How Many Fitness Friends Do You Really Need???

124

Replies

  • mkdm291
    mkdm291 Posts: 139 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    bandbmc wrote: »
    Does anyone else find it ironic that many people are taking the "who needs strangers as friends" belief, but yet they are carrying on a full blown panel discussion ... on a forum? with strangers?

    Ironic?...considering that dicking around on the forums has nothing to do with being friends with strangers, no...I don't find it ironic at all.

    original.jpg

    Ok, ok, you win. But only due to the Princess Bride reference :wink: I get your point.
  • I have 7 people here, and we comment on one anothers feeds, and help keep each other motivated. We also post inspirational quotes that help ourselves and each other. We don't have friends because we need them to achieve our goals, we have friends because it makes our seperate journies a little bit easier on our minds to be able to laugh, talk, comment, and inspire one another which deep down inspires ourselves. Whether you have zero or 100, you're in this for yourself, but why not help someone else and in turn help yourself some too?
  • runner475
    runner475 Posts: 1,236 Member
    If you really think about it people don't need anyone to set goals and reach them.

    No one.
  • jazzine1
    jazzine1 Posts: 280 Member
    I have a couple "friends" on here that I have requested or accepted requests to. I like reading the news feed and I don't always comment I may just LIKE it. I personally don't need anyone to push me, inspire or motivate me because ultimately it is my journey so what someone else is doing doesn't affect my outcome. At the end of the day I will do what I want to do and I'm accountable only for myself. I also don't need others to comment on my statuses. If someone feels the need to like or comment awesome but if not its that's ok too, that doesnt make them BAD MFP friends. To each its own, some people need to be held by the hand and some just don't. You have to do and worry about what works for you. You simply cannot control what others do. Everyone will go thru this journey how they see fit.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    This should go well.

    Never be afraid to speak your mind :)

    Clearly I'm not. But thanks for giving me permission. :noway:
  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    The amount of my FL changes, at the moment it's a little more than 30. I'll accept FR (except from dudes... sorry guys!! :blush: ) but if those people don't interact with me, they get kicked off, especially when I do like to give a comment here and there to those on my FL, and I would like the same back. But even so... I know my friends don't need to be babied about their weight loss, as neither do I. We each decide what the hell each of us wants to do for our own goals. Simple as that. :flowerforyou:
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    You are all so right! Who needs friends? For all of you who thought I was looking for a "True Companion", "Buddy-Buddy", you missed the boat! But that's alright, having you in my boat makes it just a little to hard to row. I know this will get a lot of negative feedback because that is what so many of you are good at doing. So, I will laugh it off and continue on my journey, alone, without any friends. Boo-hoo. Not likely, I will continue to move ahead with those who choose to care about my journey as they have the same struggle. I will try to inspire them to succeed and hopefully they will do the same for me.
    For those of you who asked "why do I care?"? I care because I understand the difficulty of trying to lose weight and the feeling that it will never happen or take forever to happen. I care about people in general, how they feel, I want everyone to be successful at what they are trying to achieve.
    So, for those who want to go it alone, go ahead, walk by yourself, I'm happy for you.

    I get far more out of my real world friends than I do randos on the internet...I simply do not understand how some rando people you've never actually met can have any influence on you or your journey whatsoever...I just don't get that at all.

    You know what's super awesome? When you meet these "randos" in "real life" and they are no longer "people you've never actually met".
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    You are all so right! Who needs friends? For all of you who thought I was looking for a "True Companion", "Buddy-Buddy", you missed the boat! But that's alright, having you in my boat makes it just a little to hard to row. I know this will get a lot of negative feedback because that is what so many of you are good at doing. So, I will laugh it off and continue on my journey, alone, without any friends. Boo-hoo. Not likely, I will continue to move ahead with those who choose to care about my journey as they have the same struggle. I will try to inspire them to succeed and hopefully they will do the same for me.
    For those of you who asked "why do I care?"? I care because I understand the difficulty of trying to lose weight and the feeling that it will never happen or take forever to happen. I care about people in general, how they feel, I want everyone to be successful at what they are trying to achieve.
    So, for those who want to go it alone, go ahead, walk by yourself, I'm happy for you.

