Reddit Weight Loss Subreddits
etherealanwar
Posts: 465 Member
I've been a frequent browser of both the MFP forums and the reddit progresspics and loseit subreddits. Its amazing the huge difference in mindsets between the users there and here. One thing that really stands out to me is how widely praised huge amounts of weight loss in a short period of time is on reddit. I'm talking losing 70-80 lbs in 6 months for someone who is not even obese to begin with (one post today from a 5'3 women going from 198-131 in 6 months). Pointing it out in the comments only garners downvotes it's ridiculous. People usually point out the danger in a quick weight loss like that here and most people agree but its like the complete opposite over there. It bothers the heck out of me! It's no wonder so many people regain their weight since it seems that a lot of people crash diet their way down...without making any long-lasting lifestyle changes.
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Yes I noticed that when I was looking at various subreddits and decided to stick to MFP's forums!6
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BattyKnitter wrote: »Yes I noticed that when I was looking at various subreddits and decided to stick to MFP's forums!
Yeah it's getting to the point that I might just stop going there.0 -
The difference with MFP is that most of us here have already done the crash weight loss thing, quite often over and over again to no long term effect.
It takes a complete change in mindset to understand that to lose long term you need to make sustainable changes that will last a lifetime.
Anyone can starve themselves and drop a large amount of weight but it takes someone who is willing to be patient and learn the process properly to lose the weight and then keep it off.
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I actually can't go on progresspics, I find it a little triggering. A lot of people disliking their bodies and looking for validation, I have trouble with that but am working on it. Had to leave when a girl hit my goal weight and was like "I need to lose like 15 more, I'm still disgusting" which would put her underweight, and no one said a thing to counter it.
loseit is better about it, although there aren't many people who would call out potentially unhealthy habits. I think part of it is because there is a minority but significant group of young people on there who just don't understand but want to participate. MFP is 18 and older and enforces it to the best of their ability.3 -
RelCanonical wrote: »I actually can't go on progresspics, I find it a little triggering. A lot of people disliking their bodies and looking for validation, I have trouble with that but am working on it. Had to leave when a girl hit my goal weight and was like "I need to lose like 15 more, I'm still disgusting" which would put her underweight, and no one said a thing to counter it.
loseit is better about it, although there aren't many people who would call out potentially unhealthy habits. I think part of it is because there is a minority but significant group of young people on there who just don't understand but want to participate. MFP is 18 and older and enforces it to the best of their ability.
I totally understand where you're coming from! I also have come across posts with people either at a weight which is underweight for their height or are aiming for one and they are still rooted on by the reddit users! A lot of people defending their stance and its infuriating.
I did not consider the potential ages of the users but most who post aren't under 18 (regarding posts in the progresspics). I just think that the general population does not know much about healthy weight loss and what to aim for. People over there don't want to hear that you should only aim to lose 1% of your bodyweight a week...a majority just want to lose the weight as fast as possible.3 -
etherealanwar wrote: »RelCanonical wrote: »I actually can't go on progresspics, I find it a little triggering. A lot of people disliking their bodies and looking for validation, I have trouble with that but am working on it. Had to leave when a girl hit my goal weight and was like "I need to lose like 15 more, I'm still disgusting" which would put her underweight, and no one said a thing to counter it.
loseit is better about it, although there aren't many people who would call out potentially unhealthy habits. I think part of it is because there is a minority but significant group of young people on there who just don't understand but want to participate. MFP is 18 and older and enforces it to the best of their ability.
I totally understand where you're coming from! I also have come across posts with people either at a weight which is underweight for their height or are aiming for one and they are still rooted on by the reddit users! A lot of people defending their stance and its infuriating.
I did not consider the potential ages of the users but most who post aren't under 18 (regarding posts in the progresspics). I just think that the general population does not know much about healthy weight loss and what to aim for. People over there don't want to hear that you should only aim to lose 1% of your bodyweight a week...a majority just want to lose the weight as fast as possible.
That's true, they haven't had us *kittens* calling them out like we would on MFP, so they continue to hold the idea that weight loss should be fast like on Biggest Loser, and that any and all sacrifices should be made to obtain the body you want, even at the sacrifice of your health.0 -
Not necessarily r/loseit, but I've noticed a lot of other weight loss subreddits seem to be focused on really dramatic and fast results. That's no good for me. I'm in a pretty good place right now, but reading about fasting (like, real fasting, not just eating windows) and extended periods without food is just asking for trouble.
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janejellyroll wrote: »Not necessarily r/loseit, but I've noticed a lot of other weight loss subreddits seem to be focused on really dramatic and fast results. That's no good for me. I'm in a pretty good place right now, but reading about fasting (like, real fasting, not just eating windows) and extended periods without food is just asking for trouble.
