Some posts on MFP are starting to concern me

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  • chulie
    chulie Posts: 282
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    Things like "Biggest Loser" competitions at work are appalling to me. OK I get that they are trying, but still, really, there's gotta be SOMEONE in the office that has basic nutritional knowledge that will speak up. I know that in my office if they ever tried to start that, I'd smack it down with a vengeance! In fact, I offered (and will be starting after my vacation) a 1/2 hour lunch and learn in my office once every other week covering a different topic every session. The first one will be Basic Nutrition, the second Exercises to keep you healthy in a office environment, it'll get more specific from there. If anyone wants to offer up something like this, I can give you my notes after each one, it's a great thing to do, and you don't need to be an expert to do it, as long as people know you aren't an expert, it's fine to do this stuff, more like communal learning with a team leader than teaching.

    Actually...I kinda disagree with this....my "biggest loser" competition was within my family...I am the single most competitive person on the planet... I needed SOMETHING to jump start my weight loss.. It was my sister, her husband, my husband and myself against eachother. This also got my husband on it as welll so we could eat healthy together. The things I learned during that 2 months promoted me to continue even after and have kept it off for well over a year. It was a life changer for me because once I'd lost the weight, i refused to go back...that was my choice and MY hard work to keep it up on my own....
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Actually...I kinda disagree with this....my "biggest loser" competition was within my family...I am the single most competitive person on the planet... I needed SOMETHING to jump start my weight loss.. It was my sister, her husband, my husband and myself against eachother. This also got my husband on it as welll so we could eat healthy together. The things I learned during that 2 months promoted me to continue even after and have kept it off for well over a year. It was a life changer for me because once I'd lost the weight, i refused to go back...that was my choice and MY hard work to keep it up on my own....

    I think it's fine if that's what motivates you, but it doesn't change the idea that "Biggest Loser" type competitions don't encourage healthy weight loss, and while some one offs can be helped by this type of program (a one off is basically an exception to the rule), the concept in general promotes the wrong ideas IMHO. As I said in a subsequent post, if the Biggest Loser competition is augmented with things like nutrition discussions and classes, and proper exercise techniques, then I'm fine with it, but to just put out a prize for the person who has the lowest percentage of weight loss is no better than handing out diet pills IMHO. Remember that there is plenty of research out there to back up the fact that "diets" that force fast weight loss without enforcing proper nutrition and adherence techniques lead to a 90% long term failure rate, and 50% of that 90% actually gains more weight than their starting weight (or maybe it's 30% of that 90%, I forget, but it's something like that).

    Whether or not this type of program works for you is incidental in the grand scheme of things, we can't base our overall opinion on what works for a small segment of the population (or at least I can't base my opinion on it, you are free to form any opinion you want).
  • chulie
    chulie Posts: 282
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    Actually...I kinda disagree with this....my "biggest loser" competition was within my family...I am the single most competitive person on the planet... I needed SOMETHING to jump start my weight loss.. It was my sister, her husband, my husband and myself against eachother. This also got my husband on it as welll so we could eat healthy together. The things I learned during that 2 months promoted me to continue even after and have kept it off for well over a year. It was a life changer for me because once I'd lost the weight, i refused to go back...that was my choice and MY hard work to keep it up on my own....

    I think it's fine if that's what motivates you, but it doesn't change the idea that "Biggest Loser" type competitions don't encourage healthy weight loss, and while some one offs can be helped by this type of program (a one off is basically an exception to the rule), the concept in general promotes the wrong ideas IMHO. As I said in a subsequent post, if the Biggest Loser competition is augmented with things like nutrition discussions and classes, and proper exercise techniques, then I'm fine with it, but to just put out a prize for the person who has the lowest percentage of weight loss is no better than handing out diet pills IMHO. Remember that there is plenty of research out there to back up the fact that "diets" that force fast weight loss without enforcing proper nutrition and adherence techniques lead to a 90% long term failure rate, and 50% of that 90% actually gains more weight than their starting weight (or maybe it's 30% of that 90%, I forget, but it's something like that).

    Whether or not this type of program works for you is incidental in the grand scheme of things, we can't base our overall opinion on what works for a small segment of the population (or at least I can't base my opinion on it, you are free to form any opinion you want).

