My Rant on the Over/Under!

24

Replies

  • hbunting86
    hbunting86 Posts: 952 Member
    I think you're being way harsh about this, to be honest.

    Everyone has bad days - bad weeks or even bad months. It's that little thing called life that gets in the way of us all being perceived to be 'perfect'. If you're under your calories and ate, say a McDonalds... well you're under your calories. It could be a treat, it could be a slip or it could be purely a matter of convenience at the time. We all, I'm sure, have busy lives with plenty of distractors on the way to losing weight. Being snarky about it doesn't help people.

    Just saying.
  • I get your point, BUT isn't the point calories-in, calories-out? You will still lose weight when you eat less crap! It's a continuum, right?
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  • 1996gtstang
    1996gtstang Posts: 279 Member
    changing a lifestyle is a tough transition, cutting portions and calories is a good first step
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member

    *Edited to add: I don't think I'm self righteous for eating "clean". I just want my MFP friends to succeed. Eating junk all the time will make one crave junk all the time.

    Not true. I eat my fair share of "junk" often. I treat myself daily to something I like. I don't crave and have been losing just fine.

    Everyone is different. I personally, crave junk if I eat a lot of it. Of course, I don't eat as healthy as I should sometimes. That's life. But I've had friends on here who consistently eat junk all day every day, and then complain because they can't lose. And when you try to offer friendly suggestions as to what they could do or change, they get mad. I don't get it.

    Ah I see what you mean now. I do friendly suggestions, but I try to make it seem like I am not nagging them :] Usually it is about proper macros and such, but my friends are a smart bunch ^-^ I mean if the aren't losing and you have a few suggestions I don't see the problem.

    But I still stand by with junk is okay depending on the person. I am big on eat it if it fits in your macros.
    I ate an entire tub (2 cups) of non-dairy ice cream tonight. It fit in my macros. It was yummy. I still wouldn't recommend doing it every day, though.
  • PinkEarthMama
    PinkEarthMama Posts: 987 Member
    I am with you on this!

    I'm not talking about slip-ups. I have those. Who doesn't?

    I am FURIOUS when I peek at a friends diary and see things like this :

    1 bag of potato chips
    1 ice cream cone
    4 cups of coffee

    and people are RAVING " Good job coming under calories! "

    I tell ALL people who friend me that I WILL read their diary and I WILL comment. Don't like it? Delete me!
  • I never publish my food diary. I don't want anyone making suggestions for me. My diary is so that I can see how I am eating. I don't need random unqualified people telling me how to eat. I'm a big girl and know when I've filled up on junk and when I've had a good day. I enjoy looking at the forums and learn a thing or two but I'm using mfp mainly so I can track my own behavior not so that others can tell me what I'm doing right or wrong. When I have a bad day I can usually figure out why and I make note of it. It is not because I am a total idiot and have no clue how to eat healthy. Instead, it is usually because I am stressed or excited or I went to a party or BBQ or something like that. No random person on mfp is going to know this but ME. Personally I don't think anyone should publish their diaries. Use them to monitor your OWN behavior and to see patterns of problem behavior to change for yourself.
  • AngelsDream4Peace
    AngelsDream4Peace Posts: 116 Member
    I don't know how many times I've seen a diary where the person has eaten like crap all day (candy, cakes, fast food, etc.) Pure crap! But they manage to come in under their calorie count. So the comments from their so called friends are "WTG!", "Good Job!" , etc.

    STOP! It wasn't a good day. THEY ATE LIKE CRAP! Call them on it! Sure they kept their calories below 1300. But their only claim to vegetables was their taco for lunch! You aren't helping them by rewarding the behavior. Get past the blurb on the screen and actually look into their diary. It takes time, but they're supposed to be your friend, remember?

    And for the bad eater, those so called friends are rewarding poor choices. Drop them like you would an abusive SO. Find friends that will hold you accountable, give you suggestions, and show compassion when you have a bad day or two. Lose the ones that only see the word "under" and think that's the goal. And if you're not sharing your diary with your friends, you're missing one of the best parts of MFP.

    Thank you for your attention.

    My first thought is "what's it to you how they get their calories?" My second thought is, "big words from a tough guy with a closed diary..."

