Any advice for introverts?

DPHender · July 2016

Hey there.
I used MFP a few years ago to lose about 60 pounds. Then I've been away for a while (long story, not important).
So now I'm back to try for more. When I used it before, I never bothered with any of the forums or other social stuff. So basically that's what I'm asking now -- I can look around and see what's available, sure. But does all that stuff actually help? Maybe someone could help me understand how it helps. I'm not normally an overly social person anyway, so does it really get any easier because there's a chat room?

Seriously, it sounds like a stupid question, but really -- I don't get it.

arditarose · July 2016

For me, yes. I have had some friends on here for two years. We share stories not just about fitness, but about life. One thing I learned about weight loss and fitness, is that it's kind of a lonely road. No one really cares about your macros or can understand what you are doing...and sometimes it's really good to be able to share your success, troubles, struggles. Sometimes people just post things that make me laugh and brighten my mood for a minute.

ETA: As far as the forums go, that's where I really started learning about nutrition/fitness. I honestly don't think I'd be where I am today, weighing the least amount I have since 6th grade and on my way to competing at my first powerlifting meet, without this forum.

kommodevaran · July 2016

I'm an introvert too, and the discussion boards have helped me enormously in my quest to lose and maintain weight. I have learnt a lot and discovered more. Writing is easier than talking. I'm not into the social aspect per se, so I don't venture into Chit chat, Fun and games, Challenges, Motivation and support, or Introduce yourself. I don't see the other boards as a chat room.

ouryve · July 2016

If you're an introvert, your energy is sapped by interaction with others, so simply keep it to that which helps you, whether directly or indirectly. There is no need to be the life and soul of ever single thread.

ouryve · July 2016

And I agree, the what colour is your calorie deficit threads aren't for me. Stick with the less chatty, more specific stuff.

HippySkoppy · July 2016

Couldn't agree more with Rose - weightloss and fitness goals can become so lonely IRL and others don't/want to understand so MFP can be a great resource.

I don't do the chat room though, have never seen the appeal but it depends on your personality.

Give the site a chance. Even being a lurker you will learn SO much about health, how to spot Woo and Scams, you read posts from awesome people some who have had years of training in health and fitness.

Of course there are always mis-informed people and those who are always on about the latest Fad diet and how it will cure ALL ills but that's life. MFP is a little bit of the World that has a focus on health, fitness, foods etc.

Anyway, Welcome and I hope you get all that you need from the site.

Oh PS: I have met some wonderful people on here who I DO consider friends too, so it is very possible to expand your social circle in this way for the better.

arditarose · July 2016

Also...I'm an introvert. And the forums helped me because they are generally less exhausting than real interaction with people. It's Saturday night...I'm not going out or seeing anyone, but I'll hang on here and see what's up.

DPHender · July 2016

I guess what I'm looking for is to understand how it helps specifically.

I get it on one level. Like I can see if someone posts asking "does the Atkins plan work" or "what exercises are best for older people" then you can learn stuff that way. Although that's usually also stuff you could get from a websearch too.

And really what puzzles me most is what benefit there is to "friend-ing" people on here or having a coach or a group experience.

ouryve · July 2016

I actively ignore friend requests - unless I'm married to the person

arditarose · July 2016

DPHender wrote: »

I guess what I'm looking for is to understand how it helps specifically.

I get it on one level. Like I can see if someone posts asking "does the Atkins plan work" or "what exercises are best for older people" then you can learn stuff that way. Although that's usually also stuff you could get from a websearch too.

And really what puzzles me most is what benefit there is to "friend-ing" people on here or having a coach or a group experience.

I answered that in my first post. This is a lonely road. Do you not find support helpful in life? For anything?

And I have a coach as well. He's helpful to me because he tells me what to do so I don't go crazy, and so that I can get stronger and lift heavier weights-safely.

Maxematics · July 2016

Yes, it helps immensely. I'm an introvert and I have Asperger syndrome, so aside from going to work and talking to my family and a few friends, it is extremely rare that I socialize much, if at all, on a daily basis. While in the comfort of my own bubble at home, I can still socialize on the internet without it being mentally taxing or having to continuously worry about my eye contact or lack thereof, if I'm missing a social cue, etc. I always have an escape route when I close the app or website. I've learned a lot from the forums and I have all different people on my friends list who make me see things in different ways or put certain things into perspective. Without the social side of MFP, I would have been a 1200 calorie girl and failed miserably on my journey to be healthy and fit.

DPHender · July 2016

Maxematics wrote: »

Yes, it helps immensely. I'm an introvert and I have Asperger syndrome, so…
…
I've learned a lot from the forums and I have all different people on my friends list who make me see things in different ways or put certain things into perspective. Without the social side of MFP, I would have been a 1200 calorie girl and failed miserably on my journey to be healthy and fit.

I know a bit about aspergers so that helps. Glad it works for you, too. But you confused me with the "1200 calorie girl" statement. How does that apply?