    Hmmm..i guess my question would be then, how did that person win? Was it by quick fixes? Cause I definitely won my competiton...but the only way I did was counting my calories, learning about healthy foods, exercise and 100% lifestyle change so in mind it was, there IS no going back..............SO guess I could see how if you were just wanting to "win"...ya..not eating all day or winning by drastic measures......then of course it's not sustainable.....maybe that was the difference..all 4 of us have kept it off and continued on, but because it was all family, we said "no drastic measures"......sooo...valid point...

    I'm gonna go back to eating my ridiculously awesome spinach salad loaded with veggies now!!hahaha...
  • chulie
    chulie Posts: 282
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    You should have titled this thread "My miracle pill that helped me lose weight"....I bet WAAAY more people who NEED to be reading this would be!!! HAHAHAHA..
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    You should have titled this thread "My miracle pill that helped me lose weight"....I bet WAAAY more people who NEED to be reading this would be!!! HAHAHAHA..

    LOL! that's actually not a bad thought. Interesting to say the least.
  • simona1972
    simona1972 Posts: 355 Member
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    I think it's fine if that's what motivates you, but it doesn't change the idea that "Biggest Loser" type competitions don't encourage healthy weight loss...

    I agree with you on this. I work in an office where a group of women are always doing a "Biggest Loser" competition every few months. None of them need to lose weight. They're all a size 0-2. I'll walk by and see their lunches - a handful of iceberg lettuce. I havent said anything about it but there are times when I think I should go to HR. What irks me the most is that their manager is encouraging it.
  • mromnek
    mromnek Posts: 325
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    Banks... thanks for starting this thread... even though it took forever to get to the bottom! :laugh:
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    Case in point - 2 threads from yesterday... "Is there something wrong with me?" and "I'm not loosing". Someone explain this to me... how in the world do you spend any time at all on this site and think that you're doing "everything right" - if you are eating 700-1000 calories a day? WHY would other people encourage that?

    I'm generally pretty kind on the message boards... and I just about lost it yesterday.
  • mromnek
    mromnek Posts: 325
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    With regards to the Biggest Loser... I was on my exercise bike last night, and watched the show for the first time ever. I was appalled at a few things.

    First off, I HATE "reality" shows because of all the scheming and plotting. What did this show have, but about 50% of the content was plotting and scheming. I would really have like to see more about exercise and nutrition. I really don't give an RA about jr. high drama.

    Secondly, when you get to the weigh-in's, the person who lost 1 pound in a week was not celebrated. I wanted to see more on the guy who conquered the steps going to the weigh-in platform.

    Finally, it is the whole cycle of crash dieting that has this country growing obese. It is the slow burn that is lasting. It is the modification of behaviors that is lasting. These people are exercising for how many hours a day? What is their calorie deficit? These people are literally starving themselves in order to have the highest weight loss. They are doing every trick in the book to boost this weight loss. What message is it sending people?

    Banks... I understand your condemnation of the whole BL concept. :grumble:

    My tag-line says that in necessary things we have unity. I believe that the (self-evident) position of MyFITNESSpal is about fitness and health, so we must necessarily oppose unhealthy things. Likewise we must support healthy things.

    I think that with the whole BL issue, the healthy aspects (weight loss in general, outlet to educate about nutrition and fitness, etc...) should be highlighted and the unhealthy aspects (extreme WL goals, crash dieting, etc...) should be discouraged.
  • EmilysMommy
    EmilysMommy Posts: 78 Member
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    I am 20 years old, I would love to lose alot of weight in a short amount of time, but it's not as easy as everyone(the younger ones) are trying to make it sound! Nor is it safe! I have 80 pounds to lose maybe more, I gave myself 8 months to do it in, but now I realize that it is coming off very slowly, I have been on here for one month and I have lost 5 pounds, I did look at that and say to myself man this sucks, and I wanted to give up, then I started reading some of the success stories and other posting on here, and I realized that 5 pounds in one month is good, it is still 5 pounds less than what I was in the beginning. I have lost two inches around my waist as well, I wasn't the one to come on here and say i'm gonna lose 80 pounds in 2 weeks an just be done, but I do know some people who try to do that! If I have lost 80 pounds after my 8 months are over that is great, but if I didn't then oh well, I will just have to keep going until I meet my goal!
  • whyflysouth
    whyflysouth Posts: 308 Member
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    this is a good discussion. Here's my 2 cents on it: MFP is getting much more popular on the internets. Because of how effective this site is, more and more are flocking to it and with that comes more of these "quick fix" people as most people who first start getting hope about losing weight hope it can be some temporary process that can be turned on, work, and then turned off like a switch.

