Somebody Needs to Teach My FitBit Some Manners

     To this day, my daddy swears that the only way I passed my driver's test was because I said "yes ma'am" to the evaluator.  He likes to use this as an example of how important it is to instill good old fashioned manners in one's children.  You see, growing up in the South, I was taught to always say please, thank you, and you're welcome.   Maybe my upbringing makes me more sensitive to lapses in decorum.  Maybe I'm just overly sensitive.  But maybe, just maybe, some things just lack tact and decency.  Sticking one's tongue out at someone, just happens to fall into that category.
     Since I decided to get back on the health and fitness wagon, I decided to invest in a new tool to help me achieve my goals, and keep me accountable.  I decided on the Fitbit Zip.  Overall, I've been very pleased with this device.  It tracks my steps and my calories burned and consumed  Plus, it gives me access to a web site where I can interact and compete with friends.  Besides the number crunching metrics and the time display, one of the first things I noticed was the smiley faces it periodically displayed.  "Awww…sweet!" I thought. "Fitbit is smiling at me.  It's my own personal cheerleader!"
      If you aren't familiar with Fitbit, the emoticon changes to reflect your activity level.   The more active you are, the bigger the smile.   Curiously though, there isn't a key to explain these smileys in the product manual.   One of the faces seemed to show up first thing in the morning, and while I was watching TV.
It looked like this:

I couldn't quite figure out what it was, so  I decided to google it.  Much to my dismay, I soon found out that Fitbit was sticking its tongue out at me!  In the words of Stephanie Tanner, "How rude!"
     Here's the thing.  No one can be active every minute of every day.  People have to sleep.   There are times when even elite athletes are sedentary.   Sometimes, I feel like sitting on my ass, putting my feet up, and chilling out in front of the boob tube.  When FitBit chides me, it doesn't push me to do better.  It makes me feel guilty--and guilt isn't an effective motivator.
     I reminds me of when I first started this weight loss journey a few years ago.  The hot product at the time was the Wii.  I bought one, and sad to say, like many fads, it is now collecting dust in my spare bedroom closet.  Those of  you who, like me,  jumped on that band wagon might recall that the Wii works as a scale as well as a fitness/video game platform.  I'd step on that thing and get greeted with this gem:

Every single time, I wanted to shout at the screen, "Seriously?  No shit!"
     Look, I knew I was fat. I knew I had a problem.   I certainly didn't need Wii telling me so or making that condescending noise.   Nor did I need to see my avatar do a full on fat girl body jiggle.  Seriously, it was insulting.  Who needs that.
      I guess what I'm saying is that for those of us who need to lose weight, what we need is praise, recognition,  and support.  We don't need condescension or scolding--not from a living, breathing humans, and certainly not from an electronic device.  What we do need is a network of people willing to cheer us on and celebrate our successes.  I'm glad I've got that, because it is truly what keeps me motivated.   As for FitBit--well, I guess I'll just disable the emoticon feature.  Because in the words of my mama, "if you can't say something nice, you shouldn't say anything at all."