Open Diaries vs Closed Diaries

inertiastrength

I really don't care either way but curious to know if you have any thoughts on whether one or the other leads to more or less success?

laurenebargar

Personally I keep mine open because I think it has lead to success so far. I feel like it holds some sort of accountability even if its just to internet strangers.

4legsRbetterthan2

For me, I don't think it makes a difference either way. I don't really care much what random people on the internet think of what I eat, I do what works for me. Having it open to public viewing really can't prevent me from lying about what I put in it, that is the real inhibitor to success.

100catscrazy

I just leave mine open because I'm open to suggestions but I'm still going to do what works for my budget and time. I'm always open though to new recipes that are easy though. I love budget bytes.

cs2thecox

Mine's open so my trainer can see it, and nag me occasionally!
I've not had any randoms give me grief over it, and frankly I don't care if the world knows what I eat. It's hardly a state secret.

inertiastrength

I really don't think people randomly creep diaries and comment but if you're gonna post a "not losing on 1200" I'm not even gonna reply unless your diary is open haha

nyponbell

I have been thinking about this too. Mine is closed, mainly because I don't want to run the risk of someone commenting on it - good or bad. I do this for me and taking that stress out of it helps me be honest about what I eat, knowing it is only for myself. That said, I have issues with food so don't really want to talk about what I am eating, even when I eat "healthy all the time", unless it is my choice to share it. Having an open diary takes away it being my choice (even if I would only share it with friends).

kdavid1987

Personally I keep my mine closed because there aren't a ton of vegan versions of certain things, for example, apple crumble, so I use the "regular" versions to estimate calories. I don't want a bunch of judgey weirdos thinking I'm not eating vegan because of how I log LOL!!!

christys03

Mine is open, as I appreciate the input...good or bad...and I appreciate open diaries....as I get many meal ideas, or see the latest new thing out from others. It also sparks conversation. What foods work for ppl....what doesn't. I do not comment on closed diaries...as I'm not going to tell someone "awesome day" if I don't know what I'm commenting about.

vnb_208

laurenebargar wrote: »

Personally I keep mine open because I think it has lead to success so far. I feel like it holds some sort of accountability even if its just to internet strangers.

all of this

dutchandkiwi

I kept my diary closed the first year. Pretty much because I was learning I knew I was making mistakes but I wanted to make my own and separate science form the enormous amount of bro-science on these boards. So I did not want anybody coming in with, probably well meant, stuff that I did not need/want at that time. I prefer to find my own way.
Plus I saw a number of people getting rather aggressive nasty feedback on their diaries from compelte strangers. So not interested in that my way or the highway attitude that I observed. So after a year I opened my diary to friends only. I don't look at other people's diaries much as my diary is about my journey. Only when asked I will have a look. If I get nasty comments form them (has not happened) at least I can delete them off my friends list

MarziPanda95

Mine is closed. If it were open, I would personally be more likely to lie. I wouldn't log all the 'bad' foods I eat because I wouldn't want to be judged.

lemurcat12

Has never made a difference for me. I usually have it open if I'm using it consistently, closed if I'm only occasionally using it/not really logging. I don't find the idea that others can see and hold me "accountable" at all helpful, more icky, but I don't mind if others can see and like sharing menu ideas and all that.

Edit to add: the reason I close it when not logging consistently is because I sometimes try to get back into logging and do partial days for a while and have had people assume I was undereating (not hardly), and that made me defensive, so I decided to avoid the issue.

CSARdiver

I keep mine open for accountability/transparency. Judge away.

janejellyroll

My log is for me (although I don't mind if people look at it, it's open to friends). I don't feel more accountable just because people can see it -- in fact, if someone commented on it without me asking for help, I'd be quite put off.

Chef_Barbell

janejellyroll wrote: »

My log is for me (although I don't mind if people look at it, it's open to friends). I don't feel more accountable just because people can see it -- in fact, if someone commented on it without me asking for help, I'd be quite put off.

This for me. Mine is open, never cared about what other people think about what I eat. On the same note, unsolicited advice is never welcome.

malibu927

MarziPanda95 wrote: »

Mine is closed. If it were open, I would personally be more likely to lie. I wouldn't log all the 'bad' foods I eat because I wouldn't want to be judged.

This is the habit I got into after I reached a certain point and started regaining.

Also, it's nobody's business but my own what I eat.

Sunna_W

Open; it keeps me honest and when I give advice it's based on what worked / is working for me; I also provide references to reputable websites when I answer people's questions.

Sloth_TurtleGirl

Closed- I used to be open, but I don't like people judging me by my off days. Maybe when I lose a great deal I'll be more likely to open it again. But, I've only lost 10 pounds and it has taken me forever to do it.

Like others mentioned, I'm more honest when it is closed. I probably should not have connected with people I knew would be judgmental.

mmapags

Mine's open but i don't really care one way or the other. It's helpful for it to be open when someone asks for an opinion and I can use an example. Doesn't happen that often though.

iamunicoon

When I was registered here before, I'd just randomly add people and that led to me having 'buddies' on here I didn't trust or know how to communicate with. So I kept my diary closed because some were rude or giving advice in a way I didn't know how to work with.

