Attack of the Newbies

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2

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  • mrsdizzyd84
    mrsdizzyd84 Posts: 422 Member
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    You assume that people don't have experience with this stuff before they join MFP.

    I, for instance, have been counting calories since about 2004, yet I only joined here in November 2011. In addition, I haven't been overweight my whole life. I've played sports and so on for much of my life up to the last 5-7 years. In other words, you can't judge a person's level of expertise/knowledge base just by looking at the date they joined MFP.
  • kebab69
    kebab69 Posts: 6
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    I actually don't use the MFP forums they make me angry, mainly comments like this one. Who are you to assume you know how much someone else knows, people are entitled to their own ideas based on what they have read it's there for your information if you choose to ignore it thats your right. People post on forums because they want help advice or ideas others supply them. Get of your high horse love. You should be welcoming newbies if you have issue with something they say quiz it don't slag them of for it, you might learn something new :huh:
  • bigredhearts
    bigredhearts Posts: 428
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    i see your point however, i must say that this goes for ALL members, there are very few who even have enough education to give advice, and with hundreds of "drs, trainers, health gurus" saying different things who knows who to believe. just do the best you can, learn the most you can, be healthy and smart, and do what works best for you. i say offer the advice, but dont act like a know it all who is in scrunity of all methods and weight loss information that doesnt specifically fit the one you follow. ps, dont act like the newbies asking questions gets on your nerves. its YOUR choice to view the forums and its content. At one point, what you think you know, all stemmed from a question or search for knowledge.
  • invisibubble
    invisibubble Posts: 662 Member
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    I agree with you to a point. Just because someone just found & joined MFP doesn't mean that they are new to fitness or nutrition. They may have expertise and advice that is way beyond just being a member of a forum for over a year.

    Quite, but I'll add this: Some "new" people have just made another account, even. I've seen enough "veteran" members giving out stupid advice time and time again, also. One's newness to the site determines nothing other than their unfamiliarity to MFP and its' workings. Some people are serially awful at maintaining their figure/fitness/whatever it is they're trying to do, no matter their time spent doing it, here or elsewhere.

    Fact is, a lot of the fitness/diet thing is a very personal thing. What reacts terribly for one will be just the thing for another and all advice is just speculation to some extent anyway, informed or not.

    The stupid know-it-all attitude and bad advice thing goes hand-in-hand not with newbies, with MFP, but with the internet. Sad, but trueness.
  • techigirl78
    techigirl78 Posts: 128 Member
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    I posted something just yesterday and a number of users bashed me telling me to get my facts straight and basically saying I need to get educated. However, the information I provided was from my doctor. I thought about responding to their comments, but I come here for support and share things. Not to bash people or think I'm better then others regardless of when they joined or how much weight they have lost or what they currently weigh. I believe the people who did it were not new either. Anyways, it irritated me, but whatever.
  • mrb_9110
    mrb_9110 Posts: 189 Member
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    Some people are natural "know-it-alls" and they've always had a drive to share all they know with the world. :) patience and time can/may help them... :)
    ^This is what I was talking about. I guess I should have been more clear, or have known that people were going to misinterpret what I meant in the OP (hence the disclaimer). I'm talking about the know-it-all people who are supporting completely false ideas in the forums, or reiterating well-known and commonly discussed items like they are the first person to have come up with it.
  • ishallnotwant
    ishallnotwant Posts: 1,210 Member
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    Some people are natural "know-it-alls" and they've always had a drive to share all they know with the world. :) patience and time can/may help them... :)
    ^This is what I was talking about. I guess I should have been more clear, or have known that people were going to misinterpret what I meant in the OP (hence the disclaimer). I'm talking about the know-it-all people who are supporting completely false ideas in the forums, or reiterating well-known and commonly discussed items like they are the first person to have come up with it.

    Often, the reason for re-iterating said 'well-known and commonly discussed items' is because someone comes on the forums yet again and asks. I think it's nice that some people have the patience to explain stuff over and over again for newbies who may not have been here for the other discussions and don't know about such "common knowledge".
  • mrb_9110
    mrb_9110 Posts: 189 Member
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    Okay people, like I said, this was a rant, more to get this frustration of mine off my chest than anything else. Quit taking stuff personally or directing your comments back at me personally. It was a generalization (i.e. not meant to include every member of said group).

