How important is being active with MFP friends & forums to your fitness?

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BRaye325
BRaye325 Posts: 1,383 Member
I was just commenting to some of my MFP friends and got to thinking about this. We all have some friends on here that come and go. Many of them just are gone and we have no idea again how they are doing. I was wondering if there is a correlation between those that stay active and their continued success with their fitness goals.
It certainly isn't mandatory to stay involved and some will be successful regardless. Perhaps some of you that have a longer history here might have better perspective.
Do you think there is any connection to your fitness success and MFP friends, groups & forums?
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Replies

  • nikkib0103
    nikkib0103 Posts: 968 Member
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    I think there is. Mind you, I have only been doing MFP for 50 days, but I find that I make better decisions more often because I am tracking food and exercise, learning all kinds of interesting stuff from the forums and now that I have this group, I have a core group of like minded people in the same age group to consult with on a more personal basis. I anticipate that this will be my most successful attempt at weight loss.
  • SWeETCaRoLiNe115
    SWeETCaRoLiNe115 Posts: 41 Member
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    Hi all I joined this group a week ago ,and bill sent me a mg to welcome me to the group, I have been very busy with work and ect ,but on saying that I am down 2 lb , and I did have good days and bad day, I just want to say to bill a big thank you for welcome me to the group, and I find it great for keeping track ,I have a long way to go yet, just one day at a time I am taking it
  • BRaye325
    BRaye325 Posts: 1,383 Member
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    Welcome Caroline!
  • BBee5064
    BBee5064 Posts: 1,020 Member
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    I've been on Mfp for 175 days & every day without fail.. My brain is now registered to logging. Somedays I go over my calories... But I've not ignored it.. I work harder the next day..
    This group also makes a difference.. It's feels like being part of a class.. Everyone working towards the same goal..
    It should be called Mff ( my fitness family
  • SuzyH
    SuzyH Posts: 196 Member
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    BBee5064 wrote: »
    It should be called Mff ( my fitness family

    Agree! I come look to see what everyone is doing and am always inspired! Keeps me going and even though I don't "know" you, I like getting to know you!

  • alphabetsoup2013
    alphabetsoup2013 Posts: 208 Member
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    When I first joined MFP, I was solely focused on losing weight. I hadn't given any thought to the physical fitness piece of the puzzle. I lucked out and ended up with a lot of MFP pals who were working hard at being physically active. They inspired me to start being active. I never would have done it without their example. It was (and is) the best kind of peer pressure -- pressure to get some sort of physical activity in every day.
  • marekdds
    marekdds Posts: 2,208 Member
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    Everyone is different. Some can lose w/o support. For me, I have found my mfp peeps to be invaluable. They are a source of support, knowledge, laughter and an occasional virtual kick in the butt. Maybe, I am needy, but I push myself a little more knowing I have to log it and I love new foods and sharing recipes.
  • BRaye325
    BRaye325 Posts: 1,383 Member
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    BBee5064 wrote: »
    It should be called Mff ( my fitness family

    I love that line Bee. It reflects exactly how I feel about the companionship I find here.
  • BBee5064
    BBee5064 Posts: 1,020 Member
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    BRaye325 wrote: »
    BBee5064 wrote: »
    It should be called Mff ( my fitness family

    I love that line Bee. It reflects exactly how I feel about the companionship I find here.

    Thanks Bill :)
  • Brinasacat
    Brinasacat Posts: 505 Member
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    I've been on MFP for 3 years. Being active on here helps to keep me focused, but life can get in the way at times. But I keep with me, the knowledge I've learned along the way. This is a great free tool that is available whenever one is looking for support, opinions, and an easy food logging system.
  • NikonPal
    NikonPal Posts: 1,346 Member
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    I’m in maintenance now…but I still plan to stick with the plan (MFP) that got me to the “prom.”

    I failed over the years at every weight-loss program I tried. From WW to Medifast to Nutrisystem yada yada yada. NEVER was I able to reign things in for more than 1-6 months and NEVER have I been so successful and lost so much weight.

    So many people I know (I was once one) regained weight after “dieting.” That is why I have never used the word “diet” … I have changed my habits permanently and know I must be vigilant.