    I could quote a lot of these, but this one is my favorite! Seriously, you should ease up a bit, there are many many many who don't know the healthy eating habits that YOU appear to think you have. And many of us are just starting out and small steps for some are necessary. Not everyone is claiming to be absolutely and completely disciplined, that is why some of us came here to learn from people who are. Teach us, don't yell at us, we need help
  • ehunte
    ehunte Posts: 125 Member
    I think to each his own. I'm not here to judge what other people eat. If I think my friend ate crap then I just don't comment.
  • seriously... I just looked at my early diaries, and it makes me a little bit sick. But I was a noob. I was staying under calories (WAY under-sometimes netting around 0 calories!) o.O Now, though, I think my diary is better most of the time. Except when I have binge issues...

    but that's what got me to this site. And there's some overeating you've done to get you to this site. And her. And him. And him. And even her.

    Jeesh. We all have to start somewhere. By having friends with nice diaries, we learn. I picked up pointers, I straightened myself out (a little), and my diary isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. But I still have snacks and I eat my share of "junk." Tonight for dessert, I had apple blueberry cobbler ala mode. While watching the tube later, I had popcorn and chocolate chips... I'm not perfect. I bet you aren't either.

    But then again--nobody knows. Your diary is closed...
  • Cr357
    Cr357 Posts: 238
    Get over yourself!!

    If I want to eat chips with my sandwich or have a bag of candy who are you to judge me.

    If you only want "clean eaters" don't accept friends that eat "crap" then you don't have to get all uptight about OTHER PEOPLE CHOICES!!!
    Read the bold OP. When I look into MFP diaries I go to the final macros first because that is what will determine where they end up on their journey. Micro managing someones food choices is beyond the scope of "Internet" friends and is better done by a spouse or close friend. If someone has a question about food choices they usually ask. Or haven't you noticed? P.S. don't look at my diary you'll find Pop Tarts and Captain Crunch.
  • seriously... I just looked at my early diaries, and it makes me a little bit sick. But I was a noob. I was staying under calories (WAY under-sometimes netting around 0 calories!) o.O Now, though, I think my diary is better most of the time. Except when I have binge issues...

    but that's what got me to this site. And there's some overeating you've done to get you to this site. And her. And him. And him. And even her.

    Jeesh. We all have to start somewhere. By having friends with nice diaries, we learn. I picked up pointers, I straightened myself out (a little), and my diary isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. But I still have snacks and I eat my share of "junk." Tonight for dessert, I had apple blueberry cobbler ala mode. While watching the tube later, I had popcorn and chocolate chips... I'm not perfect. I bet you aren't either.

    But then again--nobody knows. Your diary is closed...

    Oh goodness my was the same! about 20g of protein per day (eek) and tons of dorm junk food. I had no clue what to eat xD I had a giant amount of sodium and about 800 calories a day thinking that was the only way to lose weight. Glad I changed that quick! Also am glad to not live in a dorm anymore :P yay a fridge and stove!
  • shanahan_09
    shanahan_09 Posts: 238 Member
    Hmmmmmmmm .......... * She wonders, was his comment about her managing a " few " treats today a nice comment or the evil friend saying " Yo Laney ... get with the damn program ! "

    Ha ha ha ! Seriously, I completely agree. If I don't have time to look at a diary I don't comment. Anybody can stay under eating pure crap and think they did good ... that is the biggest disappoint I have witnessed since being involved in others progress. How can these same people wonder why they aren't losing or feeling any better ???

    Listen folks ... a calorie is NOT just a calorie. The sooner you learn that ... the healthier you'll be !

    Ok ... My rant is over. That's about the extent of my negativity ! Hope I didn't hurt anybody's feelings ! LOL ! :flowerforyou:

    I sooo agree with this. Love the part about a calorie is NOT just a calorie! Well said!!
  • DonM46
    DonM46 Posts: 771 Member
    You've been here about 1 1/2 months, and you're the expert?
    MYOB unless you're asked to comment.
  • joanthemom8
    joanthemom8 Posts: 375 Member
    I agree. As a former Weight Watchers follower, I have to say that one of the good things about the program was it weighted foods on more than their caloric value - more on nutritional value. Some crap food was worth more points than healthy food, even if the crap food had few calories, so you had to decide if you wanted to waste your points on the crap food.

    I didn't realize that you could look at other people's food diariies. I agree in principle to eating healthier, but I'm not going to be looking at people's diaries to see what they've eaten. I guess I was one of those people giving blanket "wtg"s - I just assumed if someone came in under their daily goal, they were eating nutritionally sound. There are days when I've eaten junk early on and then kept it light the rest of the day to make sure I stayed within (or close to) my goal......
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,972 Member
    One of the biggest reasons for health issues is weight. You can eat "healthy" and be overweight. There are apparently many on here that are. Control of weight should be of the highest concern first.
    I always urge my clients first and foremost to get their calories in control. Small transitions in lifestyle makes for better success rather than to hit someone with: You HAVE to exercise, you HAVE to cut out all sugar, you HAVE to eat only clean food, you HAVE to drink 64oz of water per day..................................it's not a wonder why so many people fail at weight loss.
    Teaching people to make sure they get in their essentials and learning how to moderate what they like to eat has been a much more successful plan compared to the "healthy" plan that everyone thinks should be implemented.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    While I agree to an extent with what you're saying, I have a coupe of objections.

