Serious question about calorie goals...

I wish MFP would say, "met their calorie goal" if the person is within 100 calories on either side of the goal. It's silly that you can be 5 calories over and not get that kudos. I was about to congratulate someone on being under goal once and I glanced at their diary and they had eaten like 400 calories for the whole day. Um...not good!

In reference to the posters who are against "critiquing" someone else's food diary. If you read my previous post then you know that I think it is helpful for people to offer suggestions or hold us accountable for the choices we make. I think it will help us to stick to our goals. For those who don't want others "critiquing" their food diary? It's quite simple...keep it private. This site is meant to provide a support structure for each persons success. I am too honest a person to accept accolades for doing something the wrong way. I mean seriously if I was eating a candy bar three times a day and still coming in under my calorie goal. It would be hypocritical for me to accept a friends congratulatory statements for a job I didn't do. The object here is not to just be under our calorie goals but, to make healthier choices and to keep the weight off once we've lost it. If all we're doing is eating junk or starving ourselves then we will not be successful. If the only reason we've joined this community if for people to congratulate us on continuing our destructive behaviors then we've wasted our time and everyone elses. So, my solution to this quandary is simple.... If you don't want to comment on someone else's diary, DON'T. If you don't want people commenting on your diary, MAKE IT PRIVATE. Public diaries are basically telling everyone you are open to suggestions. My diary is public and so if I'm doing something you think could be improved, have at it. There is no law saying I have to accept your suggestions. However, if it is a good one, I'm likely to try it. It's all about each of us finding a new healthier way to live. I don't know about everyone else but, I want this weight to come off and stay off forever. That's why I'm taking things at a slower pace. 1lb a week is what is recommended for permanent weight loss.

Truly, I respect that. But I would find it discouraging if everytime I ate a cookie, I was lectured by friends. Pretty soon it would seem like an attack. If I am comfortable with eating that cookie, then you should be too. Fortunately, I have never had to experience a friend who felt it necessary to criticize or condemn my food choices. As far as the opinion that losing slower means that it stays off permanently, there really isn't any documentation to support that. For as many "professionals" that make that claim, there is an equal number of "professionals" that will tell you that it is not how slow you lose, but how permanent you intend to make the changes to your lifestyle. When you made the decision to lose the weight, you committed to yourself to change the way you eat and exercise for as long as it takes to get it off. But, if you aren't committed to continuing those methods for the rest of your life, then no weight loss will be permanent. Even if you spent the next 2.5 years losing 1 lb a week, if you return to your old habits in 3 years then you will gain all of the weight back and it won't have mattered how slowly you lost. Also, to your statement that you didn't gain the weight in six months so you shouldn't expect it to come off that quickly; you gain weight faster than you lose anyway. Sure you didn't gain it all in six months, that is because you carried some of it for awhile before you gained some more.

In reference to the posters who are against "critiquing" someone else's food diary. If you read my previous post then you know that I think it is helpful for people to offer suggestions or hold us accountable for the choices we make. I think it will help us to stick to our goals. For those who don't want others "critiquing" their food diary? It's quite simple...keep it private. This site is meant to provide a support structure for each persons success. I am too honest a person to accept accolades for doing something the wrong way. I mean seriously if I was eating a candy bar three times a day and still coming in under my calorie goal. It would be hypocritical for me to accept a friends congratulatory statements for a job I didn't do. The object here is not to just be under our calorie goals but, to make healthier choices and to keep the weight off once we've lost it. If all we're doing is eating junk or starving ourselves then we will not be successful. If the only reason we've joined this community if for people to congratulate us on continuing our destructive behaviors then we've wasted our time and everyone elses. So, my solution to this quandary is simple.... If you don't want to comment on someone else's diary, DON'T. If you don't want people commenting on your diary, MAKE IT PRIVATE. Public diaries are basically telling everyone you are open to suggestions. My diary is public and so if I'm doing something you think could be improved, have at it. There is no law saying I have to accept your suggestions. However, if it is a good one, I'm likely to try it. It's all about each of us finding a new healthier way to live. I don't know about everyone else but, I want this weight to come off and stay off forever. That's why I'm taking things at a slower pace. 1lb a week is what is recommended for permanent weight loss.

Truly, I respect that. But I would find it discouraging if everytime I ate a cookie, I was lectured by friends. Pretty soon it would seem like an attack. If I am comfortable with eating that cookie, then you should be too. Fortunately, I have never had to experience a friend who felt it necessary to criticize or condemn my food choices. As far as the opinion that losing slower means that it stays off permanently, there really isn't any documentation to support that. For as many "professionals" that make that claim, there is an equal number of "professionals" that will tell you that it is not how slow you lose, but how permanent you intend to make the changes to your lifestyle. When you made the decision to lose the weight, you committed to yourself to change the way you eat and exercise for as long as it takes to get it off. But, if you aren't committed to continuing those methods for the rest of your life, then no weight loss will be permanent. Even if you spent the next 2.5 years losing 1 lb a week, if you return to your old habits in 3 years then you will gain all of the weight back and it won't have mattered how slowly you lost. Also, to your statement that you didn't gain the weight in six months so you shouldn't expect it to come off that quickly; you gain weight faster than you lose anyway. Sure you didn't gain it all in six months, that is because you carried some of it for awhile before you gained some more.

