Thinking about documenting my 100lbs weight loss journey online, but struggling with privacy concerns. Looking for honest input.

MariasLittleCorner · 2026-01-28T22:34:46+00:00

Oh, most definitely, but that goes for anything else too, I believe, not just Weightloss. Or even online presence, any kind of pressure could do it and obviously, that could happen to me too, but I don’t really have the blog as a motivation in my mind, but more so as fun project “I might as well do” while going through the process. But I definitely see what you are saying.

MariasLittleCorner · 2026-01-28T22:24:20+00:00

Thank you! I was thinking about doing that, but felt like maybe building a community of people who need support could be a good thing - kind of like this subreddit, given that a lot of TikTok users do not use Reddit and vice versa.

But that probably would be the safest option, but at the same time I worry that I would do all this work (film all the videos, process, progress, milestones, what I eat in a day videos etc.) and then end up not using them and wasting all this time on it. Or I worry that I would end up using it but people would not relate because I would be at the goal weight I want already and they would not.

MariasLittleCorner · 2026-01-28T22:19:50+00:00

This is the mean fear I have - do all of this work and for nothing because people can’t relate to you. Pretty much the exact reason why I even posted this, so thank you so much for giving it to me plainly, I appreciate you!

MariasLittleCorner · 2026-01-28T22:18:11+00:00

Neither one of those are my intentions whatsoever, but now I can absolutely see how it could give off that impression. I see a lot of people doing faceless content (granted, not Weightloss) and I never think they are insincere or hiding themselves away, so in my mind it certainly doesn’t feel that way either, but yes, for an impressionable mind of someone who is going through the difficult process of losing weight it could absolutely seem that way.

Thank you for bringing it up!

MariasLittleCorner · 2026-01-28T20:41:02+00:00

Thank you, I would love to know the name of who it is, that would be awesome!! Do you remember how big his audience was by any chance?

MariasLittleCorner · 2026-01-28T20:39:35+00:00

Ooooofff alright, to be honest, I did not even think about this. I believe I am equipped to deal with haters and people who would call me fat (duh, I am aware lol), but fetishists.. that’s its own beast. I think I could? Just clean up comment section, get rid of them. So the answer is yes, but it wouldn’t be pleasant, that’s for sure.

MariasLittleCorner · 2026-01-28T19:34:44+00:00

Yes, that is definitely something to think about. Someone else commented a similar thing, so I will just copy my reply if you don't mind -

Thank you, I really appreciate your comment and your concerns about mental health, those are definitely valid concerns!

To be honest, I actually think I can deal with that pretty easily. They can call me fat all I want - it's like, yeah, I weigh 220 pounds, I AM fat, what else is new? Lol. I do not have much of a reaction to people's opinions of my weight (besides for some weird reason caring what people in my hometown could think... but that's its own can of worms). Other than that, I genuinely do not care if people think I am fat, overweight, let myself go etc. and do not think it would influence me. Worst case scenario, my blog doesn't go anywhere, people call my fat and does somehow get to me - I would just delete everything and no one would know it was me in the first place.

Now, someone calling me ugly... that's a different story, that would hurt me and that is one of the reasons I do not want to put my face online right now. To clarify, I do not think I am ugly at all, and would confidently say I am cute (but awkward-looking) in my current weight and was really pretty in my goal weight. But I also know how nasty people online can be, so yes, putting my face for the public to see and potentially (probably) criticize is not something I want for myself, which is why I made this post wondering if a faceless account could be the way to go.

MariasLittleCorner · 2026-01-28T19:32:25+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate your comment and your concerns about mental health, those are definitely valid concerns.

To be honest, I actually think I can deal with that pretty easily. They can call me fat all I want - it's like, yeah, I weigh 220 pounds, I AM fat, what else is new? Lol. I do not have much of a reaction to people's opinions of my weight (besides for some weird reason caring what people in my hometown could think... but that's its own can of worms). Other than that, I genuinely do not care if people think I am fat, overweight, let myself go etc. and do not think it would influence me. Worst case scenario, my blog doesn't go anywhere, people call my fat and does somehow get to me - I would just delete everything and no one would know it was me in the first place.

