Interest Check: Weight Management/Fitness Community Support

[Madam Mim]

So I rarely if ever venture out of the forums; if this isn't in the spirit of this particular part of the forum then by all means cast it into oblivion. But I wanted to see if there was a market/interest before putting in a bunch of work into something no one wants.

So I'm doing research for a class for my Masters. Said research is about information seeking behaviors of people trying to manage their weight. Came across one study that looked at the role of forums and blogs as support mechanisms. I was wondering whether anyone here would be interested in forming a community centered around weight management (loss, gain, maintaining) and fitness. We could keep individual blogs in the journal section, and there could be a master thread here with links to everyone's journal along with health and fitness resources. We could also use the general thread to talk about struggles, successes, resources, weigh-ins and the like. It's generally easier, after all, to do hard things with the support of a like-minded community.

This is a very rough idea that I just had today and needs refining, and I'm certainly open to ideas and suggestions. Anyone interested?

 

[Praxis]

I would be 100% behind anything involving community strengthening/building around here. Personally, I think it's a lovely idea. And one rooted in a very important and extremely beneficial place. Even from a proactive health standpoint, I think many people could stand to benefit from something like this.

I'm not sure if it'd cross any sort of boundary, specifically here at BMR, in regards to what the site is for. That's the only hangup that comes to mind readily.
On the other side of the coin, people do consider this place their community of sorts. And I agree that it'd be tremendously easier to dip their toe in someplace they're already comfortable. As opposed to seeking out an entirely new site or forum.

I speak from a place of Zero authority but I love this idea!

 

[Madam Mim]

I was concerned about the boundary in regards to what this site is for. I've seen similar threads on other RP sites, but given that this one is specifically for adult-themed RP I didn't know whether the community here was such that it would be a popular idea. But given that many people form friendships on here via OOC chatter and PMs I thought it might be, as you say, easier to do something like this somewhere they're already comfortable.

Hopefully some other people will express interest as well...?

 

[Runa]

Its an interesting idea! It may even be a real positive for those that are trying to stick with a routine and need support! c:

 

[Madam Mim]

Well hopefully more people will show interest. Even if they don't I think three is enough :3

 

[Runa]

I think it would be fun to see what sorta routines others do. I more so follow a few Youtube things. Its more about having some sorta of activeness in my days because I work at a desk all day.

 

[Runa]

Even sharing yummy recipes sound good. My days off I started doing a walk in the morning takes me close to an hour and that always feels good.
I also learned because weight fluctuates so much that you see more from taking your measure Instead of stepping on the scale.

 

[Adamina]

I'd be interested! Learning new things in this area, hearing about others' experiences, and just generally chatting about fitness is right up my alley!

 

[TheCorsair]

Ooh. This sounds interesting,and I’m just now trying to get myself back on the fitness/weight loss wagon anyway, so count me in!

 

[Dirty Fingers]

Curious enough to join in.

 

[Madam Mim]

Oh so this blew up a little. lol Okay so I've been bopping around the site a little, looking in the non-forum areas to see where things could go. And I know not everyone is here for weight loss. Some are here for fitness, or recipes, others might be here for weight gain. What do you guys think of this layout plan:

>Semi-private Talk
>General Chat/Support Thread
>Progress Pics/Monthly Weigh-Ins
>Workout Chat and Weekly Challenge
>Recipe Exchange/Meal of the Week
>Mental Health Chat, Support, and Resources
>Journals, Apologies and Absences
>Individual Fitness Journals

To expound on a couple of things:

The first post in the general chat/support thread, as previously mentioned, would have links to everyone's individual fitness journals. It would also have links to all of the other fitness threads so it could basically be your one-stop shop for visiting the other parts of the group so you didn't have to subscribe to a million different threads and clutter up your subscription thread. I personally don't like to have so many subscriptions that I have to scroll, but that's me, so having one main thread with links to everything would keep things tidy. Apart from the top post (which I guess would serve as pinning these links), it could serve as general chat. Be friends. Vent frustrations with your fitness goals. Post memes. Basically be the cool kids.

