Real Live friends as MFP friends...

I pretty much use MFP to bag on people I hate and to generally talk smack, so that really wouldn't work for me.

I actually could give a damn about losing weight... I needed somewhere to rant and I'm too lazy to start a Facebook page.




Just kidding. I care about losing weight.




OK, not really. But I was kidding about not having a Facebook page. But I only use that to stalk chicks from high school.

I'm confused

i've not only got real life friends on here i have a lot of my family too! We are the biggest cheerleaders to each other! I do keep my diary closed, but it is nice to see how they are doing and have them see how you are doing. they are great cheerleaders as they know me so well! Your decision will depend on how well you know this person and what type of friendship. i do not post my weight, but having my ticker showing my progress helps them support me.

I have friends on here IRL. I have some people who I introduced to MFP!
My roommate and I do it together. I like having IRL MFP friends, actually.

My mom, my sister and a few real life friends are my MFP friends!! I don't find it weird at all. It is nice because if my family is at dinner together, we can help each other make smart decisions. Plus I know I have to be accountable for what I ate knowing they would know too!! I suppose I would feel weird about co-workers or not close friends knowing so much about me though.

I have a really good friend on MFP. I'm here for accountability, so you guys get me on here and if I fall out, I'm sure I'll hear it from her.

My sister has an account as well, but she never logs in.

I have real live friends on here too. I have nothing to hide. I am here to get healthy. I can be held accountable to them as well as you all. I see no harm. Just sayin.....

I have 4 of my cousins on my page and that's it! One of them is on a running plan with me as well, and the other 3 are joining me in another journey that is incorporating weight loss as well. We friended each other to stay accountable for our actions. I meet with 3 of them once a week and the other one I see on a daily basis. It has helped a lot, but honestly I wouldn't just invite random people I know to join me on here. Honestly, not even my sisters who also are trying to lose weight. I am only asking my cousins to hold me accountable and we post encouragement to one another.

But honestly, if you are not comfortable sharing this part of you life, just don't accept the request. Just let her know that it's not something you like to have out there! If she is serious about it, she will understand. She may only be asking to friend you because she needs encouragement. If you find that is the reason, maybe you can consider setting up a time to talk about what her struggles are and maybe offer some advice/encouragement in real life, or over email if it's easier for her.

I've had a couple of friends on here, one of which I still see at work every day. I had my wife and one of her coworkers as a friend too, but ultimately removed them after a month of inactivity LOL.....yes, I said it, I removed my wife from my list, because if you're going to be in my support group, you're going to be on here supporting me as I'm supporting you :laugh:

I dont have a problem with it as long as they are as serious as I am.

This.

I have worked hard to lose 100+ (all before MFP) lbs and I don't want to be derailed on the journey by people who don't have the focus or who contribute negatively to my efforts.

You sound like a fun friend. :flowerforyou:

No, I don't. There's just a level of privacy and anonymity I appreciate having here. I know real-life friends who use MFP, but I don't need them scrutinizing what I eat every day, etc. The MFP friends I have are like-minded, and I want them to see my diary.

It's similar to how I don't like people out in the real world asking me personal questions about weight loss: "How did you do it?" (as if there is some magic ) "How much have you lost?" "How much more are you losing?" "How much have your worked out this week?" "Are you sure you're not going to burn out?"

I'm happy to share that eating well and exercise are the key to getting healthy, even tipping them off to MFP, but I don't like the scrutiny from people I actually know.

Also, with the exception of one person I'm very close to, I sense a bit of jealousy from some others I know who are trying to lose weight. They want my success but don't have that motivation right now, and until they do, they won't have my success. I don't need passive aggressive comments on MFP as well as in real life.

But that's just me. I can absolutely see how for others it would be a good thing to have real life friends as friends on MFP.

It's totally ok, I think, to not have them be MFP friends.