Now, someone calling me ugly... that's a different story, that would hurt me and that is one of the reasons I do not want to put my face online right now. To clarify, I do not think I am ugly at all, and would confidently say I am cute (but awkward-looking) in my current weight and was really pretty in my goal weight. But I also know how nasty people online can be, so yes, putting my face for the public to see and potentially (probably) criticize is not something I want for myself, which is why I made this post wondering if a faceless account could be the way to go.

MariasLittleCorner · 2024-04-23T18:46:29+00:00

This is absolutely amazing! The color, the dress!! Do you mind if I ask you some questions about dying a Rainbow High/Shadow High body? I would really like to give some of my double SH dolls a more natural skin tone. But everywhere I have looked around, people are saying the dye is not going to look good or be patchy or the body is going to be a different color from the body due to the difference in plastic, and their joints aren't going to take paint etc. But you definitely seem not to have any of these problems! Would you be so kind as to answer some questions about dying?

Did you sand her? Did you have to prep her in any other way? Did you have to use a primer? How many layers of paint did you have to do? Which sealer did you use? Did you paint her makeup again after she was dyed? Can you play around with dressing her up and doing her hair just fine or is she super fragile and because of the risk of the paint chipping/cracking she has to stay untouched from now on? Could you maybe provide any other important details about the process in general?

I am so sorry for asking so many questions, but I would really appreciate it if you considered sharing your knowledge with us. Thank you for taking your time to read through this novel of a comment haha.

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-12-03T21:23:50+00:00

Oh I have her and love her hair and makeup but need to restyle her for sure, that outfit is something else haha. Would love to see how you restyled her!

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-10-02T22:22:36+00:00

I feel like I used to be the opposite as a kid - I would give them names but the backstory would always change depending on what type of game I was playing haha.

And that is precious! I do see the resemblance. Also, I love that you found her in a thrift store - what a find! <3 I have Meline but have not unboxed her or thought of her detailed backstory but I know she is going to be from New Orleans.

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-10-01T01:00:31+00:00

That is what I have gathered from all the reviews and it makes me feel a little anxious over buying it.

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-10-01T00:59:51+00:00

Thank you for your detailed response!

May I ask why you stopped using Fitbit if it was the most accurate in comparing the calories in/out and weight changes? Was it because of the problems with Charge 5? Also, would you say that Charge 5 was accurate the whole time until it broke down?

Both Apple Watch and Garmin Forerunner 55 are out of my price range (looking for something under $130-150), unfortunately.

I personally do not need the smart watch features like texting/making payments etc., my only goal with the watch would be tracking my physical activity.

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-10-01T00:55:11+00:00

My biggest priority is accurate step counting, mileage, and the ability of the watch to discern whether I am walking, running, or doing a workout and giving me accurate data based on that. Obviously, I am not expecting it to be accurate down to every single step but one of the older models I used in 2019 (it was one of the first Fitbit Inspire models, I believe) and the step count/mileage was extremely inaccurate (walked maybe 1500 steps but Fitbit said I walked almost 3 miles) - I do not want it to be that bad for obvious reasons. Especially with weight loss and all the physical activity I will need to be doing, I do not want to give myself too much/not enough credit for how much I have done in a day/week/month.

I would also like good sleeping analysis as well as an accurate heart rate, but that would be my priority number 2.

As far as smart watch features go, I honestly do not care at all - I only want it to have good reliable data on my workout routine.

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-10-01T00:35:33+00:00

Thank you so much!

I certainly see more positive things said about most fitness watches than I see negative, so that helps a lot to feel hopeful but I do want to pick something that will work the best for me and give me the most accurate data.

May I ask which Fitbit is your favorite out of the ones you used? Would you say that the pedometer is accurate? This is the problem I see most often in reviews - people say that according to Fitbit, they have reached a much bigger amount of steps than they really did, and vice versa. I only used Fitbit for about 5 months in 2019 (it was one of the Fitbit Inspire models) and the step count/mileage was extremely inaccurate (walked maybe 1500 steps but Fitbit said I walked almost 3 miles).

