Not all coins are bad to hold, it depends on what coins you hold. I would like to suggest Ethereum and bitcoin they are profitable for holding on long term basis.
Indeed, maybe OP lost his profits because of holding for too long, well that can't be help since we can't predict when is the right time to sell or what is the highest peak price of the coin we are holding could reach, losing profits is just normal. Holding is not bullshit if you could manage it well, and if you are spending time on observing the prices fluctuation.