Unrealistic weight loss brags
Replies
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Guys, I think the person posting about the 1000 calories burned by her friends knows her friends better than you do...no need to get all defensive and titchy because you've burned 1000 calories before and feel attacked.
I don't feel attacked. I'm not sure anyone here feels attacked. We are discussing a statement.
It *is* possible to discuss something, even disagree, without feeling attacked, angry or butt hurt.19 -
I'm willing to bet the one praising the products is just looking for customers.11
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disasterman wrote: »Seems to me the point isn't so much whether it's possible to burn 1000 calories but whether it's likely that the people OP was referring to actually are.
Yes and no. Most people are using some sort of fitness tracking app these days that are involved in a path to a healthier lifestyle. I would assume that's were they're getting those numbers from.
Heck most people don't know how many calories they're eating much less working off. Without some sort of tracking app. I'd challenge them to post a link to said workout to validate there claims.
Makes sense. Even with the app..
I've argued that it doesn't matter how accurate your calories in/calories out measurements are as long as you get repeatable results. Personally, I lost weight reliably with MFP by setting it up with my stats and goals, logging everything, cutting the calorie burns from exercise logged in half, and leaving an extra 400 calories on the table every day over what MFP allowed me. I don't know what was off; my metabolism, my calorie counts, the burn numbers, or some combination of all but I don't even really care.
As relates to the thread, I do think it's easy for people, even with an app, to overestimate calorie burns. In my swimming example, it's quite possible that I burn 1000/hour with a fast/vigorous swim but a.) "fast" is subjective and b.) I'm probably not swimming for 60 minutes given my swim:rest ratio but it's easy to forget that.
If you ask me the only thing that really matters is results. Tell the world you're burning 4,000 calories an hour and losing 10 pounds a day but the proof is in the before/after photos.
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3dogsrunning wrote: »Guys, I think the person posting about the 1000 calories burned by her friends knows her friends better than you do...no need to get all defensive and titchy because you've burned 1000 calories before and feel attacked.
I don't feel attacked. I'm not sure anyone here feels attacked. We are discussing a statement.
It *is* possible to discuss something, even disagree, without feeling attacked, angry or butt hurt.
Yes, that's true. Which is why I didn't use either the word "angry" or "butthurt". I used "defensive" (and titchy which I'm pretty sure is just a word my mom used with me and not a real thing but translates to uncomfortable/defensive). Because if you didn't feel like it was directed at you, there would be no need to argue what her friends burn using personal examples.
She expressed disbelief that her friends burn that amount. People jumped in trying to prove they personally burn that amount as if she ever said it was impossible, or as if they thought her disbelief extended to them (i.e. defending themselves, which is inherently defensive). It's not about you!8 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »Guys, I think the person posting about the 1000 calories burned by her friends knows her friends better than you do...no need to get all defensive and titchy because you've burned 1000 calories before and feel attacked.
I don't feel attacked. I'm not sure anyone here feels attacked. We are discussing a statement.
It *is* possible to discuss something, even disagree, without feeling attacked, angry or butt hurt.
Yes, that's true. Which is why I didn't use either the word "angry" or "butthurt". I used "defensive" (and titchy which I'm pretty sure is just a word my mom used with me and not a real thing but translates to uncomfortable/defensive). Because if you didn't feel like it was directed at you, there would be no need to argue what her friends burn using personal examples.
She expressed disbelief that her friends burn that amount. People jumped in trying to prove they personally burn that amount as if she ever said it was impossible, or as if they thought her disbelief extended to them (i.e. defending themselves, which is inherently defensive). It's not about you!
I didn't think it was about me or directed at me. I used myself as an example.
The way she phrased it (and the following poster) did make it sound like it was impossible or only possible user extreme circumstances, not just in relation to her own friends, which is why I responded with my own example.
I also used the extra words because they are often used on these boards.
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Guys, I think the person posting about the 1000 calories burned by her friends knows her friends better than you do...no need to get all defensive and titchy because you've burned 1000 calories before and feel attacked.
People are responding in the spirit of the OP. The very first post in this thread complains about people perpetuating false ideas about weight loss and sowing confusion. And then people follow up by posting the false idea that it's impossible for anybody but an athlete to burn 1,000 calories by exercising, which sows confusion. It isn't defensiveness that's making people open up and share their experiences. We're chatting about our fitness journey.8 -
I ride my stationary bike sometimes 90 minutes in a day and hit 1000 calories burned..
