_chiaroscuro Member

Oh. Okay. Well no one can discount that genetic factors play a huge role in obesity. But that is far from the only determining factor. While those with the genetic propensity toward obesity may likely have to be more diligent in their diet and activity levels, there are also learned behaviors as well which cannot be…

+1 Wow OP, just spreading joy every time I bump into you today!

:blushing: Yeah? I wanted a noob, but wasn't sure if I'd have enough to offer. Okay what the hell, if I don't know the answer my friends will. MTCBVBC20CAM I'll send you a friend request. I'd be happy to help out and offer encouragement if you'd like. NO pressure, if you want to just do your own thing you don't have to…

Sure thing! :drinker: And don't listen to people who say you aren't dedicated because you want to still enjoy things (in moderation) while becoming more fit. You only lack dedication if you don't follow through with your plan.

Actually, if someone loses weight by making lifestyle changes that aren't going to sustain, their chances of gaining all the weight back plus some increase significantly. That includes those who lose weight with the pills and the shakes, as well as those who give up everything they enjoy. It's much better to create a…

1200 is the minimum number of calories recommended, and pops up frequently when people enter their desired weekly loss at 2 lbs/week. I started out that way too for about a minute until I found out it would make me hate life. The key is to create a sustainable plan for weight loss and decrease the chances of you quitting…

Hi! You actually don't have to drop down to 1200 calories to lose weight. In fact people will tell you that's too low. I'll be happy to post a link to a calculator to find out a good number to start with, and explain why, if you'd like. Is that something you'd be interested in? Edit to add: There aren't specific foods…

I'm always excited when I get a chance to post this.

First, admiring someone's dedication and results =/= ingratiating oneself to them. Second, if you have worked hard. Have you let people know about it? Have you put yourself out there? You have no picture so I'm wondering if you haven't gotten validation because you haven't told your story. 125lbs lost tends to get a REALLY…

Fecal Slurry--best college town band name EVAR!

I certainly hope you're very mindful of your interaction with the people in those houses. It's not hard for someone to pick up on the fact you don't respect them even if they are poor, uneducated, or perhaps suffering from mental illness or trauma.

It sounds like you can expect to be offered something fairly regularly, so if it were me, I'd plan for it in my week, rather than worry about it throwing off a single day. I look at my calories on a weekly basis anyway, and if I'm a little bit over, well okay so I'm still at a 12% deficit instead of 15% for the week. No…

Oh wow, that's fantastic! Putting this in my news feed. Thank you so much for sharing!

:heart:

Hello. Everyone please forgive a quick hijack. I'm a total stranger, asking both of you who made these replies, to gently acknowledge that this is a kind of self-talk you're working to get away from, forgive yourselves for it because new habits take time, and consciously choose to think something positive about yourselves,…

Yes please. Let's flush this turd.

YES. You, get in my feed now!

Gah! I am not saying that a squat rack is the essential and ONLY portal to awesome without which no one will ever accomplish anything! What I am saying is that is was being removed because it was thought to be intimidating to enough people to deem it necessary. Well, if those people deal with what intimidates them by just…

My mistake in starting this discussion was thinking that more people would want to confront that fear, to actually venture beyond their own notion of what they were capable of, and come away with a f-ckng win. Last year, the moment I crossed that invisible line in the gym was terrifying. I was the dumpy, middle-aged mommy…

Blown away.:love: THIS was my whole point. I think their policies do nurture the fear in people and it makes me sad to think anyone would miss the opportunity to have their version of that game-changing moment. But there's an inverse reaction to trying to make people understand that. The more stuff like this gets…

But as far as I know, they don't refuse access/membership to anyone based on how they look. They are just removing things like a squat rack or other reasons "undesirables" would want to sign up in the first place. I didn't see anything about people being turned away.

Well, let's step back from that ledge. Look at Abercrombie for example. They take a real cheap shot approach, making a profit by preying on adolescents, because they really need ANOTHER reason to feel awkward and insecure. I think it's awful and soulless and would never patronize their stores, but they have every right to…

I don't completely agree with your characterization of those threads but that's an argument for another time. What I will say is that a gym aimed at newbies, which removes the tools which can increase their chances of success and improve their health, is a much bigger disservice to those newbs than real or perceived…

I get it, different places have different cultures to meet customer needs. No one here is screaming about Curves not having squat racks. The problem is with PF eliminating something they did provide in an effort to placate what I guess is the majority of people who want to be insulated from anything outside their comfort…

Wow, I missed this one before. So it's the people "who use racks". Others are entitled to work out in a space that keeps them comfortably separated from...me. Awesome, thanks. I guess at least you were honest, and with the pictures posted in this thread, consistent with the culture they're creating.

Wow. There aren't any of these gyms near me so I don't know much about them. What I thought was that they wanted to make the gym less prohibitive for the first-timer, which I support but not to the point the place is child-proofed. I was intimidated as hell to approach the squat rack for the first time and I wouldn't trade…

This is what we did, although we just topped it with syrup and ate with spoon out of the bowl.

LOVE your post! Keep up the fantastic work, and thank you for sharing your story. There's a lot of crap on the forums lately and this was a welcome change.