Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent

MerAndTrick · January 2012

OK... I'm kinda frustrated with the number of posts I see on here regarding people wanting to lose weight and some of the advice given to them. There is so much misinformation presented on this board.

First... Weight is a number. Weight is not an indicator of health. You can be skinny fat, a low weight, but have high body fat % and be just as unhealthy and at risk for health related issues as someone who weighs 50 lbs more. Also, as a few posters have tried to point out... muscle is more dense than fat. Put on muscle, take off fat, get smaller, but your weight may go up. But guess what, I'm guessing that people will think you look better in your wedding gown at the higher weight.

Second... Calories in and calories out is NOT the best way to clean up your diet. Being on a low calorie diet is not sustainable in the long term. Also, it's not what supports muscle gains and fat loss. Also, not all calories are created equal... Do some research on the impact of fast-digesting carbs on your body. Study insulin resistance from carbs. Inflammatory responses in the body from gluten. Like diet soda? Have you ever heard of metabolic disorder?

Third... Long-term, low intensity cardio is stupid. If you want results, crosstrain or do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Both of these types of cardio burns as many calories as jogging on a treadmill, but with added benefit. For hours afterwards, they raise

Finally... Women are STRONG... SO LIFT HEAVY WEIGHTS!!! Strength training for women has been shown to have a myriad of benefits including higher bone density, lower risk of osteoporosis, lower risk of training related pains and lower longer term risk of arthritis, improved glucose use within the body decreasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and makes type 1 more manageable. OK, even outside of that, did you know that for every lb of fat you trade for muscle, you get a benefit of 35-40 extra calories burned a day. Meaning if you put on 5 lbs of muscle, you'll be burning an extra 200 calories a day... without doing a THING!!! But to do this you need to do low reps, high weight.

I guess I'm just frustrated because it seems like many people (not all of course) on this board want the benefits of a healthy lifestyle (lower weight, look and feel better), without EDUCATING themselves on what a healthy lifestyle looks like!!!

Read, up, get smart, get fit...

That's all. I'm done.

Thanks.

medicapril · January 2012

A refreshing dose of reality

Thank you for that!

J&K10910 · January 2012

Do you really think those people will read this and listen to you when they don't listen to us every time we post in response to their questions?

I mean, it's good information, but the people that need to see this likely won't, or they'll discard it the way they discard the rest of the good advice here.

heyjude23 · January 2012

Yeah this is all good advice, but I doubt it will influence the posters that come in with "ZOMG the HCG diet totally worked for me, so whateva!"

Starqueg · January 2012

Years ago I used to work out 3-4 days a week, doing strength training three days a week. One day, a guy that I didn't know complimented me on the fact that I wasn't one of those girls using a 5-10lb dumbell because she was afraid of bulking up. I love lifting weights, and am starting to do it again and love it every time. I can't wait to be able to do 75lb leg presses again. I miss those days, and my strong thighs.

Sarah0335 · January 2012

I agree with a lot of what you are saying, but there are a few areas that I don't agree with.

I think Calories in vs. Calores out is a good method. That is not saying you need to be on a low cal diet. It is saying you monitor you activity and what you are eating and have a net calorie goal. If you are very active you will not be eating a low amount of calories at all.

Also, I find a lot of information that is out there to be very conflicting. Saying people should only do HIIT or cirsuits doesn't make sense to me. I think people should do what they enjoy doing. If someone is a runner and hates HIIT, then as long as you are active does it really matter what you are doing?

I do agree that women shouldn't be afraid of lifting heavier weights. A lot of people on this board are very encouraging of women strength training and adding on muscle.

Elle1036 · January 2012

And the highest horse award for the day goes to....<div>
</div><div>Sheesh. Seriously, calm down a bit. If you want to get this information out there, do it by responding in posts where it's relevant.</div><div>
</div><div>And perhaps try not to sound so superior? I mean, most of the information you gave out is true, but reading it pissed me off.</div><div>
</div><div>Also, notice how much you had to write. The reason some posters (like myself) tend to to stick to simple maxims like "if calories in < calories out, then you'll lose weight" is that the body is pretty complicated, and not every woman on here has the time or the interest required to learn things in detail. Health and fitness can be as complicated or as simple as you make them.</div><div>
</div><div>Same thing with weight. Yeah, weight is just a number that isn't always indicative of your overall health, but it's also an easy way to guage your progress. Not everyone has access to a body composition monitor, and it can take a while to notice a change in how your clothes fit, but the scale can change every day and is therefore a great motivational tool.</div><div>
</div><div>Oh, and this:</div><div>[QUOTE]Third... Long-term, low intensity cardio is stupid. </div><div>[/QUOTE]</div><div>is completely untrue. If your goal is to turn yourself into a shredded machine, then yeah, HIIT is more suited to your goals. If your goal is to improve your overall cardiovascular health and burn fat, there's nothing wrong with low-intensity cardio.</div><div>