    I get far more out of my real world friends than I do randos on the internet...I simply do not understand how some rando people you've never actually met can have any influence on you or your journey whatsoever...I just don't get that at all.

    You know what's super awesome? When you meet these "randos" in "real life" and they are no longer "people you've never actually met".

    Meeting people in real life that you met on the internet - that plan will get you murdered in your sleep!
  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    You are all so right! Who needs friends? For all of you who thought I was looking for a "True Companion", "Buddy-Buddy", you missed the boat! But that's alright, having you in my boat makes it just a little to hard to row. I know this will get a lot of negative feedback because that is what so many of you are good at doing. So, I will laugh it off and continue on my journey, alone, without any friends. Boo-hoo. Not likely, I will continue to move ahead with those who choose to care about my journey as they have the same struggle. I will try to inspire them to succeed and hopefully they will do the same for me.
    For those of you who asked "why do I care?"? I care because I understand the difficulty of trying to lose weight and the feeling that it will never happen or take forever to happen. I care about people in general, how they feel, I want everyone to be successful at what they are trying to achieve.
    So, for those who want to go it alone, go ahead, walk by yourself, I'm happy for you.

    I get far more out of my real world friends than I do randos on the internet...I simply do not understand how some rando people you've never actually met can have any influence on you or your journey whatsoever...I just don't get that at all.

    You know what's super awesome? When you meet these "randos" in "real life" and they are no longer "people you've never actually met".

    Meeting people in real life that you met on the internet - that plan will get you murdered in your sleep!

    I didn't die!! I'm still alive!!









    Or am I typing this from the beyond?! OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!!

    :laugh:
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    You are all so right! Who needs friends? For all of you who thought I was looking for a "True Companion", "Buddy-Buddy", you missed the boat! But that's alright, having you in my boat makes it just a little to hard to row. I know this will get a lot of negative feedback because that is what so many of you are good at doing. So, I will laugh it off and continue on my journey, alone, without any friends. Boo-hoo. Not likely, I will continue to move ahead with those who choose to care about my journey as they have the same struggle. I will try to inspire them to succeed and hopefully they will do the same for me.
    For those of you who asked "why do I care?"? I care because I understand the difficulty of trying to lose weight and the feeling that it will never happen or take forever to happen. I care about people in general, how they feel, I want everyone to be successful at what they are trying to achieve.
    So, for those who want to go it alone, go ahead, walk by yourself, I'm happy for you.

    I get far more out of my real world friends than I do randos on the internet...I simply do not understand how some rando people you've never actually met can have any influence on you or your journey whatsoever...I just don't get that at all.

    You know what's super awesome? When you meet these "randos" in "real life" and they are no longer "people you've never actually met".

    Meeting people in real life that you met on the internet - that plan will get you murdered in your sleep!

    I didn't die!! I'm still alive!!









    Or am I typing this from the beyond?! OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!!

    :laugh:

    I fell in love, we eventually met in person, and I finally learned what incredible sex was like.
    TMI... sorry
    But yeah... so not sorry
  • This content has been removed.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited March 2015
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    You are all so right! Who needs friends? For all of you who thought I was looking for a "True Companion", "Buddy-Buddy", you missed the boat! But that's alright, having you in my boat makes it just a little to hard to row. I know this will get a lot of negative feedback because that is what so many of you are good at doing. So, I will laugh it off and continue on my journey, alone, without any friends. Boo-hoo. Not likely, I will continue to move ahead with those who choose to care about my journey as they have the same struggle. I will try to inspire them to succeed and hopefully they will do the same for me.
    For those of you who asked "why do I care?"? I care because I understand the difficulty of trying to lose weight and the feeling that it will never happen or take forever to happen. I care about people in general, how they feel, I want everyone to be successful at what they are trying to achieve.
    So, for those who want to go it alone, go ahead, walk by yourself, I'm happy for you.

