Online Support Meeting - Exercise...and Other...

Well, The “Tuesday Night Online Support Meeting” It was a good idea, (Thanks George) BUT not one that is totally ‘panning out’ for me. For the last month, It seemed to get bigger/better and grow toward a viable means of sharing info and concerns, But this week?  Not so much. It became obvious that just one “pot stirrer” in a room can whip up enough off-topic discord as to stifle Any Value that can be had.

I had invited some Exercise Guys over to this Board from the Exercise Forum and found myself in the position of dragging someone to a Very Lame Event.  (Sorry to those visitors) I won’t be doing that again… Perhaps a “Moderated Chat” with submitted questions that are then addressed like some of the “Surgeon Chats” sponsored on the Main Board? I don’t find much value in them Other than a chance to Q&A a visiting ‘expert’ from ‘Off of the Boards’, and the formality and artifice of that structure seems no more valuable than the typical Thread/Post/Reply that is available already. The “Chat” format doesn’t offer the detailed amount of shared info that the Board can, and if the spontaneity is disrupted by someone with an agenda other than the topic, it quickly digresses into a waste of time. As always- “Your Mileage May Vary.” I had invested a bit of effort in trying to get this “Online Support” idea up and running.  I think spending that time in other support ventures will be more valuable.  I don’t have the inclination to keep working on a car that may be a ‘junker/lemon’ from the get go. If someone else wants to ‘have a go at it,’ the keys are under the seat….. Now, Because I’m an eternal Positive Optimist- (if I find a room filled with horse-sh*t, I’ll happily grab the shovel and start digging- Just sure that there’s “got to be a Pony in Here somewhere!”) I did find some valuable info from guys who shared some Exercise info Links this week. Just passing them on here (in one-stop-shopping format) for those who missed the threads…..
Exercise Links- For Beginners and even Good Long Term info Super-Site: http://www.exrx.net/index.html Weight Training and Body Building info: http://www.trygve.com/mfw_faq.html http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/index.html http://www.t-nation.com http://www.bodybuilding.com http://www.getbig.com http://www.mindandmuscle.net Specific Body Building Sets and Reps: http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=651322 http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/1rm.htm Sports Nutrition: http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/ http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/berardi40.htm Running: To map exercise routes: http://www.favoriterun.com/account/login http://www.webwalking.com/googlemap.htm Jeff Golloway's walk/run starter program http://www.jeffgalloway.com/ Find races/results http://www.coolrunning.com/ http://www.usatf.org/ Walking Info Site http://www.thewalkingsite.com/ Figure out how far you walked at Google Map Pedometer Site http://www.webwalking.com/googlemap.htm Bikers Interest: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ http://www.mapmyrun.com/index.php?latitude=44.794&longitude= -93.4974 For Message Board of Exercise / Fitness for Post-Op Bariatric Folk: http://obesityhelp.com/forums/fitness/a,messageboard/board_id,5104/

 

Some Posts-

 

“Starting at Zero” for the Total Non-Exerciser Post-Op: http://obesityhelp.com/forums/fitness/board_id,5104/cat_id,4704/topic_id,3076593/a,messageboard/action,replies/#23610771 “Habitual Exercise”: http://obesityhelp.com/forums/fitness/board_id,5104/cat_id,4704/topic_id,3076223/a,messageboard/action,replies/#23600400 Best Wishes- Dx

 

 

Hi DX, I have a different suggestion.  Why don't we just coordinate that time for being on the boards together rather than a chat? There are simply too many conversations going in the chat for it to be of any value for me.  If we instead had a coordinated time for a number of us to be on the boards, we could provide feedback, ask questions, and those that are not on at that time would benefit from the answers but it would be coordinated in conversations.  People that have questions would get answers in real time without having just one line answers.  I benefit greatly from the board but the couple of times I was on the chat I found myself spending most of the time trying to figure out what conversation the last person was actually responding to at that moment.   Thoughts anyone?

thanks Dx for doing what you do for the board. it was my first time there and i got in about 15 minutes early and after a half hour i quit. i thought if it's like this all the time forget it. man, what a waste because someone people had an "agenda". take a cold shower dudes. i mean it. take that crap somewhere else would ya? we were there for a serious discussion and Dx took the time to invite a guest. I feel sorry for the guest and embarrased. thanks anyway Dx......Carbonblob

maybe i better clarify, i'm not slamming the guys here, just the ones who came on and needed to get a room! thanks......

Dx,Thanks for trying this Chat room thing but I gotta admit, I came out twice, on different weeks and the posts were flying around so fast and in different directions I didn't stay long.  I get a lot more out of our posts, with the experiences, questions,...and wise cracks.So long story short,..I'd agree with your assessment of the chatroom.But you keep those links, medically correct a nd enlightening answers to requests and ancedotes with the greatest graphics and emoticons rolling,...OK??  (Sorry DaveToadlats,...yours are pretty good too.)

Dx E, First, Thank you for the considerable time and energy you put into the Tuesday night live chat- as well as this forum, overall. You're the pillar of our online community. Second, I apologize for my part in Tuesdays meltdown. It did get rowdy and off topic, and I totally understand your frustration. However, I did find it enjoyable, overall. Also,I did manage to glean a couple of nuggets that will help me rekindle my excercise program. Please don't feel it was all for naught, just because we got naughty. Overall, I would agree a chatroom is not a good place for a deep, philosophical discussion, but I did enjoy all of the sessions I attended. Thanks again for all you do. I'm sure I speak for most when I say it means a lot to me. DD  

Hey Dx,  I agree completely. The chatroom gets overloaded with too many conversations, many off topic. If we were all in a conference room together, this would not happen. Why does this occur when we are in the chatroom. Its like we/us guys don't have any self control. This is why I generally don't say much during the session. Hell, I can barely keep up with what's being posted. If I stop reading to type, then I'm way behind in the conversation(s). And I'm a proficient typist, can only imagine what the 'hunt and peckers' do. I think the chatroom could work, but ground rules need to be set "during the meeting". After the meeting has adjourned, then its no-holds-barred. Guys, we're all adults here. You can't tell me that we can't get together in the chatroom and have a normal conversation about our WLS issues, questions, etc.  If I were Dx, I would be just as frustrated. The man can only shovel so much before the stink becomes too much.