Watch out for predators

springlering62 wrote: »

I’d be wildly suspicious if it was your muscular self + the kitty.

These avatar pics are too small for me *and* my chonker cat.

OK, maybe she's not chonker status to be fair. She does love to eat though. Probably a side effect from before we got her from the shelter. And before anyone says just limit the food, our other cat is older and a grazer with his food, so we can't have him going without.

EveryDayisDay01 wrote: »

Don’t let scammers or flirty “others” ruin it for you.

I am a real woman, and I get friend requests as well as send them. I only very recently began accepting them if it is someone I’ve seen in the forums and sending them if I feel we have similar interests and goals.

I have personally only seen one scammer, and find them pretty easy to spot when they send a message. I simply don’t respond.

I find the messaging useful to share knowledge and support. Hopefully at some point, MFP will dial in the app a little better. I find great value in tracking my day here, as does my coach. I am also looking to get my PT Cert and enjoy reading about others cert experiences.

Feel free to send a request if you feel we are like minded, working towards similar goals and/or can support each other or share information. Sometimes just seeing what others are eating is a huge help.

springlering62 wrote: »

People you’ve not already accepted as a friend can’t message you

Is this accurate? Didn't we go through the drill where I sent you a direct message, and we aren't "MFP Friends" and you got my message?

SurferGirl1982 wrote: »

Personally, I think she's at about the right weight. The first two pics are the fat pics and the last one is just recent.

Ah, so cute. A timeline cleanser. Thanks.

Well. I've had 50-50 success at sending and receiving direct messages to and from non friends. Not talking friend requests here but just messages. Sometimes it has worked when messaging older accounts. Sometimes it hasn't.

I admit to not even looking at friend requests the past few years especially given that I started logging on another platform after the late 2020, apparently temporary, decision to limit meal history to one year for non premium.

The friend wall was a bit hard to keep up with but a good tool to get one to stay in the game and to exchange ideas

SurferGirl1982 wrote: »

Last August, we brought her to the vet for her annual checkup (she was 16 at the time, now 17). The vet was concerned because she had lost three pounds. So, the vet did some lab work. It turned out she had hyperthyroidism. She's now on a transdermal med that we have to apply to her earflap twice a day. At first, she didn't like it. But, she's gotten used to it. At her follow-up, her numbers were in the normal range and she had gained .31 pounds. It may not seem like much, but the vet was happy.

We took our cat (age 13? 14?) to the vet after we'd noticed he'd lost a lot of weight rapidly. Turns out he had developed diabetes, and we now have to give him a twice daily shot of insulin. The results were very fast, gaining almost a pound back (after losing three) in just a couple weeks.

All my cats have always been grazers, makes it difficult to control the diet of any one without doing it to all of them.

I feel like we need a separate cat thread for those of us that don’t have cats to admire them 😀

That might not help if you're allergic to the dander. 🥲 I'm allergic to all the dogs that are supposed to be hypoallergenic and don't shed, but not labs because they have a thick undercoat that keeps the dander close to their skin.

SurferGirl1982 wrote: »

@Adventurista Is my profile still showing as private? I just received a friend request. Hmmm? Not sure how that works!

I just clicked on your username @SurferGirl1982, using the app on my android phone. It popped up a window that shows you basic info and says "this user is private."

It is a good question how you got a friend request ... if you figure it out let us know. Now back to cats 🐱

SurferGirl1982 wrote: »

@Adventurista Is my profile still showing as private? I just received a friend request. Hmmm? Not sure how that works!

Someone only need to type in your username to add you. Even with a private profile.

SurferGirl1982 wrote: »

OK...thanks. I'm somewhat new to this and I'm still trying to figure it out. I'm not sure what the point of having friends is?

I always try to write "MFP friends" because it feels sad just writing "what is the point of having friends" 😥

MFP stated off 15 years ago wildly social and a decent food tracking diary. They harvested the USDA data for free and made it easy to track.

It was sold a couple of times, probably to try and harvest the 100s of thousands of users' information. Though not too many people stick around. The social part was a very large part but I imagine it did not make money.

MFP squeezed all social out except for this open source/free discussion board and the food tracker. Neither of them require much maintenance.

It's boiled down to these two autopilot tools, very few staff, and just enough ad revenue income to keep the lights on.

Last year "newsfeeds" went away, that was the last great social MFP Friends thing. Now you are correct. Friends are the most important thing in the world, MFP Friends not so much.

SurferGirl1982 wrote: »

@Heidijjo I'm using the web version due to eyesight issues. When I go to "Friends" and "Add Friends", it comes up with a form to add the first and last name, not a username.

I have a bit of an alcohol problem and I'm currently working on quitting. So, I haven't even been logging recently. Although, I really enjoy it. I like planning out my entire day in the morning. That way I can adjust things if my calories or macros are off. I plan to be alcohol free shortly and will resume. I also plan on joining our local gym and starting off slowly. I was always very physically fit. But an early retirement and drinking messed me up. But, you'd be surprised how quickly I can catch up!

Well, I’m super impressed with your vulnerability and open admission. So very admirable. I would love to walk with you on
your journey if ever you feel comfortable.

Yes. There are differences between the app and online. So many inconsistencies. I’d have to log in to see how to navigate the username.

SurferGirl1982 wrote: »

@AnnPT77 Thanks! I came back to say that I haven't actually received messages from these people. But, I get a lot of friend requests (always from men). I even think the same man keeps coming up with a different user name. And, it usually says they joined MFP just a day or two before.

Did you see my question about why discussions like this are never listed in "Recent Forum Topics"? It seems like it's almost always the same discussions. To me it gets a bit boring. I am using the web version. I have some issues with my eyesight and using my phone is a bit difficult.

But how do you make your profile not come off as a scammer? I'm back on this app after years away and I need new friends but I don't want people thinking I'm a scammer.

love2lift_85 wrote: »

Huh... so the seemingly nice guy who says he's a doctor with the Red Cross in Gaza is probably a scammer? Ugh. A shame.
He wants me to get the Zangi app... I've said "no" twice now :-P

Seems legit. 🤣🤦🏼‍♀️😆