The Bad Advice Thread

[pilchardthecat]

So there have been some grumblings that the quality of advice in here has deteriorated. Post your examples of bad advice here. This is the health forum version of the "stupid things non petrol heads say" thread :-)

[smiffy180]

pilchardthecat said:

So there have been some grumblings that the quality of advice in here has deteriorated. Post your examples of bad advice here. This is the health forum version of the "stupid things non petrol heads say" thread :-)

Always touch your chest when benching.
Depends on the person and their flexibility

[BlackVanDyke]

Suggestions over the years to try:
Homeopathy
Aromatherapy
Hydrotherapy (medically forbidden due to very low blood pressure!)
Losing weight
Eating more
Eating less
Getting up earlier
Getting more sleep
Traditional Chinese Medicine (little about this is traditional or Chinese)
Taking more drugs
Stopping taking all my drugs
Use a wheelchair fulltime (when I was doing 50:50 walking with crutches and chair, years and years ago)
Never use a wheelchair ever again
Osteopathy
Alexander Technique
Craniopathy
Naturopath(y?!) - don't actually know what the fk it is but I've been asked twice if I've tried it...

I have a genetic condition, as such present in every cell of my body. We've got a better chance of curing AIDS than making any significant change to connective tissue disorders and their ilk.

Alexander Technique sort of helped in as much as having someone positively encourage me to work on relaxing my body and helping me to get myself physically straightened out for half an hour a week was quite a useful way to deal with the triple whammy of severe chronic pain, progressing disability and adolescence. The rest is, as far as my needs specifically are concerned, bks.

[Digger]

smiffy180 said:

Always touch your chest when benching.
Depends on the person and their flexibility

Rotator Cuff. Ouch!

[smiffy180]

Digger said:

Rotator Cuff. Ouch!

Been there done that!
Doing 50kg shoulder dumbell press and weight went backwards, heard a crack and that was that. 3 months off and a physio session.
I bench to touch as it doesn't set it off luckily

[balders118]

smiffy180 said:

Always touch your chest when benching.
Depends on the person and their flexibility

Or whether you want to do an actual bench press, or half of one.

[mattikake]

I will list the "Give up smoking or die trying" thread. I've not read any of it, but the thread title itself seems like bad advice. Surely better to keep smoking for 40 years than die trying in a couple?

smiffy180 said:

Doing 50kg shoulder dumbell press and weight went backwards, heard a crack and that was that. 3 months off and a physio session.

If in doubt, drop the weights! (that's not bad advice btw)

[mu0n]

Don’t eat carbs before bed.

Running is the best way to lose weight (which is wrong on 2 counts… #1 it is one of the slowest ways to lose weight and #2 if you’re heavy, it’s a sure way to damage joints).

[smiffy180]

mu0n said:

Don’t eat carbs before bed.

Running is the best way to lose weight (which is wrong on 2 counts… #1 it is one of the slowest ways to lose weight and #2 if you’re heavy, it’s a sure way to damage joints).

Or shin splints

[Victor McDade]

I'm paralysed from the waist down due to spinal cord damage. In recent months I've been told:

1 - To alternate between the sauna and a cold shower (and repeat).
2 - Go and see a masseuse.
3 - Try Chinese Acupuncture.


Apparently the above can cure paralysis.

[BlackVanDyke]

Victor McDade said:

I'm paralysed from the waist down due to spinal cord damage. In recent months I've been told:

1 - To alternate between the sauna and a cold shower (and repeat).
2 - Go and see a masseuse.
3 - Try Chinese Acupuncture.


Apparently the above can cure paralysis.

Has anyone told you to just try harder yet? Or that you're overdepending on your chair?

People are unbelievably thick sometimes.

[Regiment]

mu0n said:

Don’t eat carbs before bed.

Running is the best way to lose weight (which is wrong on 2 counts… #1 it is one of the slowest ways to lose weight and #2 if you’re heavy, it’s a sure way to damage joints).

I love running and always burn so many more calories on a treadmill than a rowing machine/exercise bike/cross trainer. I also used to run, heel striking and all, with a 250lb frame to support and only had slight soreness in my knees - switching to minimalist running and I've been fine.

Edit: I must admit thou that if some big obese person said what's the best exercise, I'd recommend swimming and walking and with the weight coming down and fitness going up a little, start a light jog and then move into a run when you're lighter and fitter.

BlackVanDyke said:

Has anyone told you to just try harder yet? Or that you're overdepending on your chair?

People are unbelievably thick sometimes.

Good dose of stem cells will cure what ails ya.

Edited by Regiment on Monday 18th March 16:09

[didelydoo]

balders118 said:

smiffy180 said:

Always touch your chest when benching.
Depends on the person and their flexibility

Or whether you want to do an actual bench press, or half of one.

[Hoofy]

My perennial favourite: you have to cut out junk food and alcohol to lose weight.

Victor McDade said:

I'm paralysed from the waist down due to spinal cord damage. In recent months I've been told:

1 - To alternate between the sauna and a cold shower (and repeat).
2 - Go and see a masseuse.
3 - Try Chinese Acupuncture.


Apparently the above can cure paralysis.

That sucks. Have you tried Lemsip?

[mu0n]

Regiment said:

mu0n said:

Don’t eat carbs before bed.

Running is the best way to lose weight (which is wrong on 2 counts… #1 it is one of the slowest ways to lose weight and #2 if you’re heavy, it’s a sure way to damage joints).

I love running and always burn so many more calories on a treadmill than a rowing machine/exercise bike/cross trainer. I also used to run, heel striking and all, with a 250lb frame to support and only had slight soreness in my knees - switching to minimalist running and I've been fine.

