If you are NEW to bb.com or bodybuilding in general READ THIS FIRST!

I am by no means an oldtimer or even very experienced, but I just read four posts in this section that basically all asked the same question.

[B]I'm new here, what can I do to lose weight, what's a good program to start working out?[/B]

My heart goes out to the regulars who answer these questions all the time, over and over again. I know they don't want to push people away, we want to welcome folks who have made the decision to take control of their lives and get fit. But answering the same thing over and over really gets wearisome. I know on another forum I was a member of (hobby related) some of the regulars created files that they saved so they could just cut and paste their answer because the same questions were asked so many times. I'm really feeling for the regulars who share their knowledge but face the same questions day in and day out. So, I decided to type this up and see if it helps.

DIET IS EVERYTHING! There's a lot of misinformation out there (also called broscience). If you want to know what people have learned here, read the Nutrition forum. If you want to lose weight, it all falls on diet - calories in vs. calories out - run a deficit and you lose weight.

Need a workout? Search the Supersite - there are a ton of great articles on there for beginners.

That also leads to SEARCH THE FORUMS that little clickable thing in the upper right hand corner. You'd be surprised how helpful it is! USE IT!

READ THE STICKIES - they have been tacked into place for a reason. READ THEM ALL!

Now, some of this can get confusing. I read the stickies but I mucked up my first diet plan. But I asked questions and the very kind ladies here helped me figure it out. The point is, read everything you can, try to find answers to your questions, and if you get confused or still need help, then ask away.

It's very difficult for people to keep answering the same questions over and over again when all the information is easily available by reading the stickies or searching the forums. If you have decided to take charge of your life and get healthy - then [B]TAKE CHARGE BY LEARNING FIRST[/B]. You can't ask someone to lift the weights for you or eat the food for you. This is your first step into your new life, take it by reading everything you can and learning as much as you can. Then feel confident in knowing you have experienced ladies (and sometimes gentlemen) more than happy to lend support and answer questions.

GOOD LUCK!

/what all of us think but don't usually say!

Things do get awfully repetitive, especially in this subforum. I'm not patient enough to reply to the same stuff over and over, but luckily for all the posters out there that don't read the stickies or do their own research first, there are many ladies [and gentlemen] on here who continue to inform! /thankyouguys

I'm pretty sure people think they're going to get some different magical solution that wasn't posted in the sticky..

Like the people at my work that ask me endlessly...
I still just eat right and lift heavy.. No magic solution yet.

I gotta admit, that thought crossed my mind when I was typing the thing. Is it just human nature to want the magic bullet?

I'm actually enjoying going to the gym and my Ta Kwon Do as huge stress relievers. At this point, losing weight and getting in shape is almost a side benefit. :D

I'm on a few message boards of varying topics. The same questions are always posted over and over. New members can be referred to stickies and FAQs, or re-linked to important threads until the end of time---it doesn't matter.

I appreciate what you are trying to do in this thread, but it's very likely in vain. People want individualized answers to their questions, for one. And secondly, much of the time it's a way to start (hopefully!) friendly conversation. Nothing wrong with that, really. I'm a big information person myself, but some people are just chatters.

It takes all kinds to make an interesting diverse world. :)

Bless your little heart for typing that out, unfortunately it's just how Internet forums are.

Its a world of wanting quick answers and quick results

Im a new member and I got quite offended by this post. I actually do workout alot and do understand that research is important. But when a person is new to a site it can be quite confusing on where to find things like for example where are all the sticky's posted? And quite honestly people ask questions because they dont know and I'm pretty sure when they get some type of guidance they will stop asking question very soon. the reason i joined this site was for more knowledge about bodybuilding, motivation from seeing others transform, and just find out more about health otherwise. Im not new to weight lost so I have done quite of bit of research but losing weight and trying to tone is difficult when your kind of lost of doing it alone so some people do reach out to different members on the site for support and little guidance. So if the repetitiveness is irking you on my behalf as a new member who maybe guilty of asking the same question over I do apologize but i'm going to ask questions if I'm lost. And like I said I do research myself but hearing another persons opinion is helpful especially if some members are more experienced than me

[QUOTE=discdoggie]I'm on a few message boards of varying topics. The same questions are always posted over and over. New members can be referred to stickies and FAQs, or re-linked to important threads until the end of time---it doesn't matter.