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disasterman wrote: »As relates to the thread, I do think it's easy for people, even with an app, to overestimate calorie burns.
Sure. I've used two apps and/or devices at the same time to track something (out of curiosity) and they've given me different numbers. They can't both be right. At least one is wrong, likely both.
Most HRM systems I've used massively over-estimate bike calories.2 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Guys, I think the person posting about the 1000 calories burned by her friends knows her friends better than you do...no need to get all defensive and titchy because you've burned 1000 calories before and feel attacked.
People are responding in the spirit of the OP. The very first post in this thread complains about people perpetuating false ideas about weight loss and sowing confusion. And then people follow up by posting the false idea that it's impossible for anybody but an athlete to burn 1,000 calories by exercising, which sows confusion. It isn't defensiveness that's making people open up and share their experiences. We're chatting about our fitness journey.
Who posted that idea? All I saw was a woman implying her friends didn't burn 1000 calories. You're the one who is extrapolating and assuming to create the false idea.1 -
Several of my mfp friends post 1000 calorie burns. When I do that, it's a software glitch. I don't need to call them out on it. If they are losing weight and want to do so, then that's great. I have a mostly inactive mfp friend who posted large burns and low calories for months without posting weight loss. She did admit that her body was getting tighter, in a muscly good way.0
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Who posted that idea? All I saw was a woman implying her friends didn't burn 1000 calories. You're the one who is extrapolating and assuming to create the false idea.
This was what I responded to, in this very thread:TrailNurse wrote: »I have people on my MFP feed that claim that they burn 1,000 calories doing cardio. Whatever!
Whatever indeed!
Or maybe you're asking about the idea that it's good for people to be truthful so everybody will have realistic expectations. I got that from:That is sad. It's not that it bothers me when I see it, but I feel like someone should call them out, only because we need to have more realistic standards and expectations for weight loss.
So I think a lot of people are sharing their experiences for this reason. The idea that a person can't burn 1,000 calories, isn't very realistic. I think it leads people to think exercise calories are somehow fake and to under-eat because of it. How many threads have you seen where somebody says they eat 1,200 calories a day and don't eat any exercise calories because they think that's cheating somehow? It's an unhealthy situation, created by unrealistic expectations, and there's no harm in people sharing legitimate data to counter it.9 -
That's so weird, are they lying or are they actually somehow losing 2/3 pounds a day? I'm not sure how that's even possible0
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NorthCascades wrote: »Guys, I think the person posting about the 1000 calories burned by her friends knows her friends better than you do...no need to get all defensive and titchy because you've burned 1000 calories before and feel attacked.
People are responding in the spirit of the OP. The very first post in this thread complains about people perpetuating false ideas about weight loss and sowing confusion. And then people follow up by posting the false idea that it's impossible for anybody but an athlete to burn 1,000 calories by exercising, which sows confusion. It isn't defensiveness that's making people open up and share their experiences. We're chatting about our fitness journey.
Who posted that idea? All I saw was a woman implying her friends didn't burn 1000 calories. You're the one who is extrapolating and assuming to create the false idea.
I suspect you missed AlloutofBubblegum's response to that poster.
One person posted about her feed and a second person responded agree, adding the info about the athlete or very overweight.1 -
TrailNurse wrote: »I have people on my MFP feed that claim that they burn 1,000 calories doing cardio. Whatever!
@TrailNurse - do you mean 1,000 calories an hour or 1,000 calories all day? Big difference in attainability.
My previous comment referred to all day. I don't have an opinion on per hour.
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NorthCascades wrote: »Guys, I think the person posting about the 1000 calories burned by her friends knows her friends better than you do...no need to get all defensive and titchy because you've burned 1000 calories before and feel attacked.
People are responding in the spirit of the OP. The very first post in this thread complains about people perpetuating false ideas about weight loss and sowing confusion. And then people follow up by posting the false idea that it's impossible for anybody but an athlete to burn 1,000 calories by exercising, which sows confusion. It isn't defensiveness that's making people open up and share their experiences. We're chatting about our fitness journey.
Who posted that idea? All I saw was a woman implying her friends didn't burn 1000 calories. You're the one who is extrapolating and assuming to create the false idea.