    Honestly, a part of me feels a little like this: I've stopped drinking soda, eating deep fried foods (except that once ;) lol) but for the most part, and I've cut down on some foods that at times I just want to munch on. There's a part of me that says, don't worry, get your bf% down to 10-11% and I'll let you have some fun every once and a while.

    2. This place, and the whole internet is littered with ads like "mom loses 60 lbs in just 3 weeks by using this simple ancient rule" or some other bull@#$. The number of such ads on the internet are increasing more and more and with the biggest loser shows, etc we've all been programmed with this immediate results attitude when it comes to weight-loss. Not to mention how so many people are initially lured with the "look good in the swimsuit by this summer" nonesense and it's pretty much impossible to look good in your swimsuit by the summer if you're 30+ overweight in january. I mean I'm not even officially overweight and I don't think I'd be able to "look good by the summer" naturally given my routine.

    So either you flush-away the lose-weight-fast culture that we've been brain-washed in, or you give into it. As long as MFP keeps the role as a mental and cultural detox from unsustainable fantasy, it'll be ok.
  • lisa811
    lisa811 Posts: 363
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    I am 20 years old, I would love to lose alot of weight in a short amount of time, but it's not as easy as everyone(the younger ones) are trying to make it sound! Nor is it safe! I have 80 pounds to lose maybe more, I gave myself 8 months to do it in, but now I realize that it is coming off very slowly, I have been on here for one month and I have lost 5 pounds, I did look at that and say to myself man this sucks, and I wanted to give up, then I started reading some of the success stories and other posting on here, and I realized that 5 pounds in one month is good, it is still 5 pounds less than what I was in the beginning. I have lost two inches around my waist as well, I wasn't the one to come on here and say i'm gonna lose 80 pounds in 2 weeks an just be done, but I do know some people who try to do that! If I have lost 80 pounds after my 8 months are over that is great, but if I didn't then oh well, I will just have to keep going until I meet my goal!

    Bravo to you for "getting it"! If you give up, you could end up +5 (or more) from where you started instead of -5. Celebrate every victory, even if they seem small. Persevere through "failures" (ate too much, gained a little). Stay strong, and you WILL get there!
  • mamajoytimes2
    mamajoytimes2 Posts: 60
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    When I started here at MFP - the thing that drew me in is that it was truly something that I hadn't seen before... I'd been told to "eat right and exercise" all my life - but no one could ever tell me "HOW" or what exactly that meant. If I wanted another "diet" or fad - there are plenty of other websites to find.

    Maybe Mike needs Moderators?

    I agree with you! I wanted something REAL. On this site, I have consistently lost week-to-week. Not a huge amount, but it's consistent. It's something I've struggled with my entire adult life. I want to lose it "right now" and I have done that through many different means, but never have I had such consistent losses, while feeling great! Remember the phen-phen craze? Oh how I lost weight! And I was a zombie - everyone was concerned about me, except for me! I couldn't get up the energy to care.

    Anyway, what I love about this site the most is the positive encouragement and healthy information. That's why I keep coming back.
  • ssitari
    ssitari Posts: 13
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    I am not sure how much this will add to this topic, but after reading, I felt compelled to share my story: I was a lineman in HS and college football -- highest weight (in shape) was 300 -- size 44 waist. After I stopped playing (1997), my weight went up to 315 pounds (and was a size 48 waist). I could barely make it up a flight of stairs without losing my breath -- this was until 2001. That entire time, I would say "I'm going to make a change" and that would last all of a week, before I was right back into my old habits again.

    Around 2001, I remember that "Stacker" was the big craze. I tried it for exactly 7 days. I didn't sleep more than 2 hours a night for those 7 days, and I felt my heart race faster than I could ever explain. The day I stopped, my sleep went back to normal. That would forever scare me away from any quick fix.

    However, I was still 315...so something had to change. I consider myself a very determined person, and I decided that if I was going to lose the weight, it would have to be done as a long process. Not "how much can I lose by XXX"

    I started by simply looking at what I was eating, and researching what I was taking in and what I was burning (long before MFP). I borrowed a friend's WW book and looked at points, and using the point system, I was able to drop down to 285 in about 6 months. That was the only "fast" part of my journey (2002). However, that initial boost was all I needed to realize that it COULD be done without any help from pills. That this WAS possible, but if I stopped,I would be right back up at 315 faster than I could imagine!!

