Is there anything I should be wary of here?

People who think they are experts. Cleanses/detox recommendations. Eating 1200 calories.

Check out the pinned posts and you'll already be well on your way!

Watch out for the "coaches" and distributors. They only offer support in hopes that you will support their bank account.

Watch out for the "coaches" and distributors. They only offer support in hopes that you will support their bank account.

How do I know if they are after my wallet? When they ask me for cash?

People that recommend "plans" that cost $$. There is no cost to eating a deficit and exercise (besides the actual food, obviously). Stuff like BeachBody, Shakeology, BBV, etc

Anyone who begins any post with three paragraphs about their expertise and success, is associated with a "product" or "system", or says they have a "easy", "foolproof", or "fast" shortcut for losing weight or getting fit is probably looking to, as they say, monetize the relationship.

As in real life, if it sounds too good too be true, it is.

Watch out for the "coaches" and distributors. They only offer support in hopes that you will support their bank account.

How do I know if they are after my wallet? When they ask me for cash?

People that recommend "plans" that cost $$. There is no cost to eating a deficit and exercise (besides the actual food, obviously). Stuff like BeachBody, Shakeology, BBV, etc

Youll be able to tell,,,their post will be big inspirational stories but come off sounding what they are...advertisements.

FRIENDS on MFP do your thing, count your calories, get motivated by real people in real life. good luck

Anyone who claims to be a coach or fitness expert. There are people here who genuinely are trainers and know their stuff, and you can figure out who they are pretty easily, plus they help people out here all the time and respond in the forums. Basically, if you need to PM, send a FR, or join a group here or outside of MFP to interact with them, they're selling something and probably don't know what they are talking about.

Pills, cleanses, detoxes - just no.

Anyone who claims a certain style of eating is best. A calorie deficit is needed to lose weight. How you choose to eat to get that deficit is up to you and what works best for your lifestyle. You do not need to cut out certain foods to lose weight (unless you have a medical condition, in which case you should be discussing your diet with your doctor and not internet strangers anyway).

Anyone who encourages unhealthy weight loss practices like low calorie diets, excessive exercise, or other practices which shun common sense. Not only is their advice silly and unnecessary, they often have disordered eating patterns, poor relationships with food, and distorted body image issues.

Anyone who has dedicated their entire focus to being fit and healthy. Exercise is good. A balanced diet is good. Having fitness related hobbies (running races, lifting, recreational sports, etc) is good. Being insufferable about it to the point where friends and family don't want to be around you is not. These are generally the people who start threads complaining about how other people eat or how everyone around them is jealous.

No, I am saying there is a lot of envy here. The more you lose, the more you see. Good luck.

Watch out for the "coaches" and distributors. They only offer support in hopes that you will support their bank account.

How do I know if they are after my wallet? When they ask me for cash?

NVM, the mods deleted it already.

They ask if you want to join challenges, buy wraps or shake powders and sometimes the really bold ones will ask if they can send you a friend request on Facebook so they can freely advertise to you on there.