Edit: I must admit thou that if some big obese person said what's the best exercise, I'd recommend swimming and walking and with the weight coming down and fitness going up a little, start a light jog and then move into a run when you're lighter and fitter.

BlackVanDyke said:

Has anyone told you to just try harder yet? Or that you're overdepending on your chair?

People are unbelievably thick sometimes.

Good dose of stem cells will cure what ails ya.

Edited by Regiment on Monday 18th March 16:09

Yep, but if you don’t fix your diet, running will only scratch the surface and so for the amount of time to burn up a decent amount of cals on a treadmill/running outside, coupled with a high risk of injury if you’re overweight (or have naturally a poor gait), the fact that a lot of people generally dislike running too so you will no doubt put it off etc etc it’s not very good advice IMO.

As much as I think it is important to have good cardio, for 9/10 people who want to lose weight/get into shape do so for the aesthetic look and if you want aesthetics and to lose fat quickly, a weight lifting regime is by far the most effective way to do so and will keep the majority of people more interested than running would do.

Obviously stuff you already know, just putting my point across.

[mattikake]

mu0n said:

Don’t eat carbs before bed.

Running is the best way to lose weight (which is wrong on 2 counts… #1 it is one of the slowest ways to lose weight and #2 if you’re heavy, it’s a sure way to damage joints).

Is this meant to be an example of bad advice or bad advice for a bad advice thread? Because both of these are good advice.

Granted there are faster ways, but running one of the slowest ways to lose weight? How's that then? It's not a very efficient method of travel which makes it an excellent calorie burner. I'd say driving a car is one of the slowest ways to lose weight.

I've only seen body builders suggest no carbs before bed is a bad way to lose fat, because it isn't for body builders. But for the average person with a slower metabolism, actually, it works. I know, I must've seen it happen with my own eyes 100 times.

For which I've just thought of some bad advice - listen to bros for health advice that is applicable to everyone.

[mu0n]

mattikake said:

Is this meant to be an example of bad advice or bad advice for a bad advice thread? Because both of these are good advice.

Granted there are faster ways, but running one of the slowest ways to lose weight? How's that then? It's not a very efficient method of travel which makes it an excellent calorie burner. I'd say driving a car is one of the slowest ways to lose weight.

I've only seen body builders suggest no carbs before bed is a bad way to lose fat, because it isn't for body builders. But for the average person with a slower metabolism, actually, it works. I know, I must've seen it happen with my own eyes 100 times.

For which I've just thought of some bad advice - listen to bros for health advice that is applicable to everyone.

See above for why I think generally advising the overweight to run to lose weight is not good advice. There are better ways to lose weight that are safer and more effective.

As for no carbs before bed. Go look up studies. It's total BS that eating carbs before bed will make you fat. Being a PT I thought you'd know this.

Eating an excess of calories will make you put on weight, not carbs before bed lol.

[mattikake]

mu0n said:

mattikake said:

I've only seen body builders suggest no carbs before bed is a bad way to lose fat, because it isn't for body builders. But for the average person with a slower metabolism, actually, it works. I know, I must've seen it happen with my own eyes 100 times.

For which I've just thought of some bad advice - listen to bros for health advice that is applicable to everyone.

As for no carbs before bed. Go look up studies. It's total BS that eating carbs before bed will make you fat. Being a PT I thought you'd know this.

Eating an excess of calories will make you put on weight, not carbs before bed lol.

The only discussions I've seen are from body builders and bros.

Who said "makes you fat"? The implication I got from you was; it was to lose weight. Two different things.

I guess I've essentially done my own study of around 100 people so far. Maybe the people I've had doing this (including myself at some points) didn't actually lose fat at all? The subcutaneous fat and anthropometric measurements, scales and physical appearance must've been all in our minds? This trick is how you combine that diet tactic with exercise and lifestyle, but I can assure you, I've seen it happen many times. It's simple, very effective and easy to maintain.

[mu0n]

mattikake said:

The only discussions I've seen are from body builders and bros.

Who said "makes you fat"? The implication I got from you was; it was to lose weight. Two different things.

I guess I've essentially done my own study of around 100 people so far. Maybe the people I've had doing this (including myself at some points) didn't actually lose fat at all? The subcutaneous fat and anthropometric measurements, scales and physical appearance must've been all in our minds? This trick is how you combine that diet tactic with exercise and lifestyle, but I can assure you, I've seen it happen many times. It's simple, very effective and easy to maintain.

Implication? They were 2 different things I've heard which IMO are rubbish.

As I said, if you have put on weight it's not because you're eating carbs before bed. You can easily carb load before going to sleep and continue to diet. I'm not saying that's the most effective way of losing weight, but carb timing doesn't matter. The only time it may is taking it with protein pre/post workout to increase protein synthesis but even then I believe the studies that have looked at this aren't entirely conclusive.

Unless the 100 or so people/studies you have done are in a controlled environment, if they haven't lost weight I will bet you £100 it's not because they ate carbs before bed. It's because they're not eating below maintenance.

The single biggest factor for people not dieting properly or losing the weight they intend to is portion control. You don't need to lead a caveman/simplistic/basic diet for your life or to achieve your goals. YOu just have to learn moderation.

I've been eating carbs before bed since forever and although I am at 14-15% bf, when I am to get to 10% bf (or less), then I will still be eating a decent amount of carbs before bed also with no detriment to my fat loss.

[mattikake]

Ok, probably different ends of the same stick.

Typically I find these things just as work is about to start, but I'll be doing some reading then.

What I expect to find is studies have been too literal - no carbs before bed, but no change on lifestyle otherwise. Or no carbs before bed for body builders/very fit people with high RMRs.