HippySkoppy · July 2016

DPHender wrote: »

I guess what I'm looking for is to understand how it helps specifically.

I get it on one level. Like I can see if someone posts asking "does the Atkins plan work" or "what exercises are best for older people" then you can learn stuff that way. Although that's usually also stuff you could get from a websearch too.

And really what puzzles me most is what benefit there is to "friend-ing" people on here or having a coach or a group experience.

One of the downsides that I can see with limiting yourself to Websearching is that often you will get only onesided and very biased reviews/blogs and personal testimonies which can be mis-leading.

Here, I think that there is a lot more balance and a hell of a lot of people who have actually done the hard yards, with varying life circumstances facing problems that you may or may not be able to apply to your own life.

No-one can force you on anything here. MFP may or may not be for you. Only you can decide that.

Maxematics · July 2016

DPHender wrote: »

Maxematics wrote: »

Yes, it helps immensely. I'm an introvert and I have Asperger syndrome, so…
…
I've learned a lot from the forums and I have all different people on my friends list who make me see things in different ways or put certain things into perspective. Without the social side of MFP, I would have been a 1200 calorie girl and failed miserably on my journey to be healthy and fit.

I know a bit about aspergers so that helps. Glad it works for you, too. But you confused me with the "1200 calorie girl" statement. How does that apply?

A common view that is repeated in the weight loss world outside of MFP is that women only need to eat 1200 calories to lose weight and I used to believe that. Many women believe that; the General section of the forum is filled with posts of people eating 1200 calories, not realizing it is the bare minimum allowance MFP will give. I didn't know that you should only aim to lose around 1% of your body weight per week and always shot for two pounds per week in the past. I didn't know about CICO and how if I move more, I require more food. As dense as it seems, I truly didn't know about it and most people don't. Once I realized that, overall, losing weight was purely mathematical it made everything extremely easy for me to accomplish. In the past, I'd stick to eating 1200 calories and "clean" food when I really wanted to buckle down and shed a few pounds, but would get bored after a while, overly hungry, give up, and fail. It wasn't until reading up on these forums that I realized I was failing because I needed more food, that weight will fluctuate, and weight loss isn't linear. Due to that knowledge, I was able to get from 139 to 108 pounds by eating 1800 to 2200 calories per day instead of 1200, I am easily maintaining the weight loss, and the process never once felt burdensome.

errollmaclean · July 2016

I'm an introvert and shy. I've done, lots of friends (and it was fun and met some great people), and I've done no friends. (Too busy)

Have to agree with the smart ladies. It's good to have people to talk to that understand macros and calories. Outside of mfp not many people do.

There's only one way to find out if you like it, give it a try. There's always the "remove friend" button of you find out it's not your thing.

blondieellie · July 2016

Yes it helps. I'm an introvert too btw.

KetoneKaren · July 2016

I am not shy, but I am an introvert. The forums are good places to talk about your fitness journey with others who are just starting out...and with people who have been maintaining their weight & fitness for years. Some of the folks here are very knowledgeable and can point you to resources that are helpful.

Because I can control when and how much interaction I have with other people, and which threads I choose to participate in, I find it to be very helpful and not draining unless somebody is snarky. I have figured out who a few of the smart alecks are and I just avoid them, it's easy. There is even an option to "ignore" somebody, which means their posts will be "whited out" unless you click on it.

So my advice is to participate for awhile and then decide if it's for you. I didn't participate much on the forums 3 years ago, just used it to log my food and progress. That's all I wanted out of the site at that time.

Good luck on your journey.

Don't forget to click on the pale yellow star above the top post of the page of your threads to bookmark them.

jennifer_417 · July 2016

I use the social aspect of the site because, well- I like people. I can't say having friends on here has helped me lose weight one way or the other, but the forums do come in handy if you have a question and want to crowdsource the information.
The bottom line is, if you don't want to socialize, don't, if you do, do. Some people find it motivating to have others who are also trying to lose weight, and like to encourage and be encouraged on their weight loss journey.

DPHender · July 2016

KetoneKaren wrote: »

.

Don't forget to click on the pale yellow star above the top post of the page of your threads to bookmark them.

Heh... yeah, I almost missed that. Also had my notifications set wrong at first.
Since this is basically my first post ever, good advice -- thanks.

KetoneKaren · July 2016

@DPHender See? helpful already, yes?

mom22dogs · July 2016

I'm introverted and really don't need "support" or motivation from strangers to lose weight. I actually accidentally stumbled on the message boards once when I was messing with the app on my phone. I thought it would be nice to see if I can learn anything. Frankly, I've learned that there's a lot of bad info out there and a LOT of people have no idea about nutrition. It is interesting to read some things, but I stay away from the "social" part, the chit chat, etc.

I tend to stick with a couple different areas - nutrition and fitness. I guess you need to see if there's anything you can get out of the message boards. I don't get a lot, but once in a while I learn something new.

Any advice for introverts?

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