I know you're in the middle of an online debate here but is all this back n forth typing really worth your time? Just to clarify your point to someone you probably don't care about lol. Take a breather, life's good.3 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Who posted that idea? All I saw was a woman implying her friends didn't burn 1000 calories. You're the one who is extrapolating and assuming to create the false idea.
This was what I responded to, in this very thread:TrailNurse wrote: »I have people on my MFP feed that claim that they burn 1,000 calories doing cardio. Whatever!
Whatever indeed!
Or maybe you're asking about the idea that it's good for people to be truthful so everybody will have realistic expectations. I got that from:That is sad. It's not that it bothers me when I see it, but I feel like someone should call them out, only because we need to have more realistic standards and expectations for weight loss.
Yeah, she expressed disbelief that specific people did it. Specifically, those she added as friends on this site. She didn't say people in general. You extrapolated that, assumed it applied to you, and defended your calorie burns, which amused me. That's all!0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Who posted that idea? All I saw was a woman implying her friends didn't burn 1000 calories. You're the one who is extrapolating and assuming to create the false idea.
This was what I responded to, in this very thread:TrailNurse wrote: »I have people on my MFP feed that claim that they burn 1,000 calories doing cardio. Whatever!
Whatever indeed!
Or maybe you're asking about the idea that it's good for people to be truthful so everybody will have realistic expectations. I got that from:That is sad. It's not that it bothers me when I see it, but I feel like someone should call them out, only because we need to have more realistic standards and expectations for weight loss.
Yeah, she expressed disbelief that specific people did it. Specifically, those she added as friends on this site. She didn't say people in general. You extrapolated that, assumed it applied to you, and defended your calorie burns, which amused me. That's all!
You guys are really ruining this for me; I thought it would be an interesting discussion. I'm out.8 -
Now, I am entertained!7
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I don't know what the big deal is. I have friends that burn 1000 calories easily from moving furniture, cleaning their house, and preparing food; it's a wonder they need to lose weight in the first place!19
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Time to point out that MFP tells you how many calories you burned often. So do a ton of different exercise equipment things, often paired with heart rate monitors on the equipment. Everyone knows they're generally inflated, so MOST people here wind up eating 50% - 75% of their calories back.
Why is that important? Because MFP by default broadcasts this information to everyone on your friends list. It's not exactly "bragging" when the application decides everyone needs to know this.
As far as I'm concerned, it's easier to just leave the (clearly inaccurate) MFP burns on and let the app tell my friends I did something today, even if we can all just assume that number is flat out wrong. The number isn't what is important to me, it's that I got off my behind. I can only assume there are many other people who are as unmotivated as I am to carefully curate our MFP feed information.
Now, in response to the Facebook thing:
It looks like many of your friends have downloaded some obnoxious app that broadcasts their fitness tracking on facebook. Just as with the MFP news feeds, the information sent out is likely automatic and not really "bragging" per se. I suggest you ignore that app. If it doesn't work, start hiding their messages about it, and the Facebook algorithm will pick up on that and hide them for you.
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Yeah, the thousand calorie burn discussion feels like a bit of a derail, tbh.
On the subject of the people claiming crazy weight loss - I'm not on Facebook, and I'll be honest, I'm a tiny bit shocked by this. I've heard of the phenomenon of people lying on fb to make themselves look good, but I didn't realise it gets as blatant as that. I'd at least block that person, possibly unfriend them, and it would affect how I perceived them irl, too. I'd lose respect for them. How can people not realise how bad it looks?
But if that were all, I would just ignore it. The upsetting part is what OP says about it confusing others and causing them to give up. The idea that weight loss should be fast and effortless has to be one of the biggest barriers to most people achieving their goals, and this sort of thing is definitely part of the problem! What's going on with it - are people getting some kind of kickback from it? The screenshot above certainly looks like the info was auto-generated by some kind of marketing tool.3 -
TrailNurse wrote: »I have people on my MFP feed that claim that they burn 1,000 calories doing cardio. Whatever!
The statement above ..in a discussion forum, implies, that it is all but impossible to burn 1000 calories doing cardio. It does not imply, that only her friends are making the claim..it is not about feeling attacked or being defensive.
People make "claims" and /or statements on here all the time..and people post, when they feel the statement is wrong or misleading. Her "whatever" quote and use of people "claim" they burn 1000 calories..really says..she thinks it is impossible.
If you can't see that..stop being defensive in defending her statement? Cuz that is what you are doing Mentali..attacking other posters ..and defending her? Are you feeling attacked? Aren't you being defensive? and titchy?
