[LovelyLeah]

And by real studies I'm talking peer-reviewed by credible, less biased researchers and repeatable, recent studies. There seem to be so many places that say they are taking their information from a study but when you really look into it generally just links to another website that says they are getting they're info from a study who then is getting it from another website; and so on and so forth. It's like the game of telephone where legitimate studies (if you can actually find the one they're talking about) is so skewed that insignificant data becomes "ground-breaking!!!!" Or they take from studies that were done over half a century ago where the data hasn't been replicated. Heck, they're may even be more recent studies that have disproved the original study.

So many weight loss myths are started this way and people believe them, generally because of availability heuristics. I don't have very many specific examples off hand, it's just a frustration that's been growing.

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Here's an example, starvation mode: if you eat too little you'll gain weight. Common sense doesn't even support that claim. If starvation mode was real then children in third world countries would be putting on weight and anorexic wouldn't look so emaciated. I'm not saying eating too little is healthy for your body, bu

[love2garden]

LovelyLeah Those "studies" can really be almost comical if it weren't sad that they can mislead some people.

Way back in college nutrition class I learned great information that is still making sense today. So grateful I had that BEFORE I got married or had any children to feed and guide.

We kept pop and stuff out of our home. I cooked every meal and if making spaghetti added shredded carrots and kelp into the sauce. Baked goods had wheat germ and nuts and/or oats added. Cookies did fine, but cakes . . .

One kid later told me she still remembers the birthday when I fixed German Chocolate Cake Soup. I added way too much healthy stuff and of course the cake couldn't stand up. It tasted good and was far healthier than any other cake.

As for the starvation claim, I've questioned that at times. However I know a woman who "survives on 900 calories per day." She is constantly ill, and even tho diabetic, seems to be constantly in trouble. Slender, yes, but other than that she is far worse than I am at mcuh higher weight.

Bet she doesn't get proper nutrition on that 900 calorie limit.

[FluffyFat]

I would love to have more facts and less myths. Gina Kolata's books have good studies but even her best one, "Ultimate Fitness," is a bit outdated now.

One problem is that newspapers and magazines are always looking for something to print so they'll act like every new study is life changing news.

Little bits of information are so blown out of proportion, too. For instance, "Muscle weighs more than fat so we might gain weight when we first start strength training." That's a true statement, but I've heard women use it as an excuse for why they gained twenty pounds after joining the gym. The trouble is, most women who are doing regular strength training gain about three pounds of muscle over the course of a year.

Because of the magazines reporting just part of these studies we go off thinking we can expect huge changes in our body from exercise. We read that our metabolism slows as we get older and blame all our weight gain on that one fact. The truth is it only slows down by about a hundred calories per day. And so on.