Call me a hater, or perhaps the weight loss Grinch. But I’m sick of Facebook popping everyone and their mama’s weight loss photos into my news feed. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Sure, I liked photos of a friend’s newly svelte physique and have done research on fitness tips and healthy eating, but that doesn’t mean I want to be bombarded with pictures of strangers’ weight loss triumphs.

In the beginning the photos of sistas young and old dropping half their body weight were inspiring. I mean, with the media’s fascination with black women’s whatever (waistlines, dating habits, education levels), it was nice to see women who looked like me achieve their life-long health goals. But now? It’s downright annoying.

I mean, I get it. I should have gone for that walk instead watching another episode of Law & Order, but do you really have to get me back like this? Reminding me that a 72-year-old grandma can kick my butt in a race while looking like she could be my sister? That was harsh.

And while I may have been inspired in the beginning, truth be told your constant barrage of not-so-subtle hints to GET FIT NOW are kind of backfiring. Like an insolent teen, I refuse to be bullied into some unhealthy yo-yo diet just to keep up with the Joneses. And I’m not alone.

Earlier this year researchers at Yale found that being inundated with weight loss ads may actually “instill less motivation to improve health” in some folks. So, while I appreciate the gentle nudging of your algorithms, the subtle mining of my Google searches, and your ability to remember that two months ago I clicked on an article about juicing, please, please, please stop suggesting I “like” QuickSlim, Herbalife, or some other lose-weight-now product simply because I commented on a friend’s photo.

Let’s call a truce, ok? You promise to quit it with the uber-healthy, mildly annoying news feed assault and I’ll promise to get my butt off the couch and finally get serious about my health … after Christmas. Deal?

In the meantime, though, give a girl a break. I just want to eat my sweet potato pie in peace.

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3 Comments

  1. If you log off FB when you’re not actively browsing it, it won’t track the rest of your internet activity as a part of your profile. FB and other social media use “frictionless” browsing as a way to integrate all of your experiences without you noticing, but it relies on you being logged in so the data can be paired with your profile. So all those weightloss ads & statuses are a result of you letting FB sit idle in the background while you carry on with non-FB related activities. Just a tip.

  2. i’m a size 2/4 and i eat well and exercise. i’ve never gained a lot of weight or had to lose a lot.

    but, i love coming across stories about weight loss and fitness and nutrition. i hardly ever tire of it. i could talk food, health, fitness, etc. all day.

    i think the author is a bit insecure and feels put upon because she is (suspect) overweight.

    otherwise, facebook is something we don’t need to participate in. and you don’t have to watch tv.

    • “i think the author is a bit insecure and feels put upon because she is (suspect) overweight. ”

      Oh, so along with being a health-nut you’re a psychic too. *clap clap clap clap*……

      This may not have anything to do with insecurity. Plain and simple, when you bombard a person with an ad campaign, the person tires of it and will end up doing the exact opposite or not purchasing the product because they are mental fatigued of hearing/seeing the same message repeated over and over again. Weight loss is great. Just like Barack Obama is a great president. But by the end of October, I was ready to strangle both him and Mitt Romney if I saw another ad….the author is just expressing how she feels about being inundated with so many weight loss ads and success stories…geez

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