I don't know how to feel about this site..

That's a very interesting observation. I'm definitely guilty of congratulating without even thinking about looking further first. This was a good post.

Have to say I've been digging this app on my phone for several weeks now. I quit smoking three months ago not that I consumed much alcohol before , but now even less. Im 46 years old and was tired of feeling like crap everyday. I'm now exercising 4 days a week and using MFP to track my daily food consumption. I'm eating appromatly 1700 - 1800 calories per day. I feel this site and the mobile app are great tools if used correctly. Have to say after reading this message board I'm a little disappointed I signed onto the site. I may also avoid this area of the site in the future.

I understand what you are saying. I always look at food diarys. I appreciate looking at them for healthy ideas. I had a friend on MFP that didn't log all the time, but when you took the time to look at her diary, she was WAY under a healthy calorie limit. Then she started eating only fruit. 800 calories of only fruit. But when she was under her goal, everyone would say "great job" and "good for you". I commented that I was concerned for her, and that what she was eating wasn't fueling her body the way she should. The next day, she hid her diary from view. I felt like she wanted everyone to keep cheering her on even though she was wasn't eating healthy. She even commented that on the days she didn't log it was because she was bingeing. I really liked this girl, but I did remove her as a friend. I felt like if I couldn't see what she was doing, and knowing that she was developing a big problem, I would be cheering her on right into the grave.

You can friend me. You wont see any starvation going on in my diary! I can totally understand wanting to be with like minded people who want to fuel their body. I was on the other end, fueling too much. Hope you continue with your recovery. :flowerforyou:

i'll say rememeber "ONE DAY AT A TIME" for more than one reason. i learned it in AA. but with food i find it is sometimes even hard to do because it is more hind able. in my weakness today i turn to half a family pizza to deal. i hope you find people to help get it done. and hope they are truely friends. not like some i have found that are hear to be social butterfly. lol. lol.lol.

I haven't tried yoga, although I have certainly thought about it. I think it would suit me quite well given both the meditative aspect and the fact that as I get older I realise what a critical aspect of fitness flexibility is. I met a yoga teacher one day, and she opened my mind about how it was possible to choose the kind of old age I'd like, and that there were ways to stay supple and vigorous. Impressed me, because I feel pretty rickety some days, even at 41!

I do not see "many, many" people engaging in self-destructive, disordered eating patterns here, I see people using the guidelines to sanely lose weight.

I believe it is human to see what is familiar in greater numbers, especially if we have an emotional attachment to whatever that might be. In your situation, it is the symptoms of eating disorders.

Don't be sad--let people do what they need to do. If they have an eating disorder, I'd think it would be better for them to have the daily reminder that they are eating too few calories. But whether it is here or elsewhere, people with eating disorders will eat in a way that is not appropriate for them.

Let's remember than anorexia nervosa is about believing one is overweight when one is in fact too thin. Let's also remember that it is never appropriate to elicit vomiting for the purpose of restricting calories, ever.

If people find themselves eating too few calories, it is not an eating disorder unless they are thin but convinced they are fat.

One thing I enjoy about this site is the absence (usually) of diagnosing--of ourselves or each other. I don't think you'll probably get hate mail, but I do think it's interesting that you would post that concern, particularly considering that you are not espousing anything noxious or unsafe.

No one can tell you "how to feel about this site." But I'd like to suggest that having an emotional response to a website that's designed for mutual support is perhaps not the usual response. This site is just a tool. Nothing more, nothing less.

I hope you find what you are looking for here. The tools are pretty straight forward, and there are no hidden meanings.

Best of luck on your journey....

Surround yourself with the right support people and don't get too caught up in the forums.

MFP is a tool for YOU and no one else. As long as you remember that, you'll be OK!

Good luck on your journey. Feel free to add me if you would like some positive support. My diet isn't the greatest but I am working at it every day.

Cheers!

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I agree. I'm hoping that I can be a good example for my family. I want to teach them that good-health is an attainable goal - that doesn't equal being a pale, sickly-looking living corpse - and that fitness can be fun and easy to incorporate into their lives.
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I agree with this totally one of my main reasons for eating healthily is to lead an example to my children. I previously was a binge eater who would eat when stressed, happy, sad any reason really. I would then start yet another diet in an attempt to get rid of my weight. i was deeply unhappy, with low self esteem and underconfidence. When I noticed my daughter eating sweets after a fall out with a friend I decided I had to change my ways. Also Lydia (my daughter) is a dancer and I have noticed the older girls in her dance school are obsessed with their weight I want her to see that you can eat well and still have a good body. My children are proud of my achievements and we all eat much healthier as a result. I do occasionally eat not so great food but in moderation and feel comfortable with that as i exercise to burn it off. Feel free to add me if you want.

Ms Hannibal, I am glad you are on your way to recovery, keep up the good work and fight those demons.

However not every body who is on a very low calorie diet < 1000cal/day has an eating disorder. As you are an RN I'm sure you are aware of medically supervised diet programs, which start with a very low calorie intake at the beginning and gradually reintroduce foods.

For the others who wouldn't talk with or support a person on a very low calorie diet I would encourage you to make sure you have all the facts before jumping to judgement. They may be a good partner for you.

Linda, RN MSN

Anyways..
Lately, I've been lurking around the forums, clicking around profiles of seemingly "healthy" and "fit" people. Trying to help myself by learning to eat "normally" by observing what healthy people eat/do.

What I've come to realize, is that there are many.. many.. people on this site who don't realize that they're doing what I did.
Just a moment ago, I was in the success stories section and people were congratulating a young girl on her so-called "success".
However, when I looked through her diet/excercise profile, I was shocked. She's restricting herself to about 800-1000 calories with very little excercise. -Yet, I feel I was the only one who noticed this.-
This isn't the first time I looked through someone's diet profile and was surprised.
I was more taken back by the fact that people were congratulating someone who, I'm assuming, might be struggling with an eating disorder.

Absolutely! I totally agree with you. I never post a random "Great job!" when people come in under their calorie goal for the day - if I have time, I'll check out their diary first then post. And I rarely "complete entry" for the day on my diary because I think it's completely shallow for the superficial "Great jobs" that people may give when they aren't looking at my diary. That isn't good support, and I'd rather not participate which is why I dont "complete" my diaries. I log my food, I just dont close it for the day.

But yes, I notice the same thing.

Or if you go to the other end of the spectrum... There are the ones who eat their 1500 minimum calories, and they are good about eating it spread out into 6 meals... but they are eating a Little Debbie Cake for breakfast, a whopper for supper, and snacking on muffins and red vlevet cake throughout the day. little morsels, sure. but where are the vegetables, or proteins or fruit?