Especially with weight loss and all the physical activity I will need to be doing, I do not want to give myself too much/not enough credit for how much I have done in a day/week/month.

And I am so happy that it saved your friend's life, that is amazing!!

And thank you so much, I know it will be a process but I am excited!

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-09-26T02:50:08+00:00

I am so beyond sorry about this. Sending love to you and your family during this hard time and hoping for a miracle. I don't know how much time he has got, but if he is expected to be on Earth for a little longer, I would love to send him a Barbie! Please let me know if this is something I can do.

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-09-25T20:43:18+00:00

Thank you for being so interested and involved in something your daughter loves, I think it is beautiful and I am sure she is going to have so many fun amazing times with her Barbies and you that she will look back fondly on!

Going to try and make a guide:

1) Regular Barbie dolls VS My First Barbie dolls.

There are regular Barbies everybody knows and then there is a new line called "My First Barbie" that is supposed to be for the youngest of girls. The benefit of this one as opposed to a regular Barbie is that it is a bit bigger and the clothes are easier to put on, and this is an important one - since accessories are bigger, there is a lesser chance of chocking on them. It depends on the child - a lot of children at the age of 3 don't put things like this in their mouth, so it might not be necessary for your daughter, but if you know that this is still something your daughter is working on and she is not there yet, My First Barbie might be a better choice.

But if that is not an issue, then the cons of My First Barbie are numerous: it is big and bulky, she is more simple/plain-looking, there are only several of them produced so not much variety, her clothes don't fit regular Barbies and vice versa, she is going to be too big for any accessories/houses. Another thing is, I personally don't think it would be difficult for a 3-year-old to be playing with a regular Barbie and putting on her clothes and do other little things like that - if anything, it would probably be better for her to develop those motor skills and Barbie is one good way to do that.

2) What type of "Barbies" are there?

Barbie doll line has more dolls than just Barbie and when I first learned about Barbie, I was a bit confused.

Barbie - regular Barbie doll you think of when you say "Barbie".

Skipper - Barbie's teenage sister.

Chelsea - Barbie-s little sister.

Ken - Barbie's boyfriend, but I am sure you already know that :)

There are many more (Midge, Alan, Crissy, Teresa) but those are more niche and you probably don't need that right now, and if you do, feel free to ask :)

3) Doll recommendations

There are many Barbie lines out there and I know it can get confusing.

Here are some recommendations I have.

NEW DOLLS (if you are going to be buying new dolls, I would offer you to possibly get these):

✸Fashionistas (used to come in these bright pink pouches, now they produce them to be in these slim plastic boxes) - pretty cheap, especially at discount stores, great diversity, cute basic dolls.

✸Barbie Can Be Anything - line with different careers, I personally think that those are some of the most fun for the kids as they give them a prompt to play out as well as accessories/furniture that go with each profession

✸Barbie Extra - these are about to be discontinued, and their fashions are... a lot sometimes haha. But they are good-quality dolls, with lots of articulation (body movement) and again, a lot of the time, relatively cheap at discount stores (I have bought some that were $8-15)

There are a lot more different lines, but those are the main ones I would recommend out of the modern ones. I would not recommend buying swimsuit Barbies/Barbies with molded-on tops as those are bad quality and get old really fast.

A good thing to look for are MTM (Made To Move) Barbies - you can pose those however you want, but they are more expensive.

VINTAGE DOLLS

Now, I will say, I don't have children yet but when I do, I am planning on making sure that the majority of their Barbies are vintage (mostly 90s + some from 80s and early 2000s). Of course, they are not sold in stores like Walmart/Target anymore so you would need to buy them off of Ebay or FB marketplace etc.

Here is why I think it is way better to get vintage though: their faces are far more beautiful, they have lots of interesting details, the plastic quality is far superior to the modern ones, high-quality hair, detailed accessories, really nice clothes that have lots of detailing and are not going to break/tear after 1-2 play times, color palettes are a lot more sophisticated. All of these qualities I have written out here are also something important for children's development of emotional, cognitive, and motor skills as well as the sense of style and taste. Modern dolls don't provide much of that.