    I get far more out of my real world friends than I do randos on the internet...I simply do not understand how some rando people you've never actually met can have any influence on you or your journey whatsoever...I just don't get that at all.

    You know what's super awesome? When you meet these "randos" in "real life" and they are no longer "people you've never actually met".

    I don't know...I did this once with a "friend" from a camping forum...that was really just a long weekend and I couldn't wait for it to end.

    Beside, my point is that I have a lot of really good fitness friends...that I can go to the gym and be like, "hey...what do you think about this?" or "hey...can I drop by so you can check out my form on X."

    I have some friends here that are also great for bouncing things off and whatnot...and who knows, maybe if we met in person it would be all great...but at this point, they're all still basically random stranger...some of them are pretty cool random strangers...but really, they are random strangers none the less...and really, my point was basically why is the OP letting basically random internet strangers determine motivation and whatnot?
  • bennettinfinity
    bennettinfinity Posts: 865 Member
    RavenLibra wrote: »
    I don't need friends to HELP me lose weight... or to motivate me... I NEED friends to inspire me by allowing me to witness their struggles, and their victories over those struggles... for many... it is NOT just weight and fat that they are shedding...many are trying to lose some serious emotional shackles... it's an emotional journey away from what they once were... it's becoming what they WANT to be... and for me it is an Honour.. that they have agreed to let me into that space... I am constantly accepting and removing friends... for me... I can honor about 30 peoples' efforts consistently...

    ^ This... ^

    I was on MFP for almost a year and had nearly reached my goal weight before I sent my first friend request. I don't have many, but the friends I've made have kept things entertaining - and I'll admit that there have been moments when a friend's accomplishment has inspired me to set new goals and push myself a little more.

    Lately, I've been accepting more FRs from MFP newbies in the hopes that my success will inspire others (obviously, no guarantees there).

    Friendship (even virtual friendship) is a two-way street... you get what you give.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    You are all so right! Who needs friends? For all of you who thought I was looking for a "True Companion", "Buddy-Buddy", you missed the boat! But that's alright, having you in my boat makes it just a little to hard to row. I know this will get a lot of negative feedback because that is what so many of you are good at doing. So, I will laugh it off and continue on my journey, alone, without any friends. Boo-hoo. Not likely, I will continue to move ahead with those who choose to care about my journey as they have the same struggle. I will try to inspire them to succeed and hopefully they will do the same for me.
    For those of you who asked "why do I care?"? I care because I understand the difficulty of trying to lose weight and the feeling that it will never happen or take forever to happen. I care about people in general, how they feel, I want everyone to be successful at what they are trying to achieve.
    So, for those who want to go it alone, go ahead, walk by yourself, I'm happy for you.

    I get far more out of my real world friends than I do randos on the internet...I simply do not understand how some rando people you've never actually met can have any influence on you or your journey whatsoever...I just don't get that at all.

    You know what's super awesome? When you meet these "randos" in "real life" and they are no longer "people you've never actually met".

    Meeting people in real life that you met on the internet - that plan will get you murdered in your sleep!

    shoot, i didn't know i was DEAD!
  • badgerbadger1
    badgerbadger1 Posts: 954 Member
    I like having lots of friends on here. Particularly anyone funny, pro-lifting and anti-broscience. Keeps my feed interesting in case I get banned from the forums lol. Add me you mofos!
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    jessicapk wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    None

    We are all making our own journeys - mine is not successful because of my 'friends' and I'm pretty sure they aren't successful because I like or comment on a post in a private window

    I don't get this "motivate me", I need friends

    I think people need commitment

    And I think if people interest, amuse or entertain you and you want them as friends in a private space to have private conversations then you should

    But I do not need Whoops and PomPoms .. I just need my own commitment

    You have 69 friends!!! :neutral_face:

    @rabbitjb having 69 Friends does not contradict what she said. She didn't say she doesn't have friends she said she doesn't need friends to succeed. She has learned the tools that she needs to do this on her own which is where we all need to be in the end.