</div>

arwo · January 2012

You know, plenty of people on this board do give good advice (similar to a lot of what you're saying, actually). Think about what you're actually doing when you make a post like this. People who didn't take our good advice before probably aren't going to listen to you either; and people who DO usually give out good advice might get annoyed that you're telling everyone that no one every gives out good advice on this board.

Also your statement "Long-term, low intensity cardio is stupid. If you want results..." is stupid. It depends on the kind of "results" a person is hoping to acheive. Not everyone is here for weight loss.

Elle1036 · January 2012

I'm not even going to try quoting you because the tags are so messed up.

Well, at least you admit to your superior attitude. If you want people to listen to you, though (which you obviously do, or you wouldn't have put so much effort into these posts), that tone is counterproductive. You're not the only one on this board who knows a little something something about metabolism or exercise, "sweetheart". And you're not the only one trying to give real advice to help others. The difference is that the rest of us do it without being condescending and thus alienating the people who need the advice.

Regarding HIIT: Again, it depends on your goals. Not every woman on here wants to be able to complete a triathlon. Some just want some simple, lifestyle-compatible ways to get healthy and burn fat. Are you suggesting that low-intensity cardio won't do that?

ETA: Where did that second post go? I should have quoted after all.

MerAndTrick · January 2012

I am not really expecting that people will change. But if people can vent about their FMIL, then I felt I should have the same opportunity to vent about this. And yes, I'm on a high horse... because these are peoples bodies and lives and health.

Also, a couple of you have posted that long-term, low intensity cardio is not stupid. Here's the deal, and I meant ot post this but didn't. There are a slew of studies that show that there are certain biomechanics of overuse that happen when some trains endurance types of sports. Such as long term running, biking, etc. Tendonitis (which can be extremely painful if bad) is probably the most common of these injuries... however, joint damage, torn ligaments, etc are allextremely feasible. The risk for such injuries increases as peoples weight does...

Shorter workouts at higher intensities can give you the same fat loss and cardiovascular benefits as long, slow workouts without the possibility of injury. Between the two, I will take the one that gets me the benefits, takes less time, and decreases my risk of injuries.

arwo · January 2012

Eh, I'm actually pretty condescending a lot. It's part of my charm.

Elle1036 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:156407ce-bfe0-407e-9b27-5636e5caccda">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]I am not really expecting that people will change. <strong> But if people can vent about their FMIL, then I felt I should have the same opportunity to vent about this</strong>. And yes, I'm on a high horse... because these are peoples bodies and lives and health. Also, a couple of you have posted that long-term, low intensity cardio is not stupid. Here's the deal, and I meant ot post this but didn't. There are a slew of studies that show that there are certain biomechanics of overuse that happen when some trains endurance types of sports. Such as long term running, biking, etc. Tendonitis (which can be extremely painful if bad) is probably the most common of these injuries... however, joint damage, torn ligaments, etc are allextremely feasible. The risk for such injuries increases as peoples weight does... Shorter workouts at higher intensities can give you the same fat loss and cardiovascular benefits as long, slow workouts without the possibility of injury. Between the two, I will take the one that gets me the benefits, takes less time, and decreases my risk of injuries.
Posted by MerAndTrick[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>I think the difference is that the FMILs aren't here to read the posts... It's not so much a vent when you're venting about the very people reading your post. That's more of a flame.

</div>

arwo · January 2012

Yeah, but you can't do HIIT (or "speedwork," as I call it since I am a competitive runner) every day. I run 5-6 days per week, sometimes 2 times per day. You better believe that some of my runs are long and low intensity. Not all of them, but some of them.

Again, it depends on a person's goals. One of my goals is to run a sub-19 5k, and I can't do that by doing speedwork everyday. Trust me on this one.

