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

Fat in Food: Expert Opinions

Fat in Food: Expert Opinions
Fat in food is, and might always be a hot and controversial topic. We learn something new everday that expands our understanding, allowing us to make educated decisions in our healthy eating lifestyles. Of course any change in our knowledge fuels controversy and debate amongst fat-inspired amateurs and aficionados, alike. If you are one of the many who are enthusiastic about fat in food, you might be interested in  a recent compilation by NutritionAction.com dedicated to...
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3237 Hits

Smartphone Messing Up Your Workout?

Smartphone Messing Up Your Workout?
Years ago, we figured out that listening to music, watching TV, or both provided a distraction or dissociation from the discomfort that comes along with exercise. For many people the discomfort is not enjoyable, and can be a big deterrant to exercising. Research tells us that we all respond differently to the physical side of exercise (e.g. fatigue, muscle discomfort, increased heart rate, breathing fast, and sweating). Some respond negatively, especially those who do not have...
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3224 Hits

How Many Glasses of Water Should We Drink a Day?

How Many Glasses of Water Should We Drink a Day?
8 cups per day, right? Well, my esteemed colleague, Dr. Michael Greger, put this question to the test, and I thought I would share his expert insight with you. Enjoy, as I go get me a glass of water. How Many Glasses of Water Should We Drink a Day?    
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3233 Hits

A Pound of Fat Equals 3,500 Calories?

A Pound of Fat Equals 3,500 Calories?
The common idea that 1 pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories most likely comes from original research in the late 1950's on the effects of fasting in obese individuals. Well, it stuck, and is the basis for our current, simple prescriptions for weight loss. The subsequent rule, then, is to expend, 'burn', and/or reduce intake of 3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat. Commonly, this deficit is accomplished by expending and/or cutting 500...
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6322 Hits

Is It Bad to Run on a Flat Treadmill?

Is It Bad to Run on a Flat Treadmill?
Someone recently asked if running on a flat treadmill (0% grade) was bad. When I questioned a bit further, she confessed to reading an online article that put running on a flat treadmill in  the top 7 list of things fitness experts wish you'd stop doing . Being a fitness expert, I was lumped into this group who supposedly thought running on a flat treadmill was bad, worthless, did not 'burn' as many calories , and...
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7181 Hits

Exercise Doesn't Help with Weight Loss

Exercise Doesn't Help with Weight Loss
An editorial was recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, claiming that "you cannot outrun a bad diet". This editorial (not a research study) has spawned a media frenzy of posts that presumably confirm that exercise is worthless in weight loss. Study says exercise doesn't help with weight loss Science says exercise isn't actually helping lose weight Going to the gym isn't helping you lose weight Exercise doesn't promote weight loss: Research Secret to weight...
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4511 Hits

Does Exercise Make You Eat More?

Does Exercise Make You Eat More?
We know that physical activity is a key component to successful weight loss and maintenance, especially when paired with healthy food (energy) intake. However, some research suggests that differences in weight loss might be explained (at least partially) by an increase in energy intake to compensate for the energy expenditure of physical activity. 2 So, does exercise cause us to eat more? To see if this is true or not, recent interest has focused on the...
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5130 Hits

Waist Training: Squeezing Out the Truth

Waist Training: Squeezing Out the Truth
Waist training is the process of wearing a modern take on a Victorian era corset in order to (1) provide an instant slimming, hourglass figure effect, (2) motivate one to improve posture and eat healthier, and (3) eventually, over continued use, physically change the shape of the rib cage (smaller). Several celebrities have made waist training the recent craze, with a number of them taking selfies while wearing the corset, or being caught by the paparazzi...
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20504 Hits

Is Self-Weighing Good or Bad?

Is Self-Weighing Good or Bad?
A client of mine stepped on the scale after a 12-week weight loss program, to find she had lost 6 lbs. She was ecstatic at her positive results, sharing a smile that would warm any heart. Later that day, another client from the same program stepped on the scale to discover she had also lost 6 lbs. Ecstatic right? No, she blasted off a few expletives, and wanted nothing more than to 'hulk smash' the scale...
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5749 Hits

Massaging Fat Away?

Massaging Fat Away?
Vibration machines have been popular for a long time, and most of us probably have an image of the machines that use a belt to vigorously shake our fat away, or steamrollers to flatten fat to smithereens. We have known for quite a while that these contraptions do not work. A review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine states regarding such devices, "the usefulness of coarse vibration devices, often promoted by beauty salons as a...
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171246 Hits
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