    The reasons for failure were obvious in many instances. Slowly over time they began over-estimating the calories they were burning daily and grossly under-estimating what they consumed. You can’t do that “honestly” if you are active on MFP and accurately / consistently track your intake and weight.

    There is also the factor of gravitating toward certain behaviors because of “the crowd you hang with.” MFP friends & forums provide the right encouragement.

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  • cdcllcga01
    cdcllcga01 Posts: 71 Member
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    Bill - I think I've got a great case study for you on this topic. I only have one "friend" on MFP - but a very important friend (my wife)! I read the forums all the time - lurk mostly but also post a bit. I love reading the forums because I learn so much. Mainly, I have a much better understanding of myth vs. fact because of MFP forums. My wife never reads the forums and rarely the blogs. But we are both having tremendous success. We've been on our journey for about 4 months.

    So my conclusion is that having support is much more important than what kind of support you have. Whether you get it from MFP friends, a relative, friends at the gym, etc., you are much better off with supportive relationships. I know you can probably get it done without support, but why would you????
  • marekdds
    marekdds Posts: 2,208 Member
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    I agree. Humans are social animals, whether it is RL friends or mfpers, we need support. Who said "no man is an island?"
  • HappyTrails7
    HappyTrails7 Posts: 878 Member
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    NikonPal wrote: »
    There is also the factor of gravitating toward certain behaviors because of “the crowd you hang with.” MFP friends & forums provide the right encouragement.

    I agree as well. Reading what others have done or are doing helps keep me interested in MFP and it also challenges me to do better. MFP friends and groups truly do help in my opinion.

  • Brinasacat
    Brinasacat Posts: 505 Member
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    I've been on MFP for 3 years, I rarely post and mostly lurk. I hate the bullies in the forums talking nonsense about starvation mode, and needing to eat more to lose, or hawking their supplements.
  • BRaye325
    BRaye325 Posts: 1,383 Member
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    Brinasacat wrote: »
    I've been on MFP for 3 years, I rarely post and mostly lurk. I hate the bullies in the forums talking nonsense about starvation mode, and needing to eat more to lose, or hawking their supplements.

    I agree that the rudeness shown regularly in the general forums is truly unfortunate and makes people afraid to participate. However, I enjoy the varying opinions because they challenge me to reevaluate my stance. I choose to consider it as just varying debate on the topic at hand. Yes sometimes the extreme opinions are laughable, so I just view them as entertainment.
    I think we have an excellent opportunity in this group to have perhaps more mature and educated discussion.
  • kcd1961
    kcd1961 Posts: 126 Member
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    BBee5064 wrote: »
    I've been on Mfp for 175 days & every day without fail.. My brain is now registered to logging. Somedays I go over my calories... But I've not ignored it.. I work harder the next day..
    This group also makes a difference.. It's feels like being part of a class.. Everyone working towards the same goal..
    It should be called Mff ( my fitness family

    That's Gold!

  • nikkib0103
    nikkib0103 Posts: 968 Member
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    kcd1961 wrote: »
    BBee5064 wrote: »
    I've been on Mfp for 175 days & every day without fail.. My brain is now registered to logging. Somedays I go over my calories... But I've not ignored it.. I work harder the next day..
    This group also makes a difference.. It's feels like being part of a class.. Everyone working towards the same goal..
    It should be called Mff ( my fitness family

    That's Gold!

    It is. The tone in this group is better than the general forums. But they can be good for interesting suggestions and ideas and, certainly, entertainment!
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    BRaye325 wrote: »
    Brinasacat wrote: »
    I've been on MFP for 3 years, I rarely post and mostly lurk. I hate the bullies in the forums talking nonsense about starvation mode, and needing to eat more to lose, or hawking their supplements.


    I think we have an excellent opportunity in this group to have perhaps more mature and educated discussion.

    Hear, hear!
  • dafoots0911
    dafoots0911 Posts: 347 Member
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    I log my daily food intake and go through spurts of missing. I only read forums or discussions of groups that I have joined and every now and then post. I agree we have reached an age we know what we want, don't want, like, chose to respond or ignore other posts. So although I don't post a lot I do check in from time to time. Between mfp groups, fb groups, work, exercise, I am.limited to how much time I spend wherever. But am here. And do love this group.