In reference to the posters who are against "critiquing" someone else's food diary. If you read my previous post then you know that I think it is helpful for people to offer suggestions or hold us accountable for the choices we make. I think it will help us to stick to our goals. For those who don't want others "critiquing" their food diary? It's quite simple...keep it private. This site is meant to provide a support structure for each persons success. I am too honest a person to accept accolades for doing something the wrong way. I mean seriously if I was eating a candy bar three times a day and still coming in under my calorie goal. It would be hypocritical for me to accept a friends congratulatory statements for a job I didn't do. The object here is not to just be under our calorie goals but, to make healthier choices and to keep the weight off once we've lost it. If all we're doing is eating junk or starving ourselves then we will not be successful. If the only reason we've joined this community if for people to congratulate us on continuing our destructive behaviors then we've wasted our time and everyone elses. So, my solution to this quandary is simple.... If you don't want to comment on someone else's diary, DON'T. If you don't want people commenting on your diary, MAKE IT PRIVATE. Public diaries are basically telling everyone you are open to suggestions. My diary is public and so if I'm doing something you think could be improved, have at it. There is no law saying I have to accept your suggestions. However, if it is a good one, I'm likely to try it. It's all about each of us finding a new healthier way to live. I don't know about everyone else but, I want this weight to come off and stay off forever. That's why I'm taking things at a slower pace. 1lb a week is what is recommended for permanent weight loss.

Truly, I respect that. But I would find it discouraging if everytime I ate a cookie, I was lectured by friends. Pretty soon it would seem like an attack. If I am comfortable with eating that cookie, then you should be too. Fortunately, I have never had to experience a friend who felt it necessary to criticize or condemn my food choices. As far as the opinion that losing slower means that it stays off permanently, there really isn't any documentation to support that. For as many "professionals" that make that claim, there is an equal number of "professionals" that will tell you that it is not how slow you lose, but how permanent you intend to make the changes to your lifestyle. When you made the decision to lose the weight, you committed to yourself to change the way you eat and exercise for as long as it takes to get it off. But, if you aren't committed to continuing those methods for the rest of your life, then no weight loss will be permanent. Even if you spent the next 2.5 years losing 1 lb a week, if you return to your old habits in 3 years then you will gain all of the weight back and it won't have mattered how slowly you lost. Also, to your statement that you didn't gain the weight in six months so you shouldn't expect it to come off that quickly; you gain weight faster than you lose anyway. Sure you didn't gain it all in six months, that is because you carried some of it for awhile before you gained some more.

Ok, a person who feels it necessary to question someone having one single cookie once in a while, has issues of their own and I would probably unfriend them for that reason. Now, if you ate a single cookie, multiple times a day then yes, your friends should point it out to you. There again, if you are uncomfortable with having your choices critiqued then keep your diary private, problem solved. Losing weight too quickly can cause other problems including, system shock. And according to my research a person who loses weight slowly is more likely to keep it off permanently because, the longer a person does something the more it becomes habit.

I was looking at Kelly's signature....

And I'm sorry but a condition like hyperthyroidism is not just something you ERADICATE. It's something you live with for the rest of your life, no matter how much weight you lose. Just thought I would comment because I know from my own life experience that it's not something that you just get rid of.

And on top of that, if you have hyperthyroidism you're likely to have really poor eating habits. Hyperthyroidism causes your metabolism to go into overdrive. You have a hard time gaining weight with this problem. So, if you want to "eradicate" that, start with changing eating habits....because if, somehow thru medication or otherwise, your thyroid does go normal or hypo, you're gonna want to make sure you're eating less and healthier or you will blow up like a balloon.

I was unaware that there were two different thyroid conditions. I looked it up and I have HypOthyroidism. I also looked at my blood work report and I'm only a couple of tenths off normal. I appreciate that you have this condition and yes probably know more about it than I do as I've only gotten this diagnosis within the last month but, you do not know the full story that goes with it and so are out of line with your comments. I will correct my signature but, will not entertain any further discussion regarding my medical conditions.

I'm not trying to be nasty, but I can see that you were getting very heated about the whole "eat them back or don't" issue, which doesn't seem right because you didn't seem to know a lot about the health conditions that you have. People get up in arms when you tell them something they didn't know, or don't want to know. Unfortunately, thyroid conditions are serious, and should be treated as such. My comments to you, scathing or not, were meant to be a wake up call. Having a thyroid condition means that you have to work that much harder at controlling what goes in and what comes out. Good luck with your hypo; it's a struggle, and will be a life long one.