    She doesn't have friends to help her lose weight or maintain, she has friends that she likes. (pretty sure that's what she was getting at, not sure if I explained it well as I'm working out while voice typing this
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    jessicapk wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    None

    We are all making our own journeys - mine is not successful because of my 'friends' and I'm pretty sure they aren't successful because I like or comment on a post in a private window

    I don't get this "motivate me", I need friends

    I think people need commitment

    And I think if people interest, amuse or entertain you and you want them as friends in a private space to have private conversations then you should

    But I do not need Whoops and PomPoms .. I just need my own commitment

    You have 69 friends!!! :neutral_face:

    @rabbitjb having 69 Friends does not contradict what she said. She didn't say she doesn't have friends she said she doesn't need friends to succeed. She has learned the tools that she needs to do this on her own which is where we all need to be in the end.

    She doesn't have friends to help her lose weight or maintain, she has friends that she likes. (pretty sure that's what she was getting at, not sure if I explained it well as I'm working out while voice typing this


    @blankiefinder yes that's spot on ... I used to add people who wanted me to but I assumed they read my profile where I actually say I'm not a natural cheerleader and to expect no whoops ;) ..now I rarely add new people, only when I am interested, amused or educated by them in forum interactions

    I am so impressed by voice typing whilst exercising :bigsmile:
  • punkuate
    punkuate Posts: 127 Member
    I don't need them but it's nice to see what other people are doing. Sometimes it gives me new ideas so I'm happy to be friends with just about anyone.
  • slideaway1
    slideaway1 Posts: 1,006 Member
    Everybody is different. Everybody should do what they want.
  • rabbitjb wrote: »
    None

    We are all making our own journeys - mine is not successful because of my 'friends' and I'm pretty sure they aren't successful because I like or comment on a post in a private window

    I don't get this "motivate me", I need friends

    I think people need commitment

    And I think if people interest, amuse or entertain you and you want them as friends in a private space to have private conversations then you should

    But I do not need Whoops and PomPoms .. I just need my own commitment

    It's true, you have to have that drive to succeed inside of you first, the pompoms and cheering is nice along the way, but not needed in order to succeed.

  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    MireyGal76 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    You are all so right! Who needs friends? For all of you who thought I was looking for a "True Companion", "Buddy-Buddy", you missed the boat! But that's alright, having you in my boat makes it just a little to hard to row. I know this will get a lot of negative feedback because that is what so many of you are good at doing. So, I will laugh it off and continue on my journey, alone, without any friends. Boo-hoo. Not likely, I will continue to move ahead with those who choose to care about my journey as they have the same struggle. I will try to inspire them to succeed and hopefully they will do the same for me.
    For those of you who asked "why do I care?"? I care because I understand the difficulty of trying to lose weight and the feeling that it will never happen or take forever to happen. I care about people in general, how they feel, I want everyone to be successful at what they are trying to achieve.
    So, for those who want to go it alone, go ahead, walk by yourself, I'm happy for you.

    I get far more out of my real world friends than I do randos on the internet...I simply do not understand how some rando people you've never actually met can have any influence on you or your journey whatsoever...I just don't get that at all.

    You know what's super awesome? When you meet these "randos" in "real life" and they are no longer "people you've never actually met".

    Meeting people in real life that you met on the internet - that plan will get you murdered in your sleep!

    I didn't die!! I'm still alive!!









    Or am I typing this from the beyond?! OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!!

    :laugh:

    I fell in love, we eventually met in person, and I finally learned what incredible sex was like.
    TMI... sorry
    But yeah... so not sorry

    EXACTLY!! :bigsmile: :+1:
  • KevDaniel
    KevDaniel Posts: 449 Member
    Need? 0 I like all my friends though. Don't really need many people in this world they always let me down anyway
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    I don't need any friends. I just enjoy having some to chat with about shared interests and goals. I generally only accept friend requests from people with a similar approach to weight loss (or life), and I decline a lot.

