Welcome to "Same Old Sh*t" Saturday, where I dredge up something from the archives to give myself a break from the wear and tear of coming up with new fart jokes every day. As I was rummaging through my attic, I came across this one, and it seems fitting because I've recently noticed more and more bloggers dropping off the scene. Where are you, lost bloggers?
At the suggestion of a noted weight-loss blogger who didn’t want to take credit for the idea, I spun my wheels for quite a while trying to craft a song parody to “We Are The World” that centered around the idea of helping those weight-loss bloggers who have dropped off the radar over the last few months, never to be heard from again. The gist of it was to have different guest bloggers “sing” the different parts, urging these people to return to their online weight-loss journey.
We are the wide, we are the distressed.
We wanna be the ones who look a little better
When we get undressed.
I couldn’t seem to bring it home to my satisfaction, but I started thinking about it again as I was going through the blogs I’m following and hacking out the ones that haven’t updated in forever.
It was kind of depressing, to tell you the truth. There were so many “This Is It!” and “Never Give Up!” posts that were immediately followed by… crickets.
I was surprised to find that there were quite a few whose stories I was really into for a time. But out of sight, out of mind, I suppose, and new, more active voices tend to fill that void.
The sad thing is that I suspect that these folks haven’t just dropped the ball on their blogging. If they’re anything like me, they’ve lapsed into that mindset that says if I’m not thinking hard about what I’m eating, the calories don’t count. If I’m not weighing myself regularly, I’m not gaining weight.
I’m afraid that they’re going to wake up one day and realize that they’re lost a lot of ground on their journey, that they’ve slipped back down that slippery slope where climbing is such a slow, tough trudge but sliding back can happen as quick as a hiccup.
I don’t have a lot of weight left to lose, but I’m still blogging like my weight depends on it… because in a very real sense, I believe it does.
“There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me.”
Great. Now I have this song in my head.
ReplyDeleteHope this summery Saturday is doing you justice!!
Cheers,
Missa
LosingEthel
I'm singing the song in my head too. I think I'm beginning to even sway along... LOL.
ReplyDeleteHope your summer is going along great Jack. My kids have been keeping me hopping.
I always feel bad when a blogger drops of the radar. In fact while i was reading this post i was remembering a favorite blogger that i haven't heard from in a few months :(
ReplyDeleteMy fave blogger has gone missing, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet I keep on keeping on,
because I know in my heart that my weight does
depend on it. To a very real extent.
This is so true! I miss some of my favorite bloggers and with them well but know that out of sight out of mind is so true. That's why I keep it up.
ReplyDeleteI find it frustrating as well when bloggers drop off that I am interested in. I don't always have time to blog, but I'm also definitely doing it as if my weight depends on it.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a lot of readers nor a lot of comments (even less than readers) and it's also frustrating to not have the interaction, but once you get over that and know that keeping ACTIVE (blogging, reaching out, working out, weighing in, etc) is the ONLY WAY to continually stay on the path you want to be on. Generally speaking, a lack of blogging means things probably aren't all that great...
I think too, when we think we've failed, we tend to say screw it, then we're embarrassed so it takes a long time to come back, if we ever do...
Valid points and I miss a few bloggers as well. I hope if they stumble that they remember to come back to a program.
ReplyDeleteSadly, blogging can sometimes actually undermine weight loss efforts. Focusing too much time and energy on what we're putting in our mouths only exacerbates food fixations for some people and never allows them to "normalize" healthy behaviors.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a comment on some of the older posts is all it will take to re-energize some of these bloggers. Knowing somebody cares sure helps keep people motivated!
ReplyDeleteI'm adding you to my blogroll, Jack. But I'm not going t stop buttering my butter. I have my limits.
Yeah, I keep one on my blog roll as warning to others...It says 'dropped another pound, time to up my calories."
ReplyDeleteand they were never heard from again. I thought the post title was hysterical. So, I leave it there.
It's tough knowing that someone who was doing so well lost steam, but I'm doing my best to see that it doesn't happen to me. We can find loads of inspiration in each other, but the motivation comes from within ourselves. And I remind myself of that pretty often. In fact, I think I'll go workout now. Thanks..
ReplyDeleteWe are the large, we are the plus-sized,
ReplyDeleteWe are the ones who eat too much
and shouldn't be surprised...
It's a choice we're making
We're eating too much food.
It's true we need to stop
for our own good......
yep. been there done that.
ReplyDeletenot just the once. its harder every time.
but i do come back.
There are many reasons people drop out of sight and not always because they're doing bad with food. maybe money problems, no more internet or pc. maybe theyre depressed and isolating (been guilty of that one) thinking no one cares, sometimes it's life gets so busy and exhausting they just can't make it in. Sometimes things happen in life that takes away thier focus and i know from experience, the more time you miss, the harder it is to pick up where you left off..
ReplyDeleteand sometimes yes, they get discouraged and feel alone and like noone cares or is reading.. whatever the reason,
I encourage you to keep reaching out to that person if you can instead of just watching and guessing and assuming. I don't have many followers but that's ok, I love them all because even when i give up on me and what im going through. They don't! I can honestly say when ive hit my lowest and am isolating, I see the love they show me and they are the reason I am still here.. and still going.
I know when I stopped blogging, it was because my husband had lost his job and I didn't know how to be positive about it. Here's how, "I'm pretty positive things are going to be the way they are!" So they are! I stopped blogging for over a year and a half! I was shocked. Anyway, I wasn't blogging about weight before, but I am now because I just need to be healthy.
ReplyDeleteI'm singing Stevie Wonder's part now! JERK!
I've taken a couple breaks from blogging in the past and you're right...a break from blogging means mindless eating!
ReplyDeleteI've been back for awhile now and realize blogging is an essential part of my journey. I need it. It keeps me accountable!
My blogging helps me immensly. However I do wish for more readers and more comments which to me equals more accountability. I wonder if I will always have content to write about since I don't blog my food exercise.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the ones who droped off the blog world are still on the right path but I do agree that is unlikely.