    I know that there are people out there who have been at this weight loss thing for a long time, but have just recently joined mfp, or had to create a new account, or people who have been mfp-ers forever and still don't know squat. I just know that IN GENERAL the people who have been on mfp longer GENERALLY offer better, more even-keeled advice than other people, specific to mfp forums. I am not saying anyone who is new is stupid or uneducated or anything else.
  • mrb_9110
    mrb_9110 Posts: 189 Member
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    Some people are natural "know-it-alls" and they've always had a drive to share all they know with the world. :) patience and time can/may help them... :)
    ^This is what I was talking about. I guess I should have been more clear, or have known that people were going to misinterpret what I meant in the OP (hence the disclaimer). I'm talking about the know-it-all people who are supporting completely false ideas in the forums, or reiterating well-known and commonly discussed items like they are the first person to have come up with it.

    Often, the reason for re-iterating said 'well-known and commonly discussed items' is because someone comes on the forums yet again and asks. I think it's nice that some people have the patience to explain stuff over and over again for newbies who may not have been here for the other discussions and don't know about such "common knowledge".
    And that would be where the search function comes into play. I'm not the only one this annoys.
  • mznisaelaine
    mznisaelaine Posts: 2,262 Member
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    I agree with you to a point. Just because someone just found & joined MFP doesn't mean that they are new to fitness or nutrition. They may have expertise and advice that is way beyond just being a member of a forum for over a year.

    Agreed - It will be a year since I've been on MFP and stil don't know have the stuff everyone else know regarding nutrition/fitness etc.

    Sounds like old regular members of MFP are a little territorial....
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,024 Member
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    When I was "new" to MFP, I certainly wasn't new to dieting or eating healthy, so my opinion might have been helpful to some.

    Also, when one is new to MFP, he doesn't realize that a topic has been discussed over and over and over on the forums.

    HOWEVER
    The Heckling is really NOT ok! I have no idea why people have to be so mean just because they are posting anonymously on the internet. Oh wait -- I know why people are so mean -- it's because they are posting anonymously on the internet.
  • scapez
    scapez Posts: 2,018 Member
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    Okay people, like I said, this was a rant, more to get this frustration of mine off my chest than anything else. Quit taking stuff personally or directing your comments back at me personally. It was a generalization (i.e. not meant to include every member of said group).

    I know that there are people out there who have been at this weight loss thing for a long time, but have just recently joined mfp, or had to create a new account, or people who have been mfp-ers forever and still don't know squat. I just know that IN GENERAL the people who have been on mfp longer GENERALLY offer better, more even-keeled advice than other people, specific to mfp forums. I am not saying anyone who is new is stupid or uneducated or anything else.

    You don't have many posts under your belt, so you may or may not realize this, but a post like this one will ALWAYS stir up a heated discussion and the OP of posts like this will ALWAYS get blasted.

    There is no way to 'rant' against a particular group like this whilst avoiding the blast. Regardless of how badly you wish to vent, it's a smart idea to not do it here. Unless, of course, you're unfazed by the blast.
  • JCN_1103
    JCN_1103 Posts: 63
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    some people may have started over fresh, therefore not really a newby after all. I know I did, therefore I lost my original start date. Not that that is an excuse for why people act the way they do, but maybe they do know stuff? Or, once an asshat....?

    I know nothing and I'm an asshat. But, I've been around much longer than this profile will tell you.
  • CallmeSbo
    CallmeSbo Posts: 611 Member
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    you-must-be-new-here-willy-wonka.jpg?1322247093
    lol
  • committomittxoxo
    committomittxoxo Posts: 339 Member
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    OP: This isn't necessarily directed toward you.. and btw, I think you're very pretty. :) Just a general response to the subject….

    --I do think (as a newbie) it doesn't take more than 5 minutes to realize how intense and heated the threads can get in here and it can be difficult to not want to jump in and add your 2 cents.