This time I'm a bit pickier with friends to give myself the kind of support system that works for me. And I also make sure to be open about not being perfect. I still incorporate 'bad' food into my diet if it fits my calorie goal, so I don't mind if my friends can see it. I find this works a lot better with long term motivation for me.

Mayra_121

I think it all depends on what works best for you to stay honest. If you are the kind of person that believes that having an open diary can keep you accountable then go for it. But if having it open means you won't be logging accurately in order to not be judged by others, then closed is the way to go.

Although my diary was public for a few months, I have decided to close it because I noticed there were ppl on my friend list that started preaching about how many, and what kind of, calories everyone else should be eating.

I am the kind of person that calorie cycles throughout the week. So sometimes I can eat as little as 1100 cals and go as high as 1700. Another thing is that I haven't been restricting any foods. That means you'll occasionally see some pizza + breadsticks or a burger and fries. I am all for advice and suggestions when I am going thru a rough patch but I find it a little annoying when others start commenting on what they think I should be eating when I haven't asked for their opinions.

x_stephisaur_x

I only found out that mine was closed like 2 days ago haha I've since opened it to friends.
I think it'll be good once I start to struggle so that like minded people can have a nose

mmapags

Mayra_121 wrote: »

I think it all depends on what works best for you to stay honest. If you are the kind of person that believes that having an open diary can keep you accountable then go for it. But if having it open means you won't be logging accurately in order to not be judged by others, then closed is the way to go.

Although my diary was public for a few months, I have decided to close it because I noticed there were ppl on my friend list that started preaching about how many, and what kind of, calories everyone else should be eating.

I am the kind of person that calorie cycles throughout the week. So sometimes I can eat as little as 1100 cals and go as high as 1700. Another thing is that I haven't been restricting any foods. That means you'll occasionally see some pizza + breadsticks or a burger and fries. I am all for advice and suggestions when I am going thru a rough patch but I find it a little annoying when others start commenting on what they think I should be eating when I haven't asked for their opinions.

Another option is to leave you diary open and eliminate friends who give advice you didn't ask for. That is how I would proceed.

AlabasterVerve

mrsnattybulking wrote: »

I really don't think people randomly creep diaries and comment but if you're gonna post a "not losing on 1200" I'm not even gonna reply unless your diary is open haha

If you post on the forums you're opening yourself up to commentary/abuse whether seeking help or not. Or at least that was my experience - I had to close mine because of it which I thought was a shame.

Chef_Barbell

mmapags wrote: »

Mayra_121 wrote: »

I think it all depends on what works best for you to stay honest. If you are the kind of person that believes that having an open diary can keep you accountable then go for it. But if having it open means you won't be logging accurately in order to not be judged by others, then closed is the way to go.

Although my diary was public for a few months, I have decided to close it because I noticed there were ppl on my friend list that started preaching about how many, and what kind of, calories everyone else should be eating.

I am the kind of person that calorie cycles throughout the week. So sometimes I can eat as little as 1100 cals and go as high as 1700. Another thing is that I haven't been restricting any foods. That means you'll occasionally see some pizza + breadsticks or a burger and fries. I am all for advice and suggestions when I am going thru a rough patch but I find it a little annoying when others start commenting on what they think I should be eating when I haven't asked for their opinions.

Another option is to leave you diary open and eliminate friends who give advice you didn't ask for. That is how I would proceed.

My approach too.

Along with a healthy dose of MYOB.

The_Enginerd

I leave mine open. Mostly to share days like this with other folks and show that you don't have to eat "clean" or suffer to maintain a healthy weight, improve fitness, and be healthy. I know some folks have received unsolicited advice or criticism, or have issues with guilt and would lie if others could see it, so I don't judge if others feel like they need to keep it private.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/The_Enginerd?date=2017-01-15

TR0berts

CSARdiver wrote: »

I keep mine open for accountability/transparency. Judge away.

Only 10 jellybeans for today so far? Amateur...

JetJaguar

I keep mine open to friends, so that I have some control over who views and comments on it. Just about all of them are either people I know IRL, or are other MFP members with similar goals and activities as me.

(I might as well leave it open though, I'll add just about anyone who sends me a request.)

KayHBE

Mine is open, it's not perfect. Sometimes I look at others to see if they have any greatness I'm missing so I should open mine if I'm gonna look at theirs... and any judgy people should really get a life!!

inertiastrength

AlabasterVerve wrote: »

mrsnattybulking wrote: »

I really don't think people randomly creep diaries and comment but if you're gonna post a "not losing on 1200" I'm not even gonna reply unless your diary is open haha

If you post on the forums you're opening yourself up to commentary/abuse whether seeking help or not. Or at least that was my experience - I had to close mine because of it which I thought was a shame.

Mine is open and my 4K yolo days are there for everyone to see if they so choose. I really couldn't care less if someone comments on my eating... to clean, too dirty, too whatever... I have changed my macros so many times in n=1 experiments I'm personally not affected by other's opinions on what I eat or what I track but if I was ever to post a problem with respect to weight loss or gain I would not think about asking advice without at least giving the full picture; which is my diary.