Some posts on MFP are starting to concern me

I think it depends on how much weight you have to lose like with me i have well over 100lbs to go so i tend to set myself higher goals than say somone with 20lbs to lose but as my weight loss continues i will ajust my goals accordingly.

I am so proud of you!! WOOT for losing almost 30 pounds already!!:drinker:

My concern with low calorie intake at a high weight is: Where will you go when you have 20-30 pounds to go? If your body is already used to 1200-1400 calories, you will have to add a LOT of cardio to continue losing weight. I did this. Went down to 1200 without eating my exercise cals when I started here at around 170.

I was so happy to lose 2 pounds a week. But once I was down 10-15 pounds........my weight loss came to a screeching halt.

So all I am saying is, keep this in mind and maybe stagger the calorie intake.

Again your doing a wonderful job!! :drinker:

Thanx for the input.....I started my first few weeks at 1300 cal to kick start my weight loss but then have added 50 every week, so I am now up to 1550 with the aim of going to 1600 (my suggested intake) I know this may not work for everyone but I am pleased to say for me it has so far.
Thanx for the words of encouragement.:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

I agree. I also don't like the people on here telling people to give up bread or whatever. What does that accomplish? You lose weight but are you supposed to do without bread for the rest of your life? I agree we should try for whole grain choices and those that have fiber in them but are you really supposed to give up an entire food group (the one you're supposed to get most of your cals from) for the rest of your life?

I agree with you as long as you're not talking about posts that may involve people talking about eating gluten or wheat-free. I've seen posts recently where people were utterly slammed for suggesting that someone who is having digestive issues might want to look at cutting out gluten. Gluten and Wheat allergies are very prominent. It doesn't mean that they're not eating carbs... just that they're eating rice, potatos and beans instead of wheat, cereal and bread.

No I'm not talking about that. I know people who have gastro disorders and can't have gluten. I'm talking about people eating 700 cals a day and advising their friends to give up bread to lose weight.

I totally agree..


BUMP

So let them come........we are here to show them how it should be done and help them in their journey to make life altering changes.

I agree with you, Banks!!! Kerri, you too - you are an absolute inspiration. Jeannie, does however, have an interesting perspective. The thing I love about MFP is the level of personal accountability. Through using the tools, we can learn HOW to eat - good, nutrient dense foods, healthy portions, etc.

I think one thing we - who are of the same mind - can do is to stay proactive. Obviously, we cannot police every one of our friends, but when we start to notice something, speak up (in an encouraging, positive way.)

**I've especially noticed a disturbing trend with my friends. When someone logs in and it says they were "under their calorie goal," they receive lauds and accolades. I thought the idea was to remain within a few calories of your goal, and that eating healthily was the main objective. It seems that we're promoting calorie deficits. Honestly, when I first read that someone was below their goal, I thought, "Wow, gotcha...." - then the congratulations started in and I had to take a step back. Maybe, I'll be the first to promote a new trend, and call people out on their deficits. :laugh:

Are others noticing this trend with the daily log, or am I merely overreacting?

Well a goal is never bad. As long as they're doing it safely and taking care of themselves. I've seen people lose a lot of weight the healthy way by their goal. And even if they dont, they still keep on. A goal is just motivation. This topic is almost funny because without a motivation who would be here trying?

I am one that needs to lose alot of weight. But I knnow that it won't come off quick. I have finally realized I need to eat better AND exercise.

It won't come off over night. I am happy if I lose 1 pound a week. These people that think it will come off fast...it won't trust me I have tried. If you lose alot quickly you will gain it back plus more.

Just my 2 cents coming from a dieter that has tried everything.

Sara

**I've especially noticed a disturbing trend with my friends. When someone logs in and it says they were "under their calorie goal," they receive lauds and accolades. I thought the idea was to remain within a few calories of your goal, and that eating healthily was the main objective. It seems that we're promoting calorie deficits. Honestly, when I first read that someone was below their goal, I thought, "Wow, gotcha...." - then the congratulations started in and I had to take a step back. Maybe, I'll be the first to promote a new trend, and call people out on their deficits. :laugh:

Are others noticing this trend with the daily log, or am I merely overreacting?

I definitely see where this could be a problem. I have thought about it too - since it doesn't let the friends know by how much is the person under. It could be by 5, 50 or by 500 cals and would have the same message displayed. That is where it would concern me. I just hope that people are eating healthy and staying close to their calorie goals.

I rarely "complete" my day because of this. I don't think it's right that people are being praised for being under. And if you go over your caloires the message is different so *gasp* everyone knows you went over your calories!!! I think the feed is a great tool to get feedback and motivation, but I think they still need to work on it some. I think that it would be better served to have a calorie range instead of a set point of calories. Some people tend to put too much stock in getting that exact number or just below. If I'm given 1680 calories a day and I eat 1650 or 1750, it isn't a huge difference either way.

I haven't read through all the response here yet, but I agree with you, Banks. I've all but stopped even posting on random threads because of it (I mean, not that there's anything really lost by that :laugh:). All of the "I don't care if this is healthy, but can I still lose weight doing it" posts are alarming.

I just can't wrap my head around someone not wanting to be healthy. :ohwell:
Really? You care more about what the scale says than being healthy? You'd rather be sickly skinny and malnourished than fit? I don't get it.

I'm concerned about the number of posts that are being posted about "short cuts", eating under 1200 calories, etc. and I think they should be monitored closely and closed if they are going the wrong way. Like the post last week where someone was looking for foods that have a laxative effect... people kept giving her ideas! Seriously?

Totally agree, it was concerning enough that somebody thought it was a good idea to lose weight in that way. I was alarmed when people started giving tips! :noway:

Interesting topic. I know for me, I posted once when frustrated that after eating perfect (right on calorie goal) for over a week, I had not really seen a loss that week. I received fabulous advice about how our bodies work and that was just a normal part of the weight loss cycle. I know in the past when putting forth that much effort I had seen much faster results on the scale BUT i had never stuck with it as long as MFP. So while my post may have looked like i was dying for super fast unhealthy weight loss, its not the case. It was just me being suprised with the descrapancy between my effort and the scale number. The support on this site is what kept me on this awesome healthy program. I have not lost as fast as i initially had hoped, but am super pleased with progress none the less and have overcome many hurdles (some emotional eating, checking NI online before eating out, figuring out good restaurant choices, sodium, removing carbs before bed, finding some kickass recipes) and know these changes are for LIFE now. So while some may do it the 'wrong' way, you can only hope they will come back and read as much as I did, and realize what the 'right' way is, cause it does work!.

A few people in my life have recently lost large amounts of weight quickly. It hurt a bit when they got all the attention for their weight loss and few noticed mine, when i know i'm doing it the proper way, but what do you do (i did not let it get me down and it hasn't changed anything i have done). I hope in a year I'll be the one being asked what i am doing... while that person has either figured out the right way to keep it off or has gained it back. I find short term fast loss SCARY.