Poll: Bragging or Seeking Support?

[D_Chesty_Pecjiggle]

Without knowing the friend, I'd say s/he is just trying to use the posts as motivation.

If s/he fails to work out, s/he'll know that everyone will know.

So I don't think it's boastful.

And hey, losing weight is hard. So if he wants to boast a bit, so be it. (We're not all naturally Petite).

 

[Willifred]

Not boastful, just seeking encouragement.

And well done to them for having the effort to change something they don't like.

 

[D_Kitten_Kaboodle]

I chose Support...but it could be more like "accountability"

when I diet, I keep a diary of everything I eat.
and record my weight loss weekly...


it's a form of accountability for me.

It could be that this person sees his / her FB as a diary of sorts that they share with their friends... who may chose to offer words of encouragement if they chose.... or join in with their own self-improvement activities.

 

[helgaleena]

As a writer/editor, I'm on Facebook for work, and there are plenty of author and book club 'pages' that go around begging for 'like' votes until it's annoying. It depends on how the person uses the Facebook options. A weight loss goal page that people could opt out of or ignore might be a more unobtrusive way to go than turning your entire personal profile stream into a pounds deleted record.

OTOH, I do 'like' dozens of such pages, especially if they allow me to post MY book news on them. :tongue:

 

[Hoss]

This is a non-penis related question.

One of your friends has made a New Year's resolution to lose weight and/or get in better shape. He or she makes posts regarding gym visits, distance ran today, weight lost this week, a temptation avoided, things like that.

Do you consider this behavior to be boastful or do you consider your friend to be seeking support to reach his/her goals?

I think some people do it to get support because they are worried they can't keep going with this change if they don't talk about it and sort of shame themself into eating better and exercise so they won't have to later say they gained weight or have turned to mush because they stopped exercising.

Other people just do it because they love themselfs so much they can't stop talking about their entire life and they will keep doing that even if they go off the diet or exercise but then they will do it by telling you how insanely busy they are so they can't get to work out or all they can eat is high calorie fast food because of work demands keeping them from making good well balanced home cooked meals.

 

[rtg]

I just realized I left out the word "Facebook." I'm referring to Facebook posts.

I just now realized my mistake, now that it's too late to fix it.

I think that most things ppl post on fb are to boast. One of the reasons why I no longer have a fb

 

[Countryguy63]

if someone is working on getting in shape, i think it's support.

it turns to boasting when a person starts making it a contest--'them against everyone else.' the boasting person probably does it to make themselves feel better about themselves--and, sometimes it's at the expense of someone else.

^^Perfectly Explained!!^^

Most people will deny it, but most need comformation that they are progressing towards their goal. Misguided boasting is often that need being expressed.

It's kind of a non-verbalized request for encouragement.

I have a very good friend that actually used to be a very strong presence here. He has been working hard (and succeeding) in gaining muscle and size. He frequently updates his facebook status with gains, acheivements, set backs, disappointments, etc. Since he's pretty much across the country from me, I enjoy being able to follow his progress.

 

[HorsemanUK]

This is a non-penis related question.

One of your friends has made a New Year's resolution to lose weight and/or get in better shape. He or she makes posts regarding gym visits, distance ran today, weight lost this week, a temptation avoided, things like that.

Do you consider this behavior to be boastful or do you consider your friend to be seeking support to reach his/her goals?

Everyone is different, personally I’d never seek support by detailing a fitness regime on a blog or anyway else, so I’d be inclined to say its more 'hey look at me' rather than 'help me'. Exactly what support is he/she getting from telling everyone what his/her gym visits are, weight lost etc other than hollow congratulations. I think this video sums up my opinion of it all Family Guy Starbucks Writers - YouTube