Taboo subject

joolieb1

i am a little saddened that one subject we are not allowed to discuss on a healthy lifestyle forum is something that is so vital. MFP recommends a safe weekly weight loss of 1-2 lbs per week and 1200 daily calories as the minimum safe level to consume. However, recently a discussion about people losing large amounts of weight, eating very low amounts of calories has been closed. I felt it was something that would be useful for us to talk about. Recently, I asked a question on the MFP Facebook page about the safe weekly weight loss as I was concerned that the Slimmer of the Week title had been given to people losing 11, 6 and 8 lbs in a week. I suggested that perhaps other criteria would be a better way to award this - for example, someone consistently losing 1-2 lbs a week over a long period. I was bombarded with negative comments - I was being negative, spoiling someone's week etc and chose to close the page. However, this remains a valid point, I am sure we may have people here who might choose unhealthy ways to lose weight and the 1-2 lb a week is the benchmark for us all to remain healthy. It is not being hateful or jealous to ask a question about large losses or about someone living on 800 calories, it is concerning and we have a responsibility to encourage healthy choices

DeguelloTex

I think your conception of what constitutes a healthy weight loss is overly narrow.

Kalikel

You're not supposed to bring up closed threads in another thread. Just FYI, not criticism.

tincanonastring

Kalikel wrote: »

You're not supposed to bring up closed threads in another thread. Just FYI, not criticism.

You're also supposed to just report posts/threads instead of openly pointing out violation of guidelines to forum members.

Kalikel

tincanonastring wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

You're not supposed to bring up closed threads in another thread. Just FYI, not criticism.

You're also supposed to just report posts/threads instead of openly pointing out violation of guidelines to forum members.

Again, it wasn't a criticism. She's new and may not have known. I don't have any desire to criticize or report her for doing something she probably didn't know she wasn't supposed to do. It was intended as a friendly heads-up, not to point out guideline violations for the sake of doing it.

yarwell

I see what you did there.

tincanonastring

Kalikel wrote: »

tincanonastring wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

You're not supposed to bring up closed threads in another thread. Just FYI, not criticism.

You're also supposed to just report posts/threads instead of openly pointing out violation of guidelines to forum members.

Again, it wasn't a criticism. She's new and may not have known. I don't have any desire to criticize or report her for doing something she probably didn't know she wasn't supposed to do. It was intended as a friendly heads-up, not to point out guideline violations for the sake of doing it.

Be that as it may, the guidelines and moderator messaging has been clear: pointing out violations of the guidelines is, itself, a violation. Perhaps a PM next time if you'd rather not report the post?

tincanonastring

yarwell wrote: »

I see what you did there.

Who, me?

tincanonastring

OP - sorry that someone tried to derail this right out of the gate, but I agree that there's value in allowing healthy conversation around appropriate rates of loss. That said, an obese person's rate of loss, especially at the beginning, could easily outpace the "recommended" loss rate. When I first started out, I was easily losing 5 pounds a week even though I was eating at a 1.5-2 pound/week deficit.

kshama2001

joolieb1 wrote: »

However, recently a discussion about people losing large amounts of weight, eating very low amounts of calories has been closed.

If the moderator who closed the thread posted the guidelines, what more is there to discuss?

3. No Promotion of Unsafe Weight-Loss Techniques or Eating Disorders

a) Posts intended to promote potentially unsafe or controversial weight loss products or procedures, including non-medically prescribed supplements or MLM products will be removed without warning.
b) Profiles, groups, messages, posts, or wall comments that encourage anorexia, bulimia, or very low calorie diets of any kind will be removed, and may be grounds for account deletion. This includes positive references to ana/mia, purging, or self-starving. Our goal is to provide users with the tools to achieve their weight management goals at a steady, sustainable rate. Use of the site to promote, glamorize, or achieve dangerously low levels of eating is not permitted.
c) Photos intended to glamorize extreme thinness will be deleted.
d) Those seeking support in their recovery from eating disorders are welcome at MyFitnessPal. A growing list of support resources can be found in our Eating Disorder Resources page.

tincanonastring

kshama2001 wrote: »

joolieb1 wrote: »

However, recently a discussion about people losing large amounts of weight, eating very low amounts of calories has been closed.

If the moderator who closed the thread posted the guidelines, what more is there to discuss?

3. No Promotion of Unsafe Weight-Loss Techniques or Eating Disorders

a) Posts intended to promote potentially unsafe or controversial weight loss products or procedures, including non-medically prescribed supplements or MLM products will be removed without warning.
b) Profiles, groups, messages, posts, or wall comments that encourage anorexia, bulimia, or very low calorie diets of any kind will be removed, and may be grounds for account deletion. This includes positive references to ana/mia, purging, or self-starving. Our goal is to provide users with the tools to achieve their weight management goals at a steady, sustainable rate. Use of the site to promote, glamorize, or achieve dangerously low levels of eating is not permitted.
c) Photos intended to glamorize extreme thinness will be deleted.
d) Those seeking support in their recovery from eating disorders are welcome at MyFitnessPal. A growing list of support resources can be found in our Eating Disorder Resources page.