    Slowly but surely, a pound here, a pound there would come off -- all while consistently working out and eating (to what I knew) was healthy. By 2005 (3 years later), I was 230. I stayed around 230 (give or take 10 pounds) until I became a father in late 2008.

    Originally, I had a MFP account, but didn't stick with it and just went back to the routine that worked so well for me. I hit a plateau in November of 2009, and that's when I decided to re-join MFP and really write in EVERYTHING and see if it helps. I am currently weighing in at 198, a mere 13 pounds away from my BMI finally being "healthy."

    I am not looking to pump my chest on here, but I am hoping someone will read this and realize that losing weight isn't an overnight process!! It has taken me almost 10 years -- but now I am running into old teammates who don't believe me when I say I am who I am! 10 years is a long time, but I would do it all again, over and over, because I never want to be that person who can't make it up a flight of stairs ever again.

    Please, if you're reading this, don't believe the fads or hype. Pills don't help. If you lose it fast, you'll gain it back faster. Just make this a one day at a time process, and as time passes, you'll see results!

    Thanks for reading guys, and good luck in you journeys!!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    that's a great and compelling story ssitari! I commend you on your commitment and endurance! Keep up the great work! You are an inspiration!
  • lucky1ns
    lucky1ns Posts: 358 Member
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    A pound a week, that's all I ask.
  • melathon
    melathon Posts: 246 Member
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    A pound a week, that's all I ask.

    AMEN!! :drinker: Hear, hear!
  • ssitari
    ssitari Posts: 13
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    that's a great and compelling story ssitari! I commend you on your commitment and endurance! Keep up the great work! You are an inspiration!

    Thanks a lot man, very much appreciated! Good luck to you as well!
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    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.

    think the post was referring to a particular user who advocates a caveman diet...zero grains, all protein and high fat. That user can be very vocal...and inflammatory.
  • darman
    darman Posts: 269
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    I am not sure how much this will add to this topic, but after reading, I felt compelled to share my story: I was a lineman in HS and college football -- highest weight (in shape) was 300 -- size 44 waist. After I stopped playing (1997), my weight went up to 315 pounds (and was a size 48 waist). I could barely make it up a flight of stairs without losing my breath -- this was until 2001. That entire time, I would say "I'm going to make a change" and that would last all of a week, before I was right back into my old habits again.

    Around 2001, I remember that "Stacker" was the big craze. I tried it for exactly 7 days. I didn't sleep more than 2 hours a night for those 7 days, and I felt my heart race faster than I could ever explain. The day I stopped, my sleep went back to normal. That would forever scare me away from any quick fix.

    However, I was still 315...so something had to change. I consider myself a very determined person, and I decided that if I was going to lose the weight, it would have to be done as a long process. Not "how much can I lose by XXX"

    I started by simply looking at what I was eating, and researching what I was taking in and what I was burning (long before MFP). I borrowed a friend's WW book and looked at points, and using the point system, I was able to drop down to 285 in about 6 months. That was the only "fast" part of my journey (2002). However, that initial boost was all I needed to realize that it COULD be done without any help from pills. That this WAS possible, but if I stopped,I would be right back up at 315 faster than I could imagine!!

    Slowly but surely, a pound here, a pound there would come off -- all while consistently working out and eating (to what I knew) was healthy. By 2005 (3 years later), I was 230. I stayed around 230 (give or take 10 pounds) until I became a father in late 2008.

    Originally, I had a MFP account, but didn't stick with it and just went back to the routine that worked so well for me. I hit a plateau in November of 2009, and that's when I decided to re-join MFP and really write in EVERYTHING and see if it helps. I am currently weighing in at 198, a mere 13 pounds away from my BMI finally being "healthy."

    I am not looking to pump my chest on here, but I am hoping someone will read this and realize that losing weight isn't an overnight process!! It has taken me almost 10 years -- but now I am running into old teammates who don't believe me when I say I am who I am! 10 years is a long time, but I would do it all again, over and over, because I never want to be that person who can't make it up a flight of stairs ever again.

    Please, if you're reading this, don't believe the fads or hype. Pills don't help. If you lose it fast, you'll gain it back faster. Just make this a one day at a time process, and as time passes, you'll see results!

    Thanks for reading guys, and good luck in you journeys!!

    Thank you for sharing this - one that many people including myself need to read!!!!!!!

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