MerAndTrick · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:0d3cb8e2-a409-49ab-b075-cc2a256a1b95">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]Eh, I'm actually pretty condescending a lot. It's part of my charm.
Posted by arwo[/QUOTE]

<div>I think she was posting about condensation at me... I had another post but the links did get screwed up because of the Knot text editor didn't like my ever so advanced copy and paste technique. <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" /></div>

J&K10910 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:156407ce-bfe0-407e-9b27-5636e5caccda">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]I am not really expecting that people will change. But if people can vent about their FMIL, then I felt I should have the same opportunity to vent about this. And yes, I'm on a high horse... because these are peoples bodies and lives and health. Also, a couple of you have posted that long-term, low intensity cardio is not stupid. Here's the deal, and I meant ot post this but didn't. There are a slew of studies that show that there are certain biomechanics of overuse that happen when some trains endurance types of sports. Such as long term running, biking, etc. Tendonitis (which can be extremely painful if bad) is probably the most common of these injuries... however, joint damage, torn ligaments, etc are allextremely feasible. The risk for such injuries increases as peoples weight does... Shorter workouts at higher intensities can give you the same fat loss and cardiovascular benefits as long, slow workouts <strong>without the possibility of injury. </strong> Between the two, I will take the one that gets me the benefits, takes less time, and decreases my risk of injuries.
Posted by MerAndTrick[/QUOTE]

Seriously? You think no one has been injured doing HIIT? I injured myself on a leisurely walk with my husband.

Elle1036 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:91c8d22a-ec86-4f53-962b-e2f12b66194c">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent : I think she was posting about condensation at me... I had another post but the links did get screwed up because of the Knot text editor didn't like my ever so advanced copy and paste technique.
Posted by MerAndTrick[/QUOTE]

<div>Yeah. It doesn't bother me so much when Arwo does it though. Maybe I'm just used to it from her.</div><div>
</div><div>Anyway, for what it's worth, I like the new post better than the wonky one.</div>

MerAndTrick · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:4a992b6b-1dc5-4a89-a598-57e157158244">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]Yeah, but you can't do HIIT (or "speedwork," as I call it since I am a competitive runner) every day. I run 5-6 days per week, sometimes 2 times per day. You better believe that some of my runs are long and low intensity. Not all of them, but some of them. Again, it depends on a person's goals. One of my goals is to run a sub-19 5k, and I can't do that by doing speedwork everyday. Trust me on this one.
Posted by arwo[/QUOTE]<div>
A sub 19 5k... that IS something to strive for. That's no joke...

<div>I actually didn't think that either... but I dropped my mile time from 7:45 to 6:15 doing NOTHING but HIIT running intervals for about 3 months. Let's just say now I'm a believer... </div><div>And in fairness I <em>could </em>run a half marathon, but no where near that pace, and wouldn't on a regular basis. Three years ago, I had to have surgery on both my legs to deal with vascular issues related to endurance running because I used to run 35-40 miles per week. After going through two very painful surgeries, followed by 6 months of not being able to do anything physical (although I did to Bikram yoga to prevent loss of mobility form internal scarring), never again will I put the stress on my body from endurance types of training. And unfortunately, stories like that are NOT uncommon among runners or bikers... :-(</div><div>
</div><div>
</div></div>

arwo · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:91c8d22a-ec86-4f53-962b-e2f12b66194c">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent : I think she was posting about condensation at me... I had another post but the links did get screwed up because of the Knot text editor didn't like my ever so advanced copy and paste technique.
Posted by MerAndTrick[/QUOTE]

Oh, I know she was talking to you. I was making a joke. I guess it wasn't funny. Making unfunny jokes is ALSO a part of my charm.

I AM VERY CHARMING.