I think the upvote/downvote system ends up creating microcosms of whatever meta the most active users have created for the group. In other words, if enough active members of the subreddit hold a certain opinion, that opinion becomes the "truth" and bleeds out to the rest of the community. Any naysayers or different experiences get downvoted into invisibleness. There's a little bit of that on MFP as well, but with the ordering of posts, you still see the varying opinions, and the emoticon responses show the general opinion of the community. In reddit, unless you sort by new, you won't even see those people, and it'll be like they don't exist.10 -
I like the r/loseit subreddit because I find people are more encouraging and give praise more freely. Someone posts "I lost 5 lbs in a month" and you'll see so many upvotes and positive comments. On MFP, I find users to be more jaded or quick to discount or belittle someone on a post.4
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stricklee11 wrote: »I like the r/loseit subreddit because I find people are more encouraging and give praise more freely. Someone posts "I lost 5 lbs in a month" and you'll see so many upvotes and positive comments. On MFP, I find users to be more jaded or quick to discount or belittle someone on a post.
It depends on the person’s size and how much they have to lose. I’m overweight, not morbidly obese, so losing 5lbs at a time would be really unhealthy for me. I would want that pointed out to me bc I don’t want to negatively affect my health in the long run. I think that’s why people question it by asking for their stats. Not to belittle them but to make sure they aren’t doing something detrimental.6 -
stricklee11 wrote: »I like the r/loseit subreddit because I find people are more encouraging and give praise more freely. Someone posts "I lost 5 lbs in a month" and you'll see so many upvotes and positive comments. On MFP, I find users to be more jaded or quick to discount or belittle someone on a post.
It depends on the person’s size and how much they have to lose. I’m overweight, not morbidly obese, so losing 5lbs at a time would be really unhealthy for me. I would want that pointed out to me bc I don’t want to negatively affect my health in the long run. I think that’s why people question it by asking for their stats. Not to belittle them but to make sure they aren’t doing something detrimental.
Agreed, it's not a fun feeling to cheer someone on only to realize later than their way of obtaining that weight loss was unhealthy, or that they were pushing their body underweight.2 -
stricklee11 wrote: »I like the r/loseit subreddit because I find people are more encouraging and give praise more freely. Someone posts "I lost 5 lbs in a month" and you'll see so many upvotes and positive comments. On MFP, I find users to be more jaded or quick to discount or belittle someone on a post.
I guess it all just really depends on your perspective on things. I find that there are people who come here for "advice" who aren't really looking for advice but rather just people to tell them they are right and agree with them. This is not a very good board for those people. Nobody here has any reservations about calling anyone out or setting the record straight when we see "woo" shared here. I don't think that means we are unnecessarily negative. I think all of us would support someone losing 5 pounds in a month.
I certainly think there are times when all of use who post regularly, myself included, could probably be a little more thoughtful with how we phrase things to those who come here in good faith but with maybe some questionable ideas. But overall for the internet I think this board is a pretty measured and respectful place. And I certainly don't think we would actually be "supportive" of people if we just told them what they wanted to hear even if that was detrimental to them.10 -
stricklee11 wrote: »I like the r/loseit subreddit because I find people are more encouraging and give praise more freely. Someone posts "I lost 5 lbs in a month" and you'll see so many upvotes and positive comments. On MFP, I find users to be more jaded or quick to discount or belittle someone on a post.
The community function here is comparatively very positive. I'm active on my profile, and I really appreciate all the friends I've added here commenting, giving tips and likes. It's on the whole a really nice experience.7 -
Spadesheart wrote: »stricklee11 wrote: »I like the r/loseit subreddit because I find people are more encouraging and give praise more freely. Someone posts "I lost 5 lbs in a month" and you'll see so many upvotes and positive comments. On MFP, I find users to be more jaded or quick to discount or belittle someone on a post.
The community function here is comparatively very positive. I'm active on my profile, and I really appreciate all the friends I've added here commenting, giving tips and likes. It's on the whole a really nice experience.
I'm definitely much more positive/supportive, less questioning on on people's walls than I am in the forum. My reasoning is that if you come into the forums, you are essentially sharing your point of view with the public and if it's something that could lead the public astray, I'll want to challenge that. But people's walls are their own personal space so I'm much more hands off on things that I don't agree with.4 -
similarly, the r/fitness culture is a little off. The wiki is a really great resource but the posts are largely populated by people asking really specific and/or ridiculous questions and answered by users who seem to assume everyone's goal is to be a monster powerlifter.1
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I enjoy reading /loseit. There are some good nuggets to be found there. But the nuggets are buried within a lot of "I'm changing my life tomorrow" posts and NSV/SV types of posts.
