annoyed...striving to be thin?

Crystal_R84

Okay so I am annoyed and just venting...

so I read a ton of posts throughout the week and I often see some profile names that resemble an unhealthy trend like wanting to be "light as a feather" or "super thin" as a quote or goal...I just was wondering...isn't MFP for those to be healthy? I've come across profiles with people with bones sticking out with wanting to be thinner! REALLLY??? Because the last time I checked being "super thin" or stickly looking is not healthy...I just hope we are all on here to become healthy or stay healthy in all areas whether you are recovering from an eating disorder or want to become a normal healthy size for your height and frame...so that's my vent for the day.

sarad777

I watched the Victorias Secret fashion show last night. I would love to look like that - with exception of one or two I thought were quite underweight. I do about 1 hour of cardio each day and am fairly thin. I consider myself in good shape and healthy. However, other people consider muscular to be a better look. Each to their own opinion. :-)

bitterbrownie

i understand your vent, and yes, MFP HELPS people to be healthy

however, it is each to their own, and if they wish to be unhealthy, than that is their choice and as long as they don't inflict it upon others then they can do as they please...

jessicanickell

I agree, it is annoying and I'm not overweight, just trying to be healthier. I can understand how it would be frustrating to people who are overweight and are trying to shed a few pounds and be healthier and see some bags of bones who are trying to lose weight for the sake of losing weight. I just roll my eyes and hope those who have reason to shed some pounds and get healthier keep on going.

benihanagirl

Part of it may also be MFP's design. It's designed for people to lose weight. I wish there were a setting so you could tell it to not congratulate you for going under calories or for gaining a pound if you're trying to gain or maintaining from a gain. I know I set my goal weight at 125 when I started, and weighed in at 124.5. When I lost the .5 one week, it congratulated me. However, when I hit 125, it didn't say anything. The sidebar seems to be auto set with ____ lbs lost. /shrug I know it's not the same thing as the person who is too thin who wants to be thinner, but the site does seem to assume that you want to lose.

sarahkenna13

I'm pretty sure in the MFP rules, it says you're not allowed to post pictures or "pro-anorexic" posts/images... though I'm not sure exactly how much of it is monitored.

neanderthin

There's millions of stories in the big city, and this is just one of them.

lawtechie

Part of it may also be MFP's design. It's designed for people to lose weight. I wish there were a setting so you could tell it to not congratulate you for going under calories or for gaining a pound if you're trying to gain or maintaining from a gain. I know I set my goal weight at 125 when I started, and weighed in at 124.5. When I lost the .5 one week, it congratulated me. However, when I hit 125, it didn't say anything. The sidebar seems to be auto set with ____ lbs lost. /shrug I know it's not the same thing as the person who is too thin who wants to be thinner, but the site does seem to assume that you want to lose.

I'd say MFP is designed to track food and fitness not only to lose weight. In a profile set up you can aim to 1) maintain weight, 2) gain 1 lb/week, 3) lose 1/2, 1 or 2 lbs per week. The ticker then would just say whether you lost or gained depending on your goals. I have seen a handful of people on here who want to gain but then I've seen some 'recovering' anorexics looking to lose 20+ lbs and others looking to lose their fat , like me.

jkmurphy06

I agree that there is a flaw with MFP in that it encourages or actually bases it's daily nutrition goals on losing weight. I met my target weight a couple wks ago, but I still want to tone up and maintain a healthy body and diet. When I didn't change my goal weight to a lower one it changed my target calorie goal to like 600 more. I have a feeling that my weight wouldn't be maintained if I upped my calorie intake and didn't change my exercising habits. It's also a bit irritating that it doesn't some how reward you more on inches lost etc. If I gain muscle, yet lose fat and inches it might seem on the surface that nothing has changed.

Oh well I guess we just have to keep ourselves grounded and know that having a rail thin goal weight is not a healthy approach to living. I'm happy at my current weight and I know I couldn't have done it with out the help of MFP and my support community. Thanks! Good luck everyone, keep up the good work!

Crystal_R84

Thanks for the responses I just think maybe MFP like you all have mentioned should make an adjustment allowing people to want to gain weight not just lose. =-)

CMmrsfloyd

Thanks for the responses I just think maybe MFP like you all have mentioned should make an adjustment allowing people to want to gain weight not just lose. =-)

MFP has options for people who want to maintain weight as well as people who want to gain. You can go into your profile and select 'maintain' or 'gain 1 lb per week' and I think also 'gain 2 lb per week' (can't remember if the gain 2 lb option is there or if I'm just imagining it, but there is definitely a 'gain' setting). There are people here recovering from eating disorders, maintaining healthy weight, trying to gain muscle, and even pregnant women using the site to help manage healthy weight gain. It's there for those that need to use it. :-)

However, MFP is a tool, and people use the same tool in different ways. Some people are here to use it in a healthy way, some have goals that are not within the range of what others would consider healthy but are using the tool anyway.

benihanagirl

MFP has options for people who want to maintain weight as well as people who want to gain. You can go into your profile and select 'maintain' or 'gain 1 lb per week' and I think also 'gain 2 lb per week' (can't remember if the gain 2 lb option is there or if I'm just imagining it, but there is definitely a 'gain' setting). There are people here recovering from eating disorders, maintaining healthy weight, trying to gain muscle, and even pregnant women using the site to help manage healthy weight gain. It's there for those that need to use it. :-)

I don't disagree that there are settings for the calorie counting tools for those who want to gain weight. I'm saying that MFP privileges weight loss. Go look the home page (log out) and see what the emphasis is. Even if you want to gain weight, the sidebar will always say "Weight loss tracker" with "___ lbs lost." It will never congratulate you on a gain, but it will congratulate on eating under your caloric need, even if that means eating much, much below. In fact, when I signed up, I was at 124, wanted to be 125, and the dropdown menu for "goal" had "RECOMMENDED" next to "Lose 1 lb per week."

However, MFP is a tool, and people use the same tool in different ways. Some people are here to use it in a healthy way, some have goals that are not within the range of what others would consider healthy but are using the tool anyway.

I agree. However, I guess I'm sensitive to the semantics because I study rhetoric, so these things jump off the page to me, so to speak. I'm not offended (obviously, I use the site), but I do think it's important to see the message that's being sent.

CMmrsfloyd

I do agree that if someone sets up their profile striving for a gain, the site should appropriately encourage them in their goals. That part definitely is currently one-sided. And it would be really nice if the 'recommended' setting was not a default, but rather would 'recommend' something appropriate for each person's goals (like you said so it won't show 'recommended 1 lb per week loss' for someone who's trying to gain or maintain, but something that is actually appropriate for that person).

MaraDiaz

I don't get irritated by people who want to look like Victoria's Secret models because it's perfectly understandable and I've been there. I live in the US, a miserable, competitive, and brutal society where even basic needs are disregarded in the interest of the free market.

On top of that, women still aren't on equal footing with men financially or socially. Women across the board are less likely to find mentors in their chosen careers because less women hold positions of power from which they can mentor, and it's rare that a male will mentor a female.

Now add discrimination based on attractiveness. Both kinds exist, actually, if you're too attractive, you better librarian it up for that job interview, and of course if you're not attractive, you're less likely to get hired.

The horrible reality is, the way we look matters. It opens doors or slams them in our faces. It's an ugly world, and it's even uglier if you are ugly. Sad but true. Suck it up, suck it in, and fight for whatever you can get, that's the way of it.