I appreciate what you are trying to do in this thread, but it's very likely in vain. People want individualized answers to their questions, for one. And secondly, much of the time it's a way to start (hopefully!) friendly conversation. Nothing wrong with that, really. I'm a big information person myself, but some people are just chatters.

It takes all kinds to make an interesting diverse world. :)[/QUOTE]I agree, on all counts. :)

I've noticed, too, that a lot of people will join a forum and not take the time to figure out that particular forum's dynamics before they jump in and start posting.

I'm a big believer in teaching people to fish, as the saying goes, and seeing the same questions over and over used to frustrate me to no end on another (non-fitness) forum I frequent, until I finally just started ignoring them and letting more patient people respond.

[QUOTE=kransom2;519742613]Im a new member and I got quite offended by this post. I actually do workout alot and do understand that research is important. But when a person is new to a site it can be quite confusing on where to find things like for example where are all the sticky's posted? And quite honestly people ask questions because they dont know and I'm pretty sure when they get some type of guidance they will stop asking question very soon. the reason i joined this site was for more knowledge about bodybuilding, motivation from seeing others transform, and just find out more about health otherwise. Im not new to weight lost so I have done quite of bit of research but losing weight and trying to tone is difficult when your kind of lost of doing it alone so some people do reach out to different members on the site for support and little guidance. So if the repetitiveness is irking you on my behalf as a new member who maybe guilty of asking the same question over I do apologize but i'm going to ask questions if I'm lost. And like I said I do research myself but hearing another persons opinion is helpful especially if some members are more experienced than me[/QUOTE]

My apologies for offending you.

Stickies are posted at the top of each forum and subforum - you can spot them by the little thumbtack symbol. They are called stickies because they stay at the top of each forum and don't get lost in the volume of posts. That's pretty much how any forum works on the internet. So, look at any topic that interests you, or that you have questions on, and you'll see the stickies at the top.

Asking questions if your lost is completely different from asking without doing any research at all. If you go through and read the stickies then post and say, Okay - I read them and I'm absolutely confused please help me! (Hey, it took me 4 reads through the Nutrition stickies to figure out how to do the calories and macros - it is confusing!) Then you'll find tons of people willing to help.

I'm seeing lots of posts to this thread from folks who are seasoned veterans of different types of forums and I completely hear and agree with what they are saying - I know they've seen this too. Answering repetitive questions over and over can lead to burn-out. I've seen other forums lose very experienced, knowledgeable, and valuable members due to this and I certainly don't want to see that happen here. Yes, members cycle through, but I don't want to see anyone stop posting valuable advice because it's the same thing all the time. So, I just thought I'd give this a shot and see if it helped...that's all.

You know the saying - the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. ;)

[QUOTE=equestrian;519769223]My apologies for offending you.

Stickies are posted at the top of each forum and subforum - you can spot them by the little thumbtack symbol. They are called stickies because they stay at the top of each forum and don't get lost in the volume of posts. That's pretty much how any forum works on the internet. So, look at any topic that interests you, or that you have questions on, and you'll see the stickies at the top.

Asking questions if your lost is completely different from asking without doing any research at all. If you go through and read the stickies then post and say, Okay - I read them and I'm absolutely confused please help me! (Hey, it took me 4 reads through the Nutrition stickies to figure out how to do the calories and macros - it is confusing!) Then you'll find tons of people willing to help.

