Attack of the Newbies

When I was "new" to MFP, I certainly wasn't new to dieting or eating healthy, so my opinion might have been helpful to some.

Also, when one is new to MFP, he doesn't realize that a topic has been discussed over and over and over on the forums.

HOWEVER
The Heckling is really NOT ok! I have no idea why people have to be so mean just because they are posting anonymously on the internet. Oh wait -- I know why people are so mean -- it's because they are posting anonymously on the internet.

some people may have started over fresh, therefore not really a newby after all. I know I did, therefore I lost my original start date. Not that that is an excuse for why people act the way they do, but maybe they do know stuff? Or, once an asshat....?

I know nothing and I'm an asshat. But, I've been around much longer than this profile will tell you.

OP: This isn't necessarily directed toward you.. and btw, I think you're very pretty. Just a general response to the subject….

--I do think (as a newbie) it doesn't take more than 5 minutes to realize how intense and heated the threads can get in here and it can be difficult to not want to jump in and add your 2 cents.

For example: In my first week on here I got involved in one of these heated exchanges over Diet Coke, of all things.. And while it was frustrating and I got shredded by other more 'senior' members.. I actually learned something...

They were telling me there's nothing wrong with Diet Coke.. and I was saying, even though I drink it, it can have negative effects on weight loss goals.. et cetera.. So upon suggestion of these other members.. I actually researched it myself! This is embarrassing but I literally spent a combined 4 or 5 hours (My winter break from school, lol) sifting through medical research websites and countless .org's and .edu's because I REALLY wanted a legitimate answer to these questions! What I ended up finding is there is actually no published research yet to suggest that neither I the freshman, nor they, the seniors, were 'right.' Basically, these studies have been completed, but the controversy is too new to find any solid evidence or published studies to settle the argument.

The moral of this story is that we were both simply trying to help. It didn’t really matter who found the site first or who’s the biggest, baddest, chest thumping MFP user. We just happened to fall on either side of a controversial topic and we wanted to stand up for our opinions. I guess I can mentally bump the feed and revisit it 10 years from now, when the research has been exhausted, and check to see who gets the point for the ‘win.’ But bottom line, unless people are citing their posts with peer reviewed scholarly articles, a lot of the information on here should be considered opinion, personal experience, or commonly regarded opinions and theories on a subject--- Regardless of the poster.

I agree that some people on here, and in life, could benefit from working on their delivery and general social skills.. But, *eh,* maybe that’s why they’re sitting behind a computer screen in the first place. I guess I just try to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that their intention wasn’t to annoy everyone or to muddy up the forums.. Because MFP can be fun and educational when used properly and I don’t blame anyone, whether they are a freshman, sophomore, etc., for wanting to be a part of it.

*Please don’t yell at me for this post either, it’s really coming from a place of love.. :flowerforyou: I honestly just thought my valuable ‘learning experience’ might help someone else… * i.e. This would fall under the category of personal experience/opinion. *

Cheers!

I've been here for nearly a year and find that it's not just newbs who tout poor advice as fact.

^^^^THIS^^^^:bigsmile:

Most of the newbie issues come down to this:



There will always be people with bigger mouths than brains. This is independent of newb status also, unfortunately.

wow. what a way to welcome newbies. I was one to question whether or not to eat my exercise cals....sorry to annoy all of you.....

I agree with you to a point. Just because someone just found & joined MFP doesn't mean that they are new to fitness or nutrition. They may expertise and advice that is way beyong being a member of a forum for over a year.

That

This and That

Most of the newbie issues come down to this:



There will always be people with bigger mouths than brains. This is independent of newb status also, unfortunately.

LOL, I love you Liz.

I agree with you to a point. Just because someone just found & joined MFP doesn't mean that they are new to fitness or nutrition. They may have expertise and advice that is way beyond just being a member of a forum for over a year.

Quite, but I'll add this: Some "new" people have just made another account, even. I've seen enough "veteran" members giving out stupid advice time and time again, also. One's newness to the site determines nothing other than their unfamiliarity to MFP and its' workings. Some people are serially awful at maintaining their figure/fitness/whatever it is they're trying to do, no matter their time spent doing it, here or elsewhere.

Fact is, a lot of the fitness/diet thing is a very personal thing. What reacts terribly for one will be just the thing for another and all advice is just speculation to some extent anyway, informed or not.

The stupid know-it-all attitude and bad advice thing goes hand-in-hand not with newbies, with MFP, but with the internet. Sad, but trueness.

I agree with both of these statements.

How is this topic related to General Diet and Weight Loss? ....

I completely disagree as this forum topic is based on assumptions. We know the oft-repeated saying about assumptions which I need not repeat.

First, this forum unfairly targets "newbies" as being misinformed. Who is to say that someone who is new to MFP is automatically new to fitness, nutrition and/or a healthy lifestyle or striving for the same? Many folks come to this site with great experience in these areas. The only thing I would say is that newbies as well as others make better use of the search function as topics come up over and over which have been addressed and answered ad nauseum.

Second, everyone on this site was once a newbie. Instead of singling out newcomers to the site, it seems more prudent to welcome everyone and make them feel part of this journey we are all supposedly striving on.

Third, I've noticed a tendency for some regardless of time on the site to "preach" to others that you must do things a certain way or your soul may as well be damned for eternity. I've said it over and over that everyone is not cut from the same sleeve nor does one size fit all. There are so many variables and factors which make everyone's journey different. While some things are common sense and likely apply to all, not everything. Bottom line to this response is respect and inclusion for all.

Even when I was a newbie, I did what I do now: Stick to sarcasm. Always works.

0.o

That is a good point that I hadn't really thought of, I just crack up when people say, "Well I joined two weeks ago and I'm doing X diet and I've already lost 7 lbs!" I'm like really? Cause that was probably mostly water weight, not proof your diet works.

They are just happy to lose any weight! Let them have that! Everyone starts out as a "newbie" but most people here have tried all kinds of things to lose weight. Some people have lost weight before they joined, some have lost weight before and gained and joined, and some are just losing weight for the first time. I look at it this way: if I am asking for advice I want to know any and every piece of advice I can get. You don't know the full story until you know that person. However I do not agree with the people who come on here and attack people that is just plain stupid! But I will say I don't think you should have put this in the newbie section! This just makes it even harder for those new people to get out there and find friends on the site or even to ask a question. I just don't think you should judge anyone. I am not trying to be mean... I just don't agree.

Human nature. I don't loose sleep over it.

Nor do I lose sleep over it.

:flowerforyou:

Hahahahaha