    I don't know why any of this matters though. People have varied ways they use this site. There's no right or wrong way.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    The reason I enlist friends is to create a little wind behind my sail. It's sometimes hard, especially when you have a lot of weight to lose, to go it alone. Everyone could use a pat on the back, a job well done, a little advice to make the weight loss journey a little easier.
    Unfortunately I find that many collect friends just to add numbers to their already long list of friends or maybe they just don't know how to say No to a request. Really though, how good a friend can you be when you have so many friends that you can't make a real impact on their weight loss journey. Is six enough? Is twelve too many. How many friends do you have and how many do you actually make real comments on and not just click the like tab?
    Are you being a force of good for the friends you have? You've agreed to be their friends, are you truly being one?

    So are your friends not being good/supportive friends to you? Unfriend them and move on. Choose friends who are more similar to you.

    I don't comment to people on my friends list all the time. I do read their statuses daily, randomly look at diaries, like things they post and sometimes comment. I'm happy with the mfp friends I have and the level of interaction with internet strangers. If they think I am a bad friend for not posting more comments then they can remove me.
    I'm comfortable keeping up with around 30 mfp friends. I do not accept all requests. If someone has 1,000 friends I usually decline. If it seems like someone has nothing in common with me or my goals then I decline.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
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  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
    ddu49kblghlz.jpg

    8!

    8 fitness pals!

    Ah ah ah ah ah
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    I think the word "friend" is a misnomer for what happens on social media sites, and I really wish there were another word used for this instead. I don't approach online interactions in the same way as I do real-life friendships. I have online "friends" who I've met in real life, some have become like family and some have stayed in my house, some I'm going to be running a Mudder with soon, and others who I wouldn't even recognize if I met them in real life.

    I'm not sure why "they would make perfect real life friends" would be a necessary component of online interactions or being on some list in a database on a web server.

    I also accept any friend requests here, and have no expectations of the people on my "friends" list. I figure if someone enjoys having me on their "friends list" and seeing my workouts or diary or the silly comments I make, even if they never "interact" with me, then more power to them.

    Stop me before I finger-quote again!
  • dinosnopro
    dinosnopro Posts: 2,177 Member
    You are all so right! Who needs friends? For all of you who thought I was looking for a "True Companion", "Buddy-Buddy", you missed the boat! But that's alright, having you in my boat makes it just a little to hard to row. I know this will get a lot of negative feedback because that is what so many of you are good at doing. So, I will laugh it off and continue on my journey, alone, without any friends. Boo-hoo. Not likely, I will continue to move ahead with those who choose to care about my journey as they have the same struggle. I will try to inspire them to succeed and hopefully they will do the same for me.
    For those of you who asked "why do I care?"? I care because I understand the difficulty of trying to lose weight and the feeling that it will never happen or take forever to happen. I care about people in general, how they feel, I want everyone to be successful at what they are trying to achieve.
    So, for those who want to go it alone, go ahead, walk by yourself, I'm happy for you.

    Sometimes you have to row your own way. But if you need help bailing you might be in trouble.

    Good luck on you journey.....
  • runnrchic
    runnrchic Posts: 130 Member
    I would love to have some friends to interact with who focus on whole foods so I can get some ideas. Hello! If you're out there please friend me!
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    The number of friends any particular person needs is definitely up to that person. I personally like having less than 100 people. I feel sorry for those who feel they need no one, because they are missing out on some really good friendships, but we all use MFP differently. I interact with all my friends. I make an effort to comment on everything they post, because if they thought it was important enough to share, I should let them know I think it's important as well. A lot of "Friend Collectors" see MFP as Twitter. This isn't Twitter, it's a weight loss support website. If you aren't going to offer any support, then stay in the forums and don't have friends. Bottom line, do what works for you. It's your MFP page, make it yours. What anyone else thinks doesn't matter.
    So what you're saying is everyone does their own thing and that's totally cool, unless their own thing happens to be different from your own thing, then it's not cool and they shouldn't have any friends at all.

This discussion has been closed.