Do MFP friends really help?

Depends on how close you are willing to get to someone.

Depends on how close you are willing to get to someone.

Well, I don't want to pick out curtains with anybody...:laugh:

Well, fine! You don't have to be my friend!! :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:
Lol :flowerforyou:

I mean what you're willing to share with someone regarding your journey.

I think it helps, though I have only really started participating in the forums and adding friends here recently.

Consistentcy is a huge problem for me. I get bored easily. MFP friends make it a lot easier to remain consistent, and I feel like I can actually stick around and achieve my goal weight. I used to log my calories for a while-maybe two weeks at a time, then give up. It was boring.
No one saw anything I did...which was comfortable. I didn't realise you could add friends here, either.

This time I have been here the longest I ever have managed to. I have been counting my cals and exercise for about 40 days (I missed 4 days and the count started again) but the important thing is I didn't drop the ball there, and feel more motivated to continue logging in with people here to talk to, forums to read and learn from etc. It is more mentally stimulating.
And while I was nervous for anybody to see the calories burned and personal stuff, It does surprisingly feel good to have people comment on it, and it's encouraging to see others' efforts too. I genuinely feel proud of them and motivated by their achievements. No one in my life is trying to get healthier or lose weight, so that's really nice to be surrounded by also

I think it depends on your interactions with your friends.

Some of my MFP friends have been a huge help to me, helping me get up when I fall over, and making sure I don't get too down when I can't see the progress, congratulating me when I do. It is not so much that they keep me accountable, more they keep me supported and stop from being discouraged.

you get back what you put in i think

if you are actively supporting others then they will be more likely to support you

personally i like having mfp friends as they form a small group to share the journey with - the forums can be large and more impersonal. I like to be able to chat about people's diaries, great for meal and exercise ideas. Choosing friends is difficult but my fl has tended to focus on people from the UK only because the same time zones, supermarket chains etc make it easier to discuss foods - i do have a few friends from US and they are great but they are active when I'm asleep and, while fascinating to read, their food diaries are often hard to decipher because of ingredient variations. I also like to have friends of a similar age in the mix.

If I have not responded to any friend requests it is not because I do not like the look of anyone - happy to cheer everyone along - it's more that i like the list to be small and relevant for me.

My MFP buddies help and inspire me. I am from the UK and 32yrs old. The majority of my friends list are similar age and all from the UK, the reason I kept my friends list 'local' is so I can look at their diaries and steal their food ideas, unfortunately I cannot do this with people from overseas and also the measurements are often in different units.

I bore everyone in my personal 'real' life about diet and exercise so its great to have like minded people to chat to online. I keep my friends list small(ish) approx. 16-18 people so I can genuinely support and get to know them and vice versa.

Yes, they play a huge role in my motivation. I see them moving ahead, working out, and eating well and it inspires me. They also pick you up when you are down. I have one accountability partner that I message each day that I work out and vice versa.

You can friend me and do the same (message) if you would like on the weekends or during the week if you need. The only thing I would ask if you do that is can you be consistent?

The folks on my FL are awesome, and make this whole trek a lot more bearable. It also helps me to not drive my girlfriend completely insane with my obsessing.

Probably 98% of my friends are redditors from /r/loseit, but I've found some great people on here as well.