I'm seeing lots of posts to this thread from folks who are seasoned veterans of different types of forums and I completely hear and agree with what they are saying - I know they've seen this too. Answering repetitive questions over and over can lead to burn-out. I've seen other forums lose very experienced, knowledgeable, and valuable members due to this and I certainly don't want to see that happen here. Yes, members cycle through, but I don't want to see anyone stop posting valuable advice because it's the same thing all the time. So, I just thought I'd give this a shot and see if it helped...that's all.

You know the saying - the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. ;)[/QUOTE]

Hey no hard feelings and I can understand how you feel also... about those stickies i found them YAY me!!!!! But I do have a question about that macro-nutrients I don't understand it at all. Do you mind if I ask you about it to help me better understand it?

[QUOTE=kransom2;519778043]Hey no hard feelings and I can understand how you feel also... about those stickies i found them YAY me!!!!! But I do have a question about that macro-nutrients I don't understand it at all. Do you mind if I ask you about it to help me better understand it?[/QUOTE]

Ask away! That's exactly the point I was trying to make. ;) Post it in the Nutrition forum and I'm sure you'll get tons of help.

And no worries - we all do what we can. :D

[QUOTE=discdoggie;519709243]I'm on a few message boards of varying topics. The same questions are always posted over and over. New members can be referred to stickies and FAQs, or re-linked to important threads until the end of time---it doesn't matter.

I appreciate what you are trying to do in this thread, but it's very likely in vain. People want individualized answers to their questions, for one. And secondly, much of the time it's a way to start (hopefully!) friendly conversation. Nothing wrong with that, really. I'm a big information person myself, but some people are just chatters.

It takes all kinds to make an interesting diverse world. :)[/QUOTE]

this. OP, you're also wasting your time. In fact, this very type of thread that you have started is done to death too. So, if you can't (or don't want to) answer a newbie's question, don't. Don't even open the thread. Easy! :)

[QUOTE=kransom2;519742613]Im a new member and I got quite offended by this post. I actually do workout alot and do understand that research is important. But when a person is new to a site it can be quite confusing on where to find things like for example where are all the sticky's posted? And quite honestly people ask questions because they dont know and I'm pretty sure when they get some type of guidance they will stop asking question very soon. the reason i joined this site was for more knowledge about bodybuilding, motivation from seeing others transform, and just find out more about health otherwise. Im not new to weight lost so I have done quite of bit of research but losing weight and trying to tone is difficult when your kind of lost of doing it alone so some people do reach out to different members on the site for support and little guidance. So if the repetitiveness is irking you on my behalf as a new member who maybe guilty of asking the same question over I do apologize but i'm going to ask questions if I'm lost. And like I said I do research myself but hearing another persons opinion is helpful especially if some members are more experienced than me[/QUOTE]

There is no need to be offended as, I am sure, that was not the intention of the OP. This site has some excellent articles and videos, and the forum has many sticky threads with great links. So I think the sentiment of the OP is that it would be nice if people bothered to go through all that wealth of information that people have spent time to put together, and then asked questions if they still have them. I am fairly new to this forum, but I am sure the veteran members must have seen about a million threads asking the same things. As somebody said, sure you can always disregard that thread altogether. But I don't think it reflects positively on the person that opens the thread, it smacks a bit of laziness if you allow me to say this. Like "I know the info is there, but I want YOU to find it for me". I actually very much admire those who keep on replying to the threads by referring them to the stickies, because I very much doubt I'd have that much patience myself.

[QUOTE=equestrian;519689353]I gotta admit, that thought crossed my mind when I was typing the thing. Is it just human nature to want the magic bullet?

I'm actually enjoying going to the gym and my Ta Kwon Do as huge stress relievers. At this point, losing weight and getting in shape is almost a side benefit. :D[/QUOTE]


I think our culture conditions more people into instant gratification, wanting a magical solution and quick answers. Why else do the shake weights or some stupid new program or diet sells? and many of the TV ads and informercials promise instant results that are unrealisitc but people buy into it.