    1) I have a lot of friends on here. I like having a lot because it makes for a bigger community of support. And I want to provide as much encouragement as possible! This means I don't always have the time to actually look at diaries (or look at them closely). In general, if I see someone was under their goal, I say good job. This allows me to spread encouragement to as many of my friends as possible.

    2) Even though they may have made some poor choices, coming in under their goal is still a success in my eyes. Could it have been a "better" success with better food choices? Of course! But the way I think of it is, that person probably used to eat that same junk every day - only probably twice as much. The fact that they are monitoring their portions and are aware of how much they consume is still an accomplishment in my eyes. For some people, this is a slow process, one step at a time. It may be that they need to focus solely on calories first, then incorporate healthier choices at time goes on.

    Just my two cents :x
  • I don't know how many times I've seen a diary where the person has eaten like crap all day (candy, cakes, fast food, etc.) Pure crap! But they manage to come in under their calorie count. So the comments from their so called friends are "WTG!", "Good Job!" , etc.

    STOP! It wasn't a good day. THEY ATE LIKE CRAP! Call them on it! Sure they kept their calories below 1300. But their only claim to vegetables was their taco for lunch! You aren't helping them by rewarding the behavior. Get past the blurb on the screen and actually look into their diary. It takes time, but they're supposed to be your friend, remember?

    And for the bad eater, those so called friends are rewarding poor choices. Drop them like you would an abusive SO. Find friends that will hold you accountable, give you suggestions, and show compassion when you have a bad day or two. Lose the ones that only see the word "under" and think that's the goal. And if you're not sharing your diary with your friends, you're missing one of the best parts of MFP.

    Thank you for your attention.

    My first thought is "what's it to you how they get their calories?" My second thought is, "big words from a tough guy with a closed diary..."

    ^^^Exactly this!!!
    - Clearly ANOTHER unqualified "know-it-all"!!
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    can somebody look at mine and tell me how im doing?
  • It sure as hell isn't your place to be "calling other people out" on what they put in THEIR mouths. How, exactly, is that affecting you in any way?
  • seriously... I just looked at my early diaries, and it makes me a little bit sick. But I was a noob. I was staying under calories (WAY under-sometimes netting around 0 calories!) o.O Now, though, I think my diary is better most of the time. Except when I have binge issues...

    but that's what got me to this site. And there's some overeating you've done to get you to this site. And her. And him. And him. And even her.

    Jeesh. We all have to start somewhere. By having friends with nice diaries, we learn. I picked up pointers, I straightened myself out (a little), and my diary isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. But I still have snacks and I eat my share of "junk." Tonight for dessert, I had apple blueberry cobbler ala mode. While watching the tube later, I had popcorn and chocolate chips... I'm not perfect. I bet you aren't either.

    But then again--nobody knows. Your diary is closed...

    Oh goodness my was the same! about 20g of protein per day (eek) and tons of dorm junk food. I had no clue what to eat xD I had a giant amount of sodium and about 800 calories a day thinking that was the only way to lose weight. Glad I changed that quick! Also am glad to not live in a dorm anymore :P yay a fridge and stove!

    Hey... I just noticed your shirt! I used to live in Story City. ;)
  • brittanidigby
    brittanidigby Posts: 247 Member
    I think you should worry about yourself and not everybody else. LOL
  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,292 Member
    imagine what a 1300 calorie day would feel like on just crappy food choices - you'd be starving all day.
    IMO they are punishing themselves way more than any mean remark ever would.
  • angel79202
    angel79202 Posts: 1,012 Member
    seriously... I just looked at my early diaries, and it makes me a little bit sick. But I was a noob. I was staying under calories (WAY under-sometimes netting around 0 calories!) o.O Now, though, I think my diary is better most of the time. Except when I have binge issues...

    but that's what got me to this site. And there's some overeating you've done to get you to this site. And her. And him. And him. And even her.

