Any advice for introverts?

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  • mom22dogs
    mom22dogs Posts: 470 Member
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    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.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    This is not a stupid question at all! I'm an introvert as well, but I'm not shy. Just quiet, reserved and really private. I was on here for the longest time without an account just reading and soaking up information in the forums.

    I lost 80 pounds on my own and alone without any offline support and I managed fine.

    However after I hit maintenance I decided to sign up for an account just for the forums to help me stay on track, but I declined all friend requests.

    Then a couple of people became friendly with me and I decided to accept their requests. As time went on their support became invaluable.

    Since then I've cultivated a lot of great friendships and met some amazing people.

    I've maintained my weight for over 3 years and have completely transformed my body and lifestyle. I honestly don't know where I would be today if I didn't have the extra support. I see so many people gain weight back after some time.

    Don't get me wrong, I still disappear or go super quiet once in awhile (lol), but I've explained myself to my important friends. The cool thing about being online is I can come and go easily on my own terms unlike offline gatherings like Christmas parties. Ack!

    I say do what you feel is comfortable. Don't force yourself to be active on the forum or feel like you have to add friends.

    Good luck OP!!!
  • PaigeInTechnicolor
    PaigeInTechnicolor Posts: 164 Member
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    So, I am also an introvert. Ordinarily, I am very standoffish with socail media. My FB and IG acounts are really professional things I maintain for recognition (of my work, and of myself) , information (what socail things I have to attend to remain relevent) and networking. I have found MPF to be different. I have friends here that I feel closer to than most people I know in real lofe. I am vulnerable and myself here, and have found really good support, and very little "social nicety" (small talk and taboos and such) that I find in real life or usual socail media interactions.
  • 44to44
    44to44 Posts: 896 Member
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    I'm also an introvert, though I can be chatty online at times. For me, the benefit of having MFP friends is that I don't like to talk about my weight loss efforts with my 'real life' friends/family, because (1) it's boring to most people; and (2) it puts too much pressure on me to succeed, so with my MFP friends, I have people there to motivate me in a no-pressure atmosphere, and it makes me feel not so alone in this sometimes-overwhelming endeavour. Plus, I like supporting others.

    Ultimately, you have to figure out what works best for you. If that means doing it solo without interaction, great, but for me personally, I'm finding it very motivating to see what other people are doing and having the mutual support of people on similar journeys.
  • hunnnybee
    hunnnybee Posts: 46 Member
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    I am an introvert also. Although I am not horribly social, It is nice to log in and see others success and make it seem like its not an unobtainable goal to lose weight. I like when I get a "like" for things that are on my wall also it gives motivation!
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    Maxematics wrote: »
    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.

    @DPHender this reply to you by @Maxematics is a great example of the value I find on the MFP forums. One can read a lot of one line statements that are true in and of themselves but it is the "understanding" how all the knowledge works together that helps gets the desired results.

    Because I am reading new terms on the MFP forums almost daily using Google Chrome I like to highlight the new term and let Google find other sites using that same term so I can gain an understanding of what that new term may mean.

    Welcome to MFP forums and the best of success.
  • ObsidianMist
    ObsidianMist Posts: 519 Member
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    another introvert here. I do better chatting online than in real life. I think a lot of us probably do.
  • MikilouB
    MikilouB Posts: 56 Member
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    I also am basically an introvert and have spent much time just lurking on the site. I rarely if ever read the more social threads, but have learned a lot on the informational ones. I just recently accepted some friends with similar goals and am glad I did. There is a lot of helpful information, along with the occasional snark, just take what you need. Good luck on your journey...I personally believe that I would not be as successful at this weight loss trip without MFP.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    I enjoy encouraging others and also like the same. I have a WiFi scale that syncs so I often check in to see if I lost or gained weight. It is fun to see what others are doing and when I was logging I was also a food voyer and see who had what for dinner. Regarding friends, I have a rule, if you don't log in for a month you are removed. Not much fun to have friends that don't show up.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    @DPHender People who like to have "Friends" can have their notifications such that "Friends" get notices of any of these:
    I become friends with someone
    I reply to a topic on the message boards
    I create a new topic on the message boards
    I create a new blog post
    I commented on someone else's news feed update
    I wrote on someone else's profile page
    I have not logged into MyFitnessPal for an extended period
    I have logged in for several days in a row
    I have lost weight
    I have completed my diary for the day
    I perform a cardio exercise

    You can get notifications of their MFP days.
    And you and your friends can write comments.
    The friend-thing does not work for everyone.
    Some simply sort of check in with each other by
    hitting the "like" button. And they find that useful.
    I am not a good friend because I am barely doing the like-thing.
  • lois1231
    lois1231 Posts: 331 Member
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    I am also an introvert and starting over.
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    @AnnPT77 You are one of the inspiring people plus you have a great sense of humor. Love your posts.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    I don't think anyone can be put into a introvert/extrovert box and we are all on a sliding, constantly fluid scale.
    Maybe you feel or act more introverted than others most of the time, but I don't think that is who we are, anymore than our mood.

    You can get ideas from friends, support, solutions and understanding. Counting can sometimes not be understood fully by your family, or perhaps you just need somewhere to vent frustrations.
    Being nice to you friends and having them be nice to you, helping others makes you feel good and believe you can be part of this getting healthier community.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,170 Member
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    KetoneKaren wrote: »
    @AnnPT77 You are one of the inspiring people plus you have a great sense of humor. Love your posts.

    (Blush) Awww . . . you're so sweet!
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I'm an introvert, and I prefer online communication. It's easier for me and I don't have to look people in the eye! ^_^;

    There's a lot of good advice on here, as well as a lot of bro science and bad advice. I did a LOT of lurking when I first started, and learned a lot about my process. Thing is, everyone has a different process for losing weight. What works well for one person won't work for others. Our bodies are all different, so that's normal. Looking around at what other people have done that worked for them is a good way to get ideas to try for yourself. If it works, awesome, if it doesn't, that's ok too. Just take advice with a grain of salt and research everything you can. Look for peer-reviewed scientific articles for your research, not random news articles. (though, random news articles can give you different points to start from) You can talk to us, we don't bite unless asked! ^_^
  • lauralawless917
    lauralawless917 Posts: 40 Member
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    I'm an introvert as well. I've learned and am still learning quite a bit from others. Plus social interactions online are not as exhausting as in real life. Can always shut it down for a while.
  • fattyclatter
    fattyclatter Posts: 28 Member
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    I have no idea if I'm an introvert or extrovert, all I know is that I find it helpful to have "friends" who'll like or comment on the updates I post. I'm not an "OMG that's awesome amazing fantastic xoxo let's do this woohoohoo!!!" kind of person but I'll like a post or comment on an update when I see them, because it's nice to have our achievements and/or struggles acknowledged. Like others have said - for the most part no one IRL cares about our calories or macros or methods of eating. It's beneficial for me to have somewhere I can come, talk and have people be interested or at least willing to engage. And it's on my terms.
  • jbendetti
    jbendetti Posts: 3 Member
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    abc3825
  • BABetter1
    BABetter1 Posts: 618 Member
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    I learn things I wouldn't have even known to web search. For example, maintenance break . . . I didn't even know that was a thing until yesterday when I saw it on a forum post. But, I suspect it, a maintenance break, would have been very helpful to me a couple years ago when I hit that 6 month plateau. I also find group challenges motivating, so there's that for me.

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