    For example: In my first week on here I got involved in one of these heated exchanges over Diet Coke, of all things.. And while it was frustrating and I got shredded by other more 'senior' members.. I actually learned something...

    They were telling me there's nothing wrong with Diet Coke.. and I was saying, even though I drink it, it can have negative effects on weight loss goals.. et cetera.. So upon suggestion of these other members.. I actually researched it myself! This is embarrassing but I literally spent a combined 4 or 5 hours (My winter break from school, lol) sifting through medical research websites and countless .org's and .edu's because I REALLY wanted a legitimate answer to these questions! What I ended up finding is there is actually no published research yet to suggest that neither I the freshman, nor they, the seniors, were 'right.' Basically, these studies have been completed, but the controversy is too new to find any solid evidence or published studies to settle the argument.

    The moral of this story is that we were both simply trying to help. It didn’t really matter who found the site first or who’s the biggest, baddest, chest thumping MFP user. We just happened to fall on either side of a controversial topic and we wanted to stand up for our opinions. I guess I can mentally bump the feed and revisit it 10 years from now, when the research has been exhausted, and check to see who gets the point for the ‘win.’ But bottom line, unless people are citing their posts with peer reviewed scholarly articles, a lot of the information on here should be considered opinion, personal experience, or commonly regarded opinions and theories on a subject--- Regardless of the poster.

    I agree that some people on here, and in life, could benefit from working on their delivery and general social skills.. But, *eh,* maybe that’s why they’re sitting behind a computer screen in the first place. I guess I just try to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that their intention wasn’t to annoy everyone or to muddy up the forums.. Because MFP can be fun and educational when used properly and I don’t blame anyone, whether they are a freshman, sophomore, etc., for wanting to be a part of it.

    *Please don’t yell at me for this post either, it’s really coming from a place of love.. :flowerforyou: I honestly just thought my valuable ‘learning experience’ might help someone else… * i.e. This would fall under the category of personal experience/opinion. *

    Cheers!
  • naastrodamus
    naastrodamus Posts: 14
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    I'm not a doctor, but I did join an online forum last year...

    Superb :)

    Groucho Marx said "I would never join a club that would have me as a member".

    Really, folks. You might have been on this site for 3 years and have lost 300 lbs in the meantime, but that in and of itself does not make you an expert at weight loss. No more than just joining this site makes you a 'newbie' with no experience whatsoever.
  • reaolliemama
    reaolliemama Posts: 489 Member
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    I've been here for nearly a year and find that it's not just newbs who tout poor advice as fact.

    ^^^^THIS^^^^:bigsmile:
  • ishallnotwant
    ishallnotwant Posts: 1,210 Member
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    Some people are natural "know-it-alls" and they've always had a drive to share all they know with the world. :) patience and time can/may help them... :)
    ^This is what I was talking about. I guess I should have been more clear, or have known that people were going to misinterpret what I meant in the OP (hence the disclaimer). I'm talking about the know-it-all people who are supporting completely false ideas in the forums, or reiterating well-known and commonly discussed items like they are the first person to have come up with it.

    Often, the reason for re-iterating said 'well-known and commonly discussed items' is because someone comes on the forums yet again and asks. I think it's nice that some people have the patience to explain stuff over and over again for newbies who may not have been here for the other discussions and don't know about such "common knowledge".
    And that would be where the search function comes into play. I'm not the only one this annoys.

    Then personally, I think maybe you get annoyed too easily. If other people have the patience and love to keep explaining to the newer people, why in the world should it annoy you?
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    Most of the newbie issues come down to this:

    356c1k.jpg

    There will always be people with bigger mouths than brains. This is independent of newb status also, unfortunately.
  • Aperture_Science
    Aperture_Science Posts: 840 Member
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    I agree with you to a point. Just because someone just found & joined MFP doesn't mean that they are new to fitness or nutrition. They may have expertise and advice that is way beyond just being a member of a forum for over a year.

    That is a good point and applies to me. I've only been on MFP since January but I was a member of another fitness/calorie monitoring site for three years prior to that.

    Having said that I kind of see what the OPs is saying also.

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