MerAndTrick · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:b62facb9-cbf0-459f-93fd-5a90bf3ed382">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent : I think the difference is that the FMILs aren't here to read the posts... It's not so much a vent when you're venting about the very people reading your post. That's more of a flame.
Posted by Elle1036[/QUOTE]

<div>I'm not into sugar coating... sometimes people need a good dose of suck. I know it gets me off my butt. Besides, my FMIL is great, so I can't complain about her.</div>

MerAndTrick · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:4c2a9b24-22fe-41d7-9f1e-878c046ba62e">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent : Oh, I know she was talking to you. I was making a joke. I guess it wasn't funny. Making unfunny jokes is ALSO a part of my charm. I AM VERY CHARMING.
Posted by arwo[/QUOTE]

<div>I know I'm falling in love with your charms... <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-embarassed.gif" border="0" alt="Embarassed" title="Embarassed" /></div>

J&K10910 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:a01ba442-0a87-4b55-b015-ef10de4648df">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent : A sub 19 5k... that IS something to strive for. That's no joke... I actually didn't think that either... but I dropped my mile time from 7:45 to 6:15 doing NOTHING but HIIT running intervals for about 3 months. Let's just say now I'm a believer... And in fairness I could run a half marathon, but no where near that pace, and wouldn't on a regular basis. Three years ago, I had to have surgery on both my legs to deal with vascular issues related to endurance running because I used to run 35-40 miles per week. After going through two very painful surgeries, followed by 6 months of not being able to do anything physical (although I did to Bikram yoga to prevent loss of mobility form internal scarring), never again will I put the stress on my body from endurance types of training. And unfortunately, stories like that are NOT uncommon among runners or bikers... :-(
Posted by MerAndTrick[/QUOTE]
Oh FFS, most of the people you're aiming your little pretentious rant at are NOT out there running 35-40 miles a week.

HIIT is intense (it's right in the name). It's NOT for people that are just getting started with working out. Low intensity steady state cardio is a good way to get started, and is fine depending on your goal. Yes, we're well aware of the fact that endurance event training is hard on your body. HIIT is too. So maybe YOU should check YOUR facts.

Elle1036 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:cf33e298-f0c0-43bb-8354-dc051bfc2f2a">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent : Oh FFS, most of the people you're aiming your little pretentious rant at are NOT out there running 35-40 miles a week. HIIT is intense (it's right in the name). It's NOT for people that are just getting started with working out. Low intensity steady state cardio is a good way to get started, and is fine depending on your goal. Yes, we're well aware of the fact that endurance event training is hard on your body. HIIT is too. So maybe YOU should check YOUR facts.
Posted by J&K10910[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Aww, man. I was kinda hoping the snarky part of this thread was coming to a close, and here you go stirring it up again. GAH!</div><div>
</div>

MerAndTrick · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:0189f31b-a9f4-4693-8840-fbefd49a148b">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent : Aww, man. I was kinda hoping the snarky part of this thread was coming to a close, and here you go stirring it up again. GAH!
Posted by Elle1036[/QUOTE]

<div>Yeah... i'm done.</div>

arwo · January 2012

Yeah, J, GEEZ.

Snark stirrer.

J&K10910 · January 2012

Fucking seriously?

Well I'm glad you guys got to discuss.

I'll remember to never respond if the adults are done being snarky again.

Elle1036 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:c2c1a119-6a9d-40e3-9366-1d5ddd451912">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]Fucking seriously? Well I'm glad you guys got to discuss. I'll remember to never respond if the adults are done being snarky again.
Posted by J&K10910[/QUOTE]

<div>Ummm... I was kidding...</div><div>
</div><div>Did that not come across?</div><div>
</div><div>I fail.</div>

J&K10910 · January 2012

Yeah, no it didn't.

MerAndTrick · January 2012

Sooooooooo - what do ya'll want to talk about now?

Elle1036 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:43b3168b-6b27-4aca-b090-7225f6b426b1">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]Yeah, no it didn't.
Posted by J&K10910[/QUOTE]

<div>Even with the "GAH"? I mean, who <em>actually</em> says that?</div>

J&K10910 · January 2012

Well, I'm still sort of wanting to discuss the topic at hand. But apparently you're done, and responding to everyone BUT me, so I guess that means I am too.

arwo · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_weight-number-yes-its-vent?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:08a9c55b-c648-4e9a-bbea-3886ee2b1042Post:8870c5c4-ed65-486a-8696-a3763fe5dd41">Re: Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent</a>:
[QUOTE]Well, I'm still sort of wanting to discuss the topic at hand. But apparently you're done, and responding to everyone BUT me, so I guess that means I am too.
Posted by J&K10910[/QUOTE]

I'll respond to you all night long, baby. I'll respond hard.

Weight is a Number... Yes it's a vent

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