Two questions: Should progress pics get their own thread or go in the general thread? I don't want people to feel skeeved out coz let's not kid ourselves about some of the people on this site. But also I'm again trying to keep things tidy. Question 2: Are monthly weigh-ins welcome? They'd be completely optional, people wouldn't have to share, or they could share their measurements instead of their weight; whatever they feel is the most relevant measurement to track for them. Every body is different. On the one hand it could help motivate people either to see how far they've come or to keep going so they can post something they're proud of the following month. On the other it could put pressure on people and I would hate for anyone to feel embarrassed. I would love feedback on these two issues.

Workout chat is kinda self-explanatory, but I think a weekly workout challenge would be a fun community-building exercise (pun entirely intended) too. Post pics or videos of yourself doing the challenge whether it's supposed to last the entire week (like doing progressively more push-ups) or just one day (like doing some intense cardio routine).

Recipe exchange again is pretty self-explanatory. Recipe of the week I think should be a poll every Sunday (or whatever day).

I loved @Solo 's idea of adding mental health to this as well! Some people don't feel comfortable or can't afford professionals, or don't know where to seek help, or don't feel safe talking to people in their real life about it. This would be a great community resource to support one another and provide each other with crisis resources when a professional is needed. But mental wellness most definitely fits into weight and body image and I have no doubt we all just need a rant or pick-me-up from time to time.

I added the idea of individual fitness journals for things like calorie trackers, workout routine trackers, and whatnot. It can also help with finding, like, triggers to disordered eating patterns (speaking from experience) or if you're pushing a little too much through the pain during a workout and need to take a break or see a doctor.

Finally, thread names. I'm terrible at these things lol and all I can think of are BMR Fitness Club, Getting Sexy, and Fit As Fuck. I'm completely open to suggestions and feedback to anything and everything mentioned in this post, especially the names.

 

[Praxis]

I would be mostly interested in sharing recipes and engaging with other users as it comes to their plans, accomplishments and overall goals for the Fitness plan, or whatever you'd wanna call it.

First and foremost, I'd say that all aspects of it should be entirely voluntary. If you'd like to post a health-conscious recipe you found or had, go for it. If you are participating in a local 5k, share some of the material. If it's for a cause, all the better. Little things that we do to keep our future and out general sense of health in mind.
As well as a place to ask questions, get information and (yes) rant about how bad you want a f**king donut, lol. In my mind, I'd see it as a place within BMR for anyone and everyone to come as they please and see people making the effort.

People get squeamish with progress photos. And it's understandable, given the nature of people and where we find ourselves having this conversation. I wouldn't expect anyone to upload theirs just the same as I wouldn't propose to upload mine. If someone did want to, then by all means. However, I do think a spoiler tag, as Solo suggested, might be wise.

Speaking personally, I have a fairly strict dietary/excercise schedule that works for me but may not work for anyone else. I think sharing something like that, so that others may pick and choose elements of it that work for them, could be an option. Again - as it pertains to Meals, Routines, Immediate and Future Goals.

 

[MisterKing]

If I came to this for fitness motivation & community things, it would be for the consistency & encouragement moreso than the advice (although I'd be fine with helping & advising others). My bottlenecks are motivation and consistency which, luckily, a community like this would be great for. I'm not as down with the mental health and whatnot (I've been getting shallow advice & motivation for years and I'm still fucked in the head), so I probably won't participate in that side of things, but fitness I'm totally down for.

Photos are certainly an idea that can go either way imo. I try to keep my name/face away from this account, so if I did post photos in something vaguely public like this they'd be scrubbed for anonymity. I'm not against posting weight/progress pics though. I need to get more comfortable with my body/image, and taking more pictures of myself is a great way to do that. (also I'm not trying to sound pervy here, but pictures of other, real, people would really help too. there's a lot of staged, photoshop, realistically-unrealistic stuff out there that's warping my brain, and that would really help detox it)