In a world of misinformation, Fitness Pudding is here to separate fact from fallacy, and science from fiction.

Fitness Pudding - Where The Proof Is

Dr. Faries has a Ph.D. in Behavioral Medicine and a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology, balanced with experience across the fitness industry, medicine, public health, research and extension.  His research explores why and how people initiate and maintain healthy behaviors, with focus on self-regulatio...n success and failure. In other words, he seeks to better understand the common struggle with adopting healthy lifestyles, clarifying the reasons why we don’t “just do it.” Dr. Faries also holds unique expertise in medication adherence, when lifestyle is the medicine. Dr. Faries also trains the next generation of ‘myth busters’ through medical and public health education, including his popular course, MythBusters: Health Edition. Dr. Faries has served on the Board of Directors of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, is founder of Lone Star Lifestyle Medicine for Texas, and is founder of FitnessPudding.com – a non-profit site dedicated to debunking common health and fitness myths. More

Psyllium for Weight Loss?

busted

Psyllium is a source of viscous, gel-forming, water-soluble fiber. It is one of the most widely used fiber supplements all over the world. Traditionally, psyllium has been most recognized for regularity and bloating concerns, such as Edrolax a constipation relief aid in the early 1930s, not to be confused with Ed Rolax former forward for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. Since then, claims for weight loss range from improving regularity and feelings of fullness, helping crowd...
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  2073 Hits
2073 Hits

Is Lack of Time Really a Barrier to Physical Activity?

mythy-white

Easily, the leading barrier to physical activity I have heard over my career is ‘lack of time’. But, is time really a barrier to physical activity? In one of my favorite studies on his issue, 24-hour activity diaries found adult women spent 28 hours per week in sedentary leisure-time activity. 1 In other words, their reports that lack of time is a barrier do not reflect actual time available for physical activity, and might not be...
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  2319 Hits
2319 Hits

Smell Lemons, Feel Slimmer?

unlikely

  Recent headlines claim that smelling lemons can make you feel slimmer. Is there truth to this claim, or is it just a bunch of sour…lemons? The original research examined how smell affects ‘body image perception’. 1 In study one, 14 young adults (mostly men), were exposed to lemon and vanilla scents, and then asked to rate the perceived scent on a line, where a thin body silhouette anchored one side, and a thick body silhouette...
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  1334 Hits
1334 Hits

The Grapefruit (Hollywood) Diet?

clarify

Today, we are going to discuss the grapefruit diet, which is a rehash of the hollywood diet from the 1930s. So, I have brought along my own little starlight to help determine if claim is fact or fiction. The claim is that if you eat the grapefruit diet, then you will lose weight. There are three proposed mechanisms. 1. Meal-Replacement The original diet was something like half a grapefruit, a boiled egg and melba toast, as...
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  2234 Hits
2234 Hits

Exercise or Diet for Belly Fat?

mythy-white

There are two types of ‘belly fat’. The type under our skin (subcutaneous), although maligned, likely holds little to no disease risk. The other type (visceral) hidden deep inside the belly holds high disease risk. It creeps into and around our organs, including our heart. Yikes. Studies have found that both exercise and dieting (typically restricting calories by 500 per day) help decrease both types of belly fat to about the same degree in adults classified...
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  2120 Hits
2120 Hits

Is Your Shaker Bottle Contaminated?

mythy-white

The shaker bottle, holds everything from water to post-workout protein shakes. But, could it also be a vehicle capable of transmitting various pathogens, or is this just some dirty joke? This study put 60 bottles to the test. 1 Thirty were brand-new, non-used bottles (NUB), and 30 were used bottles (UB) randomly selected in a dry and empty state from gym goers. Here [see video] is the percentage contamination found for non-used bottles…and used bottles. 25...
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  2541 Hits
2541 Hits

The Blood Type Diet?

clarify

The ‘blood-type’ diet is based on a popular book published in 1996, which has since sold over 7 million copies. 2,3 The idea is that our blood group reveals something about our ancestral dietary habits, and matching our current eating to those habits help reduce disease risk. Those with blood group O, the hunter, are advised to eat a high-animal protein diet, blood type A, the agrarian, a mostly vegetarian diet, type B, the nomad, should...
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  1996 Hits
1996 Hits

Halloween Toys vs. Candy

mythy-white

Adults might believe that children will only like candy for Halloween. But, with the health concerns and risks of binging on that candy, Yale researchers investigated if non-food treats would work as a substitute for candy on Halloween. Nearly 300 trick or treating children were presented with two identical plates: one with four different types of Halloween-themed toys and another with four different types of name brand candy - all 5 to 10 cents per item....
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1696 Hits

Banana Coffee?

mythy-white

I posted an ad from the early 1900s, for 'Banan-Nutro', a coffee made from bananas. I wanted to experience what they experienced back then, so we made it. Note: At 2:49, baked potato = baked 'sweet' potato
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  1630 Hits
1630 Hits

Phantom Odors?

mythy-white

Is ‘phantom odor’ a real thing, or does something smell a bit fishy? I know it might sound like a peculiar superhero name, but ‘phantom odor’ is actually a real thing, where individuals perceive odors in the absence of an external stimulus. There is nothing to smell, but they smell something anyway – usually odors described as foul, rotten or chemical. As many as 1 out of 20 people experience phantom odors, with little knowledge of...
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  1573 Hits
1573 Hits
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