It also has kind of a "reddity-y" smug vibe which I don't always care for.3 -
stricklee11 wrote: »I like the r/loseit subreddit because I find people are more encouraging and give praise more freely. Someone posts "I lost 5 lbs in a month" and you'll see so many upvotes and positive comments. On MFP, I find users to be more jaded or quick to discount or belittle someone on a post.
I don't want to be cheered on for something I should not be doing. That is not helpful. I have fallen victim to my own stupidity and it held me back from becoming a healthier me for years and years.
Also I have seen MANY people congratulate others for losing ~5 pounds in a month here. MANY. MANY. If it is healthy for a person to lose it then it is great. If it is not someone will say something.4 -
I enjoy reading /loseit. There are some good nuggets to be found there. But the nuggets are buried within a lot of "I'm changing my life tomorrow" posts and NSV/SV types of posts.
It also has kind of a "reddity-y" smug vibe which I don't always care for.
Not gonna lie... Absolutely posting my before and after when I get there.2 -
One thing that steered me away from the weight loss/fitness subreddits is that many posters seem to not understand TDEE. I've been questioned or downvoted for saying that at 5'3" and 111 pounds, my TDEE is 2000 to 2300 calories per day on average. "You must exercise all day! Are you sure? You're a statistical anomaly then." Almost every other woman my height (or taller!) is claiming to have a TDEE of 1400 to 1700 and most of them weigh more than me. I'm willing to bet zero of them use a food scale. r/1200isplenty? No, it really isn't.8
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I'm talking losing 70-80 lbs in 6 months for someone who is not even obese to begin with (one post today from a 5'3 women going from 198-131 in 6 months).
A 5'3" woman who is 198 pounds is clinically obese. Right at the distinction between Class II and Class I obesity, to be exact. I am well aware of the Great BMI Debate that's been going on online for practically as long as online diet/health forums have existed. That does not change the fact any healthcare worker who sees her and has access to both her height and weight is going to annotate her medical record as such if she is seen. Same with insurance companies.
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I think it’s a combination of many of the things listed here (reddit skews younger than mfp, it’s easier to downvote/upvote without engaging, and even if you’re subscribed you’re likely to see only the most extreme posts because they get the most upvotes), but also the system of subreddits. When people get irritated with a subreddit it’s easy to create a new one.
Reddit makes it easy to create echo chambers. I know I’m part of the problem whenever I roll my eyes and downvote instead of responding like the grownup I pretend to be.
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grinning_chick wrote: »I'm talking losing 70-80 lbs in 6 months for someone who is not even obese to begin with (one post today from a 5'3 women going from 198-131 in 6 months).
A 5'3" woman who is 198 pounds is clinically obese. Right at the distinction between Class II and Class I obesity, to be exact. I am well aware of the Great BMI Debate that's been going on online for practically as long as online diet/health forums have existed. That does not change the fact any healthcare worker who sees her and has access to both her height and weight is going to annotate her medical record as such if she is seen. Same with insurance companies.
You’re right about that your math. I’m 5’3” and was morbidly obese when I started at 202 pounds. But the poster’s main point was that a 33% weight loss in 6 months is not a healthy rate of loss.1 -
I don't mind some posts on r/loseit but keep me far, far away from r/fatlogic. There's so much condescension in that subreddit.
I've never been downvoted for suggesting a diet break on r/loseit, but I certainly have never been upvoted!1 -
RelCanonical wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Not necessarily r/loseit, but I've noticed a lot of other weight loss subreddits seem to be focused on really dramatic and fast results. That's no good for me. I'm in a pretty good place right now, but reading about fasting (like, real fasting, not just eating windows) and extended periods without food is just asking for trouble.
I think the upvote/downvote system ends up creating microcosms of whatever meta the most active users have created for the group. In other words, if enough active members of the subreddit hold a certain opinion, that opinion becomes the "truth" and bleeds out to the rest of the community. Any naysayers or different experiences get downvoted into invisibleness. There's a little bit of that on MFP as well, but with the ordering of posts, you still see the varying opinions, and the emoticon responses show the general opinion of the community. In reddit, unless you sort by new, you won't even see those people, and it'll be like they don't exist.
All too true of the internet in general. Though most topics here at MFP involve as least some opinion on best methods and ways to reach a goal, this takes place even on forums where an answer is set in stone and is either true or not. And given enough people drinking the Kool Aid, often the untrue becomes true. A
There was a time in the earlier days of the internet when discussion, dialogue, and healthy debate were frequent, and in the end more truth was to be shared by all. At some point the internet changed the standard to the point that if someone yelled loud enough or frequently enough, others would follow their lead, truths be damned.
And that's sad really. A huge resource for all of us is full of just as much misinformation as truth.0
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