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I can easily burn that doing 90 - 120 mins of rigorous cardio.TrailNurse wrote: »I have people on my MFP feed that claim that they burn 1,000 calories doing cardio. Whatever!2 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »Yeah, the thousand calorie burn discussion feels like a bit of a derail, tbh.
I agree. The OP wasn't questioning whether it's possible to burn 1000 caories, yet an offhand comment has become the focus of this thread for some reason.
I'm personally not a FB fan because of all the stuff that irritates me daily. There's a guy or two on my FB right now whose goal is to lose as much weight as fast as possible. They have to advertise their weekly weigh ins and constantly update about their diets. I don't say anything because A.) They didn't ask. B.) It isn't my business and C.) I'm likely to get the same type of responses as people do on here when they advise new members not to lose weight so fast. Stuff like: "Those people who say you shouldn't lose 5 lbs a week are just a bunch of jealous haters!", etc...no thanks. We all either learn, or we don't. In the meantime, the Unfollow option is there for a reason.
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I have one weight loss MLM person on my friends list who posts other people's progress pictures several times a week. I finally caught on that these were not 'clients' but pictures she was finding on Google. I didn't call her out but I did mention that I recognized one of the pictures she posted was Drew Manning (the fit to fat to fit guy).
Most of my friends don't go into details about weight loss unless they hit a big milestone or post the occasional gym selfie.2 -
dragon_girl26 wrote: »CattOfTheGarage wrote: »Yeah, the thousand calorie burn discussion feels like a bit of a derail, tbh.
I agree. The OP wasn't questioning whether it's possible to burn 1000 caories, yet an offhand comment has become the focus of this thread for some reason.
I'm personally not a FB fan because of all the stuff that irritates me daily. There's a guy or two on my FB right now whose goal is to lose as much weight as fast as possible. They have to advertise their weekly weigh ins and constantly update about their diets. I don't say anything because A.) They didn't ask. B.) It isn't my business and C.) I'm likely to get the same type of responses as people do on here when they advise new members not to lose weight so fast. Stuff like: "Those people who say you shouldn't lose 5 lbs a week are just a bunch of jealous haters!", etc...no thanks. We all either learn, or we don't. In the meantime, the Unfollow option is there for a reason.
That happens a lot. It's kind of how conversations tend to flow.
Trying to control how the conversation plays out also tends to be pretty ineffective and also becomes more of a derail.I have one weight loss MLM person on my friends list who posts other people's progress pictures several times a week. I finally caught on that these were not 'clients' but pictures she was finding on Google. I didn't call her out but I did mention that I recognized one of the pictures she posted was Drew Manning (the fit to fat to fit guy).
Most of my friends don't go into details about weight loss unless they hit a big milestone or post the occasional gym selfie.
That's kind of hilarious. I probably would have been OMG, I love him or something like that.3 -
If I posted on face book that I had burnt 1000 cals everyone would just assume the Sunday roast had gone up in flames again.
Cheers, h.47 -
I have one weight loss MLM person on my friends list who posts other people's progress pictures several times a week. I finally caught on that these were not 'clients' but pictures she was finding on Google. I didn't call her out but I did mention that I recognized one of the pictures she posted was Drew Manning (the fit to fat to fit guy).
Most of my friends don't go into details about weight loss unless they hit a big milestone or post the occasional gym selfie.
That's kind of hilarious. I probably would have been OMG, I love him or something like that. [/quote]
That's pretty much what I did. I also made sure to mention that the 'before' picture was actually his during picture since he gained the weight on purpose.
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Do any of you see people on your friends list on social media, like Facebook, talking about their weekly weight loss and want to call them out?
I have a few that started the last few months and they posted their first week weight loss, one being 17 lbs another 10 lbs....
Must be selling wraps or juice/smoothies. They all are losing tons of weight and it all works amazing...'cept the people selling it mostly stay overweight too. Hmmmm..
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xjessicaxrx wrote: »I keep seeing these and dying to comment! Absolute nonsense LOL
OMG you have waaaay more restraint than I do! Is that farcical? Metabolic age of a 12 year old? Do people believe this stuff?
Yeah, I would be losing friends left and right. I'm glad the worst thing I see is the occasional cabbage soup diet posts (and oddly enough <snark> I never see updates about how much water they regained after their liquid starvation diet is over... Hmmm.. Wonder why that is...)
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