People don't want to wait for results and expect it right away. And I'll admit that when I was new here, I used to hate reading the nutrition sections and articles because it was confusing and the more I read the more confused I become. Why? it contradicts everything I heard out there. for example, I was shocked to find out that you need fat because I thought fat was bad and you're supposed to avoid it as much as you can. Or that eating smaller meals several times a day helps boost your metabolism. There's a lot of bad information out there

It takes patience and it's okay to not know everything at once. When I started I first decided to focus on getting my fat ass to the gym. I didnt really work out and trying to be consistent and working out correctly was my focus. Then I started making small changes to diet and gradually improved it I learned a lot from here. I used to eat whatever I wanted and a lot of unhealthy crap. So immediately going into a strict clean eating regimen doesnt help.

The first thing I did was drink water, have healthier snacks like almonds, fruit, vegetables instead of chips and candy. And sometimes when I'm pmsing and want chocolate, I grab a genisoy bar. Those bars are yummy. The other things I did was restricting pizza, junk food to 2 times a month or once a month. I'm ashamed to say this but before I used to eat out a few times a week. I started making meals.

The slowly I improved as I learned more about how many calories I needed, macronutrients and other stuff. I'm still learning.

[QUOTE=kransom2;519742613] I do research myself but hearing another persons opinion is helpful especially if some members are more experienced than me[/QUOTE]
This, when I first came here I asked a lot of questions but not because I did not do research but because every place you go tells you something different. Eat carbs dont eat carbs, lift heavy dont lift heavy, eat more eat less, eat before bed dont eat before bed. It got to the point were I just get tired of reading what I should be doing and started asking people what they do and if it works for them. When people come to this site and start reading it contradicts what friends, coworkers, magazines and T.V has been telling them for years. Its hard to just drop that kind of brain washing women get from the Media for years and just start believing what this (new to them) web site has to say. I do agree that some of it gets annoying but I like to think we could get them to stay if we try to help.

[QUOTE=discdoggie;519709243]I'm on a few message boards of varying topics. The same questions are always posted over and over. New members can be referred to stickies and FAQs, or re-linked to important threads until the end of time---it doesn't matter.

I appreciate what you are trying to do in this thread, but it's very likely in vain. People want individualized answers to their questions, for one. And secondly, much of the time it's a way to start (hopefully!) friendly conversation. Nothing wrong with that, really. I'm a big information person myself, but some people are just chatters.

It takes all kinds to make an interesting diverse world. :)[/QUOTE]

Agreed. :)

[QUOTE=1972girl;521458633]This, when I first came here I asked a lot of questions but not because I did not do research but because every place you go tells you something different. Eat carbs dont eat carbs, lift heavy dont lift heavy, eat more eat less, eat before bed dont eat before bed. It got to the point were I just get tired of reading what I should be doing and started asking people what they do and if it works for them. When people come to this site and start reading it contradicts what friends, coworkers, magazines and T.V has been telling them for years. Its hard to just drop that kind of brain washing women get from the Media for years and just start believing what this (new to them) web site has to say. I do agree that some of it gets annoying but I like to think we could get them to stay if we try to help.[/QUOTE]

Frankly you'll probably get more contradictory information from posters than from the sticky threads. Because there still are posters that will tell you to eat 6 small meals a day to boost your metabolism, that carbs you eat at night will turn into fat, etc. They will tell you that's what worked for them, therefore they are right. At least some of the stickies have links to actual studies and papers, which in my opinion, makes them more useful than what worked for some stranger.

[QUOTE=sy2502;521477593]Frankly you'll probably get more contradictory information from posters than from the sticky threads. Because there still are posters that will tell you to eat 6 small meals a day to boost your metabolism, that carbs you eat at night will turn into fat, etc. They will tell you that's what worked for them, therefore they are right. At least some of the stickies have links to actual studies and papers, which in my opinion, makes them more useful than what worked for some stranger.[/QUOTE] I agree with you, I just think it can get frustrating and people just want to find out what other people who have been doing it longer do, does not mean they know what they are talking about.