The Stages of the MFP Woman

I've been on MFP for 18 months and have learned quite a bit. Both personally and by seeing others evolve. In the spirit of fun, I have been toying with the idea of the stages of development that women go through on this site. I wanted to put this out there and see what others think.

Note: I usually avoid stereotyping by gender, but women and men seem to have very different relationships with their bodies, with fitness and with nutrition.

Stage 1: Getting in control - She has tried everything and now she's trying MFP. She's confused about why so many people have half naked pictures as their profile. She tries to lose as fast as possible so she can meet her goals and get back to her life. "If I can just stop GAINING, that will be a win"

MFP for pregancy prepping and trying to meet my fiber intake and keep an eye on saturated fats and carbs due to existing medical conditions.

Stage 2: The easy stage - She's found her groove, the weight is coming off and she's more active. She has substituted almond milk for milk, turkey bacon for bacon and tea for coffee. She tries to eat fruit to satisfy cravings for sweet. THIS IS WORKING!!!

Turkey bacon tastes fine, but has way too much sodium. I try to get lower sodium, center cut regular bacon when I can find it. Almond milk is gross on it's own, but I can tolerate it in cereal or baked products. Not a huge fan of fruit, though I have my favs.

Stage 3: Working it in - She has learned how to satiate herself on her calorie goal and can fit some "treats" in. She cruises pintrest for 30 day challenges while eating oreos. "I'm thinking of adding strength but don't want to bulk up. Please help me."

There was no way my lazy *kitten* was going to get anywhere near buff :laugh:

Stage 4: Go big or go home - our heroine discovers the joys of lifting and ups her protein. She starts focusing on macros rather than calories and cruises the forums for information. "Treats" just become another source of macros: there are no guilty pleasures anymore. She gets called a bully for the first time. She posts a progress pic...in a bikini.

Never ever, no bikini even if I weighed 110lbs. A 1-piece, maybe.

Stage 5: Is that me? - She starts seeing some real changes off the scale. She dresses like WonderWoman for an event or holiday, or incorporates a SuperGirl scheme into office attire. She still panics when she sees the scale move up though. She's eating ice cream nightly and argues with people on the forums about cutting out foods they like. Somebody attributes her success to luck or genes.

I think I started out at this one, lol (at least the ice cream and arguing part) :drinker:

Stage 6: Wow - She considers a contest in her fitness area. Her nutritional perspective becomes more balanced and she's seen as a source of inspiration on the forums. Scale weight gets left behind as she develops specific aesthetic and performance goals based on her personal body type and interests. She might develop a regular bulk/cut cycle.

I'd love to ride a bike again, but I'm far too lazy to enter a contest. I'm only competetive in video games

Stage 7: ???

Profit!

Step 7 - Obstacle Race Glory.

I've been dying to do one since I found out about them, but no one in my social circles would do one with me and I'm too shy to sign up for one by myself. The joys of being an introvert :grumble: .

Sign up anyway. You'll be surrounded by friendly people always willing to help you over a wall.

Right now, I'm at your stage 1... I keep trying things that should work... but haven't figured out how to stick with it...

It's not about what works, it's about what works for you. You'll get there.

My brain is 3 heading toward 4. My body is lagging a little behind (in between 2-3) but doesn't have a choice but to catch up!

If you make the right choices, your body will catch up eventually. On it's own time. In the most frustrating way possible.