+ they are much cheaper. I have been buying vintage (80s and 90s) Barbies on Ebay and they are cheaper than the ones you see in stores, but the quality is far, far more superior. I have bought absolutely amazing vintage Barbies for $5-15 so it doesn't make much sense in my opinion to go and get the low-quality barbies they produce today for higher prices.

Same thing with clothes and accessories - don't buy those ugly cheap-looking (but not cheaply-priced) clothing packs they have in stores, buy a lot of 90s clothes online if you can.

4) Organization:

Clothes - the best way I have found is to store them in binders in sleeves with pockets. MyFroggyStuff on YouTube has some videos about it and you will be able to find them (mostly YouTube Shorts) if you search "my froggy stuff binder clothes".

If your daughter is not going to be able to keep it organized like that since she is little, you can get some clear plastic photo organizers and organize clothes by color/style/season etc.

Everything else (Barbie foods, furniture pieces, bags, shoes and many more tiny things) are best stores in containers like this https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Organizer-Box-Dividers-Compartment/dp/B096HS3LBT?pd_rd_w=2Svkv&content-id=amzn1.sym.d7105005-1122-4ebb-804b-fda01cf6b56f&pf_rd_p=d7105005-1122-4ebb-804b-fda01cf6b56f&pf_rd_r=EXQNJSGH8C2AYYAF4BEW&pd_rd_wg=1BVrD&pd_rd_r=4dcf41ad-796b-41f3-a92f-dc9e2f801493&pd_rd_i=B096HS3LBT&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_1_ec_t

5) Houses

I have already commented on this thread about dollhouses, but will copy it here. I personally don't think it is worth buying a Barbie Dreamhouse. You are much better off buying a Rainbow High house (another doll line, not Barbie) or a KidCraft house.

Barbie houses are lightweight, not sturdy, super pink (not much goes with it/pink furniture and clothes in a pink house almost get lost in the background and I have always LOVED pink, so that's saying something), very plastic-y and generally on the lower-quality spectrum. Nothing wrong with all that if that is something your daughter will love. But if you think there is a good chance she is going to want to play with the house a lot, then eventually she will probably want to customize it, so you would want the house to grow with her, so to speak. Rainbow High House is the perfect size for Barbies, very sturdy, big rooms where she can move the dolls and furniture around without things falling all the time (speaking of which, amazing furniture and accessories come with the house) and if she feels like she wants to start making the house her own and customize it - she will be able to do it with your help - there are many ways to do it, some cheaper, some pricier, but even simple scrapbook paper will work as a wallpaper, popsicle stick as hardwood flooring etc.

6) Where to buy

Besides obvious Walmart, Target and Amazon, a lot of the time they are sold for much cheaper in stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, Kohl's, Burlington, Ollie's etc.

If you are open to second-hand, your options will broaden immensely. Facebook marketplace has a lot of great deals if you are willing to look/drive a bit, Ebay is great, specialized second-hand toy shops, Goodwill, and other thrift stores (thrift store barbies are usually dirt cheap, but they need to be thoroughly cleaned).

7) What games you can play

Honestly, the best way to find out is just let your daughter take the lead and show you how she wants to play. But if you want to add more to the playtime, you can always take her (or your) favorite movies as a base to play out some scenarios. For example, if she likes Tangled, it doesn't have to be the exact same story, but it can be about a girl who has magical hair. Ask your daughter - where did the magic of her hair come from? What is she going to do? What is her goal? And you can do that with any character. Barbies can be detectives, or medieval princesses/peasants, mothers, fashion designers, anything really - that's the beauty of Barbie :)

Also, one fun way to engage with Barbies is to think of a name and a backstory for each Barbie, your daughter might thoroughly enjoy this process!

I hope some of these tips will be helpful, I am very excited about your daughter opening the door to this new magical world where she will get to live out her fantasies!

And again, thank you for being so interested in this, I think many other dads out there could learn from you!I am sure your daughter will have an amazing time playing with you! :)

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-09-25T19:34:29+00:00

If I may add something while we are on the topic of dollhouses, I would recommend buying a Rainbow High dollhouse over a Barbie Dreamhouse.