    Jeesh. We all have to start somewhere. By having friends with nice diaries, we learn. I picked up pointers, I straightened myself out (a little), and my diary isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. But I still have snacks and I eat my share of "junk." Tonight for dessert, I had apple blueberry cobbler ala mode. While watching the tube later, I had popcorn and chocolate chips... I'm not perfect. I bet you aren't either.

    But then again--nobody knows. Your diary is closed...

    so glad ur my friend :)
  • imagine what a 1300 calorie day would feel like on just crappy food choices - you'd be starving all day.
    IMO they are punishing themselves way more than any mean remark ever would.

    Believe me-when I have a craptastic day, I already beat myself up over it; I don't need help!!!!
  • pinkminy
    pinkminy Posts: 286
    Hi
    I think that some people are not able to just suddenly cut all junk out, It may be a gradual change so as we take on the commitment to be a support friend then that's we are doing.. just that supporting our MFP friends to make some changes little by little, and as long as they take the time to log in then its obvious that they are wanting a healthier life style and weight control. so High 5 to all you dedicated people on here giving it a shot whether it be Baby steps or giant strides your doing something and that's what counts.
    It helps to make your diary visible to friends in case you want any advice or tips or can share your gr8 meal ideas with friends,
    We will all reach goals if we keep our eyes on target and have a strong desire to do the best we can at the time whatever stage we are at. Keep going , and stay focused on what you want for yourself.
    Its fine to have an occasional treat when you get to the point of knowing your own body and how to cope with the changes , but till you get there don't beat yourself up just do the best you can and be true to yourself, and something is working for you then do it because everyone is different, I think too for some people its better to consider your weekly average , not neccesserily on day by day

    Thats my opinion , XXXX :smile:
  • eschwab855
    eschwab855 Posts: 258 Member
    I don't know how many times I've seen a diary where the person has eaten like crap all day (candy, cakes, fast food, etc.) Pure crap! But they manage to come in under their calorie count. So the comments from their so called friends are "WTG!", "Good Job!" , etc.

    STOP! It wasn't a good day. THEY ATE LIKE CRAP! Call them on it! Sure they kept their calories below 1300. But their only claim to vegetables was their taco for lunch! You aren't helping them by rewarding the behavior. Get past the blurb on the screen and actually look into their diary. It takes time, but they're supposed to be your friend, remember?

    And for the bad eater, those so called friends are rewarding poor choices. Drop them like you would an abusive SO. Find friends that will hold you accountable, give you suggestions, and show compassion when you have a bad day or two. Lose the ones that only see the word "under" and think that's the goal. And if you're not sharing your diary with your friends, you're missing one of the best parts of MFP.

    Thank you for your attention.

    My first thought is "what's it to you how they get their calories?" My second thought is, "big words from a tough guy with a closed diary..."

    ^^^Exactly this!!!
    - Clearly ANOTHER unqualified "know-it-all"!!
    lol this rant brought to you buy a guy with a closed diary I had 3 beers today and wait for it 3 freaking girl scoot cookies I found the reason I liked this so much is my hard work gets rewarded I really wouldn't take to well to a know it all food nazi yelling at me for beer and cookies
  • AddA2UDE
    AddA2UDE Posts: 382
    My thought: Who cares? If they came under their calorie goal than great! Some people start off with learning portion control then slowly making healthier choices. Who are you to say they don't deserve a wtg?

    I didn't eat any vegetables today... GASP

    :)
  • I personally hate it more when someone comes in at less than 1000 calories, or under 900 and everyone says GOOD JOB!!! GREAT WORK!

    Sure they are eating things like, fruits and vegetables and chicken. But seriously? That's not something to congratulate someone on either.

    I think even if they are eating junk they are learning how to control it and keep it under calories. They are learning portion control. That is absolutely something to congratulate someone about. Could still throw in the, "Good job! Try and get some fruits in there next time! But you're doing great!"
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,972 Member
    Listen folks ... a calorie is NOT just a calorie. The sooner you learn that ... the healthier you'll be !
    Contrary to popular myth, a calorie is just a calorie. A calorie is a unit of energy. 10 calories of fat is EQUAL to 10 calories of carbs and also EQUAL to 10 calories of protein in terms of energy.
    What should be stated is that macro/micro nutrient content is different.
    For weight loss, it basically boils down to calories in and calories out. For HEALTH, it depends on not being obese/very overweight, not being sedentary, getting enough rest, environment, not engaging in unhealthy habits (ex smoking), freedom from disease/sickness and genetics.
    The rest will be based on trial and error and basic understanding of what you essentially need (protein, fats, vitamins) and how you can roll it all into a lifestyle.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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