Does making friends and the "encouragement" really work?

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  • BoboGritt
    BoboGritt Posts: 72 Member
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    It has helped me a bunch. Guess it keeps me accountable. I also learn ideas from friends and those ideas have improved my personal plan.
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
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    Yes.
    The support system & accountability for the 5-6 weeks I've been on here I know has helped a bunch.
    Hopefully I've been able to give back some encouragement to my friends on here as well. :)
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,224 Member
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    Depends on the person and the friends I suppose. I never set foot on the forums nor did I have a single mfp friend for the first 6-8 months. I was successful because I was motivated by me and mfp was the greatest thing ever. But I started reading the forums, started posting, got me some mfp friends and that's even better. They give you a pat on the back when you need it most, and your pat on their back could totally make or break their day. I have people on my friends list that started last week, and some that have been here 2 years. So tons of knowledge and opinions and experience there-and all the enthusiasm from people just starting out. It's kind of nice to talk someone off a ledge you've stood on many times yourself. It's also great to have people to help talk you off the ledge when you can't do it yourself. I had a rough second half of 2012 - and often just seeing a "nice job" or "wtg" was enough to keep me on task (or as close as possible). My friends are also a highly entertaining bunch-which is never a bad thing. And as others have mentioned-not a single soul irl really gives two sh!ts what I eat, how many miles I run or about anything else related. They don't understand that replacing a wardrobe every month is cool-for 2 months, then it's just annoying. They will talk about grams of protien or carbs or food that is healthy and doesn't taste like moldy cardboard. And for me, sometimes the most innocuous comment from a friend really makes me think about things and ends up giving me some big revelation.

    So are friends necessary? No-I lost 60-65 of my 75 with not a friend on my list. But, I wouldn't trade my friends for anything-they absolutely enhance my life. Good luck with whatever you choose.
  • losingweightfindingme
    losingweightfindingme Posts: 109 Member
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    Absolutely!!! I find that I love having friends here because they are people who can relate to things regarding this journey that my family and roommate don't relate to. The amazing people I've friended here can relate to my occasional lack of motivation, my want for copious amounts of cake, the type of massive sugar/carb/salt binge that a run-in with an ex can induce, my feelings of being so out of shape that I would rather not work out in public, and most of all they can relate to the eternal fear of failure (again). They can relate to me and I can relate to them. Every one of my friends has something they have taught me and I love them for it. We help eachother and motivate eachother. We are eachother's cheerleaders and there is no one I can think of who is always so excited for me when i can take my belt up a notch or when I can run that extra tenth of a mile each week.

    To me, friends are what MFP is all about. I love the community here!
  • FitGuyWillDoIt
    FitGuyWillDoIt Posts: 111 Member
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    Yes. I appreciate everyone's support. THANK YOU!
  • petersonabt
    petersonabt Posts: 518 Member
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    I think it depends on your own self motivation. But some people don't have any other outlet for support and so having that here helps. I personally LOVE following others on their journeys and getting to know them and their lives. but that's cause that's the kind of person I am...most of them have been there for me through my tough time tat I will continue to be there for them.

    its a matter of personal opinion. and what works best for you.
  • ShmareParks
    ShmareParks Posts: 88 Member
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    I'm afraid if I add friends and they see my food log, they'll know I skimp on food so I can always leave room for wine at the end of the day - haha! But seriously, I did finally add a few people after a long time of just "lurking" and I find it's more fun to have people cheering me on. Everyone is welcome to add me too.
  • MizTerry
    MizTerry Posts: 3,763 Member
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    It's totally up to you, but I love my friends I have, ESPECIALLY the ones that make me laugh!
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    only been here since january 1 but i like my MFP friends. i like seeing what they are up to and hearing what they tell me.
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,045 Member
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    I avoided the forums for the first 6 months or so I was here, and then I didn't add any friends until like a month ago. I've found it pretty motivating! Not only do I get to see what kinds of exercise other people do, and check out their diaries for additional food ideas, its nice to get the added support/encouragement. In addition, knowing that other people can see what I'm up to makes me want to avoid having a bad eating day and having to log it, or going couple days without logging in or without doing any exercise to log. It makes me feel a bit more embarrassed/ashamed to do badly...extra eyes = extra motivation, for me.
  • BigDnSW
    BigDnSW Posts: 641 Member
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    It works great for me...but this is on my profile... "If you want to friend me...do it only if you want a mutual relationship of support and sharing in the journey. Not a friend collector, but a relationship builder. Please add a message in your friend request."

    Otherwise..iggy.
  • MochaMixAZ
    MochaMixAZ Posts: 844 Member
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    I like it, and I'm shocked. I don't care for other social networks - hated group work when pursuing my masters, haven't enjoyed any type of support group, abhor facebook, and prefer solo-contributor working environments to team approaches. I always thought true success had to be 100% internally motivated.

    However, surrounding myself here with individuals with like goals has been invaluable. I am inspired by their successes. They give me new ideas and strategies. They supply subtle competition and drive to get it (whatever your particular brand of IT is) done. I find I've actually paused before eating something I shouldn't and find myself evaluating if it's worth it to it because I'll have to log it and my tough-love friends will harass me for it. I've found we can build each other up and while my friends can't do the work for me, they make me stronger.

    Not to take the "warm fuzzies" out of it, but there is research to suggest friends can contribute to sustained behavior change. If you're so inclined, google social cognitive theory.

    Give it a try... what's the worst that can happen? You don't care for it and de-friend.

    Best of luck to you!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Depends. If you only have a few pounds to lose and you aren't social, maybe it's not a big deal. But if you're a long way from goal, it sure helps to not concentrate on cals,macros and weight all the time and have some yucks with your mean girls clique. Time flies that way and they'll teach you a thing or two along the way.
  • karakreature
    karakreature Posts: 79 Member
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    Yes! For me, it has helped a great deal. Not everyone needs it but for me and alot of others, it works. Highly recommend it. Also, if you get a friend that is not giving you what you need, it's ok to delete them. No ones feelings will be hurt. Different people need different things. Good luck. Anyone, feel free to add me. Just put a message in your request please.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,449 Member
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    I find it nice to have friends with similar goals. Most of my "real life" friends have different goals and struggles than I do. I have also found support with MFP friends that have morphed into real-life friends.

    And real-life friends who I didn't know were actually on MFP. So we can do some live support too.

    I think it is great, at the very least to commiserate over food diaries and DOMS.
  • fabfitme4
    fabfitme4 Posts: 32 Member
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    all the best to you
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
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    I have some amazingly motivational friends and some great inspirations on my friends list, if it weren't for their influence (direct or indirect) I wouldn't still be here. It really worked for me.
  • AggieFan2011
    AggieFan2011 Posts: 551 Member
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    I honestly think a lot of it depends on the type of person that you are. For me it's been great making friends on the site. I'm very much a people pleaser for the fact that I'm committed to my MFP friends is more motivation for me to stay on track than if I was just committed to myself. That's me though. I don't think I've ever heard of it hindering your weight loss though, so it can't hurt right!
  • sozisfitnow
    sozisfitnow Posts: 209 Member
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    Go by experience, make your own decisions on what works for you!
  • dovetail22uk
    dovetail22uk Posts: 339 Member
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    I'd quite like some more friends that question me on what I'm doing and pull me up where they think I might be going wrong. It's great to have cheerleaders but sometimes it feels like it's not enough (I'm gonna get deleted big time for this!). I try to help my friends on here (sometimes if they like it or not!) just like I do for "real world" friends.

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