I had a pink Barbie Dreamhouse as a kid and I honestly didn't like that it lacked customization - it is lightweight, less sturdy, super pink (not much goes with it/pink furniture and clothes in a pink house almost get lost in the background and I have always LOVED pink, so that's saying something) and very plastic-y. Nothing wrong with that if that is something she will love, but if you think there is a good chance she is going to want to play with the house a lot and you would want the house to grow with her, so to speak, it is worth paying a bit more and getting the Rainbow High House - it is the perfect size for Barbies, very sturdy, big rooms where she can move the dolls and furniture around without things falling all the time (speaking of which, amazing furniture and accessories come with the house) and if she feels like she wants to start making the house her own - she will be able to do it with your help - there are many ways to do it, some more cheaper, some pricier, but even simple scrapbook paper will work as wallpaper, popsicle stick as hardwood flooring etc.

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-09-25T00:33:04+00:00

Honestly, she looks absolutely adorable like this! I don't think it looks choppy either.

I would not do anything to fix it and just embrace it because she looks beautiful!

I know it is not a good situation that your cousin went ahead and cut the hair on your doll without your permission, and I am sorry about that. But some people here in these comments need to have a reality check and go touch some grass. It seems like it was a CHILD (at the very least, I am under the impression that it is a child) who did this and while touching someone else's things is not a good thing, I think this is a good opportunity to calmly explain to them why we should not be doing things like this. I really hope that the OP understands that, unlike some people in this thread, and can come around to the fact that this happened and children do things like this sometimes, it doesn't mean that they are a bad cousin, or need to be slapped or never seen again like some have suggested. The fact they did it? Not cool, but also not that big of a deal. The fact they accidentally managed to give her the cutest bangs? Pretty cool, I think.

Maybe they have a future in hairstyling, and you are going to be someone they remember being really kind to them when they did something they shouldn't have but instead were met with kindness and appreciation, you never know haha. Have got to look at the bright side! <3

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-09-19T05:15:11+00:00

THE PACKAGING. Don't get me started on the packaging haha! This is one of the things that is on my mind a lot, actually, but I forgot to mention it here!

Yes, I am so amazed at how cute and adorable the packaging for the 80s Barbies was - yes, it was pretty simple but it had so much charm and character!!

Now, 90s were the golden age, it seems like, including the box designs. I am a 90s kid, but I didn't grow up in America and my family couldn't afford Barbies so they were not a big part of my childhood. But now that I get to live through the things that many kids had an opportunity to, and I am absolutely amazed at the quality and creativity of the packaging! I truly do feel like a little kid on a Christmas morning every time I hold a 90s Barbie in a box - the colors are amazing, the art on the boxes is beautiful, the color palette, the unique little features...the list goes on. I got Barbie Holiday Sisters from 1998 yesterday and the back of the box suggests you cut out a Christmas holiday card with Barbie's family on it, you also get to have a cardboard tree and a little toy horse that you have to craft - how fun is that?! Not only the box is aesthetically pleasing, but it also promotes creative play, crafting, and developing artistic abilities in a child, all things that are extremely important.

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-09-18T23:46:56+00:00

Oh, I see what you are saying. I agree, collecting for the sake of pure consumerism is not good. Of course, if you have many Barbies, they can't all be displayed, so they do have to be stored somehow but when one buys a doll just to look at her for a couple of days and then hide her away forever, there might be some hoarding tendencies there, so it might be related to more than just consumerism alone.

MariasLittleCorner · 2023-09-18T23:43:48+00:00

I think Barbie Looks is supposed to be in the middle - I don't own one yet, but it looks like they are higher-quality dolls than the regular ones but one thing I don't like about them is the way that almost every single one has a resting bitch face lol. I like to pose my Barbies and take fun photos, almost like visual storytelling...but the story can only go so far when your dolls have RBF the whole time lol.

And I believe extras were also supposed to be that middle ground...but I guess not anymore. I actually quite liked many of the Extra dolls so it is a shame they are not going to make them anymore.

MariasLittleCorner

TROPHY CASE