I think there's a difference between a thread that is discussing VLCDs and a thread that is promoting VLCDs. Not sure under which category the thread in question would have fallen, but I think OP is right that a kneejerk reaction to close all threads related to the subject is inadvisable. It's not been my experience that discussions have been closed just due to that topic, but I didn't see the one OP is referencing.

snikkins

That wasn't the reason the thread was closed, as far as I can tell.

And OP, I think you're right. It is important to be talking about unhealthy weight loss that is somewhat sustained. Do keep in mind what @tincanonastring mentioned about early weight loss.

But maybe the right answer is to report those threads? I just don't know.

mccindy72

This is a very fair question, OP. Validating very large amounts of weight loss on a site intended to promote healthy, safe weight loss and fitness does seem like a contradiction. Considering it's one of the very things we should avoid doing ourselves, and many of us strive to help new people or people who seem to be leaning toward an ED.... it's quite controversial to see. Especially when a thread like that pops up and several of us are doing what we can to help the OP avoid what looks like a potential ED and when an argument pops up and the first thing that happens is the shut down of the thread. That's wrong. Everything this site stands for is being twisted.

joolieb1

The thread was closed, how could I add to the discussion. I don't know how to communicate with moderators on the Forum but find it strange that this is a subject that is out of bounds. We can talk about putting on weight, staying the same but do not mention safe weight losses in case we offend others, I am concerned about someone losing lots of weight in one week and trying to follow safety for my own weight loss. I will try to contact the moderator if I can figure it out. Thanks

tincanonastring

joolieb1 wrote: »

The thread was closed, how could I add to the discussion. I don't know how to communicate with moderators on the Forum but find it strange that this is a subject that is out of bounds. We can talk about putting on weight, staying the same but do not mention safe weight losses in case we offend others, I am concerned about someone losing lots of weight in one week and trying to follow safety for my own weight loss. I will try to contact the moderator if I can figure it out. Thanks

Every moderator has a personal profile page (like your own) and you can send them personal messages with your concerns. Even if you are not questioning their moderating actions, it is highly inadvisable to address them on the actual forums where other people could benefit from the exchange because that is a violation of the community guidelines.

sheermomentum

This isn't taboo. It gets discussed all the time. ALL the time. If the thread was closed, then it was probably closed because a number of people flagged it as supporting very low calorie diets or extreme weight loss. You can talk about moderate dieting all you want. But if the people on the Facebook page want to disagree with things you say or the way you say them, then that's something you may have to just deal with, just like in real life. There is no flagging feature in Facebook and I have no idea how or whether discussions are moderated there.

mccindy72

sheermomentum wrote: »

This isn't taboo. It gets discussed all the time. ALL the time. If the thread was closed, then it was probably closed because a number of people flagged it as supporting very low calorie diets or extreme weight loss. You can talk about moderate dieting all you want. But if the people on the Facebook page want to disagree with things you say or the way you say them, then that's something you may have to just deal with, just like in real life. There is no flagging feature in Facebook and I have no idea how or whether discussions are moderated there.

nope, the discussion got closed because one poster got out of hand and started insulting a bunch of other posters. It's a little ridiculous. She should have been warned had her posts removed, and the thread put back up so that we could have continued. There's a lot of value in a thread like that. Value is lost when one person can't control him or herself and derails a thread with personal attacks.

joolieb1

Thanks everyone for being so supportive, I have contacted MFP so they can discuss it with me. I have dealt with the Facebook page issue already but appreciate your kind words of encouragement. Perhaps if a thread is closed it would be helpful if I could understand the reason for its closure but not sure how to know so I can learn

999tigger

The mods normally say why its closed. Perhaps it was because it wasnt felt to be a discussion about safe rates of loss, but one promoting overly agressive rates in unsustainable ways. Context is everything. Start your own thread about rates of loss , but frame it in accordance with guidelines and then you will be able to discuss it.

whmscll

tincanonastring wrote: »

Be that as it may, the guidelines and moderator messaging has been clear: pointing out violations of the guidelines is, itself, a violation. Perhaps a PM next time if you'd rather not report the post?

That is ludicrous, especially since the guidelines are not easy to find (they are buried in a "Getting Started" thread and do not come up when searched). Not criticizing you or your post, tincanonastring, critical of MFP. I suggested to the mods once that they make the guidelines easier to find, but they haven't done it.

lemurcat12

Whatever happened with the other thread, I think it's a valuable thing to talk about.

I agree that early on, if one is quite obese, one may lose safely at higher numbers than 1-2 lb/week without eating at unsafe levels, and of course in the first week or two huge losses are normal (and are largely water), but that's not the only context in which this comes up.