Sounds easy enough, but I do have to work for a living and can't be in a gym 6 hours a day, 7 days a week.)

* Sit in front of a mirror as you eat. (Um yeah, no comment for this one.)

I kid you not, I once sat in my bedroom for hours as a 16 year old with red cellophane taped over my eyes because I read that it curbed your appetite.

ROTFL....I love all of these! But I still side with Jack.

I am now telling people how I am loosing weight and I swear if one more persons says "oh the easy way" this chick will get getting her fills in jail for murder....I can not stand anymore of it!!

I would rather have 15 kids all natural, all at once!

BUT I do love my band and would do it all over again....lol..

I agree completely with the litres and litres of Water thing. Its crapola. You drink when you're thirsty till you're not thirsty same as with eating.

How on earth can shoving litres of water that you dont want down your gullet help? It does not flush anything from your system and it doesnt help your skin either. All the Fluid in your cells is derived from the metabolism of fat, not from water you drink. You dont drink water and it plumps out your skin, just doesnt happen that way.

Water is good for you and not drinking enough is not good for you. But you dont have to force it down your throat every second of the day. Other fluids count too, even when they contain undesirables like caffeine.

And if I'm hungry I'm hungry, drinking water doesnt solve the problem. And I dont know about anyone else, but my body is evolved enough to tell me that its thirsty. It doesnt mix its signals and tell me its hungry when really its thirsty!

I disagree with this to some degree in the context of having the band. Before being banded I used to drink a lot of water because I felt thirsty and wanted to drink it. Now, I find that it is very hard work to drink any significant amount of water because I have a lot of restriction. Sometimes at the end of the day I think back on how much water I had that day and it is very little. Yet I don't remember feeling thirsty. When I felt thirsty during the day I had a few sips of water and then I didn't feel thirsty anymore. But at the end of the day, on days when I did not pay attention, my total was like 6 or 8 ounces. I think this can be a problem for a lot of reasons, including the risk of kidneys stones. I also disagree that water does not flush anything from your system. Urine is a bodily waste that contains items that are "flushed from your system." And the transportation system in your body for these kinds of wastes is water. If you don't drink enough, you can definitely have problems eliminating harmful wastes.

I don't think that drinking a lot of water is necessarily a miracle diet solution for losing weight. But I do think it can be a little dangerous to tell people who have the lap band that they should just drink when they are thirsty and not worry about it. I think when you are banded you need to really pay attention to your water intake and drink enough to avoid dehydration.