Why do you care if people read your food diary?

getting_stronger1483

mburgess458 wrote: »

This seems like such a strange question. Why do you care if people read your emails or listen in to your phone conversations or dig through your trash or see all of the pictures on your phone? If I am asking for help and having people look at my diary helps then I'll make it public. Otherwise why would I want to open myself up to strangers being able to dig around in my personal data for no reason? No one needs to know what my diary looks like but me, if that changes I'll change my settings.

In other words, it doesn't mean people are hiding anything it just means that it's none of your business.

As others said it's easier to keep it private than to make it public.

Eating is something that is frequently done in public and socially though. I think it seems a bit strange that you would liken a food log to something as private as your personal emails when food consumption is almost always never solitary or private. Never mind, each to their own.

Personally I don't keep food logs so there's nothing to see in mine anyway.

paperpudding

getting_stronger1483 wrote: »

mburgess458 wrote: »

This seems like such a strange question. Why do you care if people read your emails or listen in to your phone conversations or dig through your trash or see all of the pictures on your phone? If I am asking for help and having people look at my diary helps then I'll make it public. Otherwise why would I want to open myself up to strangers being able to dig around in my personal data for no reason? No one needs to know what my diary looks like but me, if that changes I'll change my settings.

In other words, it doesn't mean people are hiding anything it just means that it's none of your business.

As others said it's easier to keep it private than to make it public.

Eating is something that is frequently done in public and socially though. I think it seems a bit strange that you would liken a food log to something as private as your personal emails when food consumption is almost always never solitary or private. Never mind, each to their own.

Personally I don't keep food logs so there's nothing to see in mine anyway.

that doesnt make sense.

Yes some eating is often done in public - but when I am eating dinner at a restarant or eating my lunch in work staff room, I dont expect others to be looking at what I eat "to get ideas" or to share any weight loss or other goals with me.
and the fact that I do that sort of eating in public doesnt mean I want somebody to examine my whole food intake or come home to look through my pantry.

Just like, I might show my work colleague some photos on my phone - but that doesnt mean I'm ok with them looking through everything on my phone.

or I might forward some email to others - doesnt mean I'm ok with them reading all my private emails.

getting_stronger1483

Oh ok paperpudding I see the difference. Also I love your icon! That Christmas pudding looks very appealing

ythannah

getting_stronger1483 wrote: »

mburgess458 wrote: »

This seems like such a strange question. Why do you care if people read your emails or listen in to your phone conversations or dig through your trash or see all of the pictures on your phone? If I am asking for help and having people look at my diary helps then I'll make it public. Otherwise why would I want to open myself up to strangers being able to dig around in my personal data for no reason? No one needs to know what my diary looks like but me, if that changes I'll change my settings.

In other words, it doesn't mean people are hiding anything it just means that it's none of your business.

As others said it's easier to keep it private than to make it public.

Eating is something that is frequently done in public and socially though. I think it seems a bit strange that you would liken a food log to something as private as your personal emails when food consumption is almost always never solitary or private. Never mind, each to their own.

Personally I don't keep food logs so there's nothing to see in mine anyway.

I'd say I'm alone for about 95% of my food consumption, unless you count the dogs. I wasn't eating "frequently" in public even pre-Covid, one meal a week at most. Currently I'm at two meals a month that are consumed with one other individual present. Not that I'm secretive about my eating, just the normal life of a person who lives alone.

paperpudding

thank you.

I do love Xmas pudding - and before I stared losing weight I think I was about the round shape of that one

getting_stronger1483

Oh well such is life. You've made the decision to lose weight now and you can't change the past but you can change the future.

sakurablossoms82

I have nothing to hide but on the other hand I don't want to be judged when I have an unhealthy day or people getting the wrong idea. I'm lazy at times and my logging is not always 100% accurate. Sometimes when my mother prepared a meal I obviously do not know how many grams of each ingredient she used so then I log a store bought meal that I think is similar. And then people might think I lie about being vegetarian as sometimes I log things that do contain meat. To prevent all that I have it private and it gives less stress. I mean if I knew people could see I would be stressed to do well and not make any mistakes.

airmidthehealer

nooshi713 wrote: »

I am just a private person. It is not true that those with private diaries have something to hide. I am very accurate and measure in grams.

This. ^^ I am more curious as to why the OP cares what my privacy setting is.

airmidthehealer

domeofstars wrote: »

Oh ok cool I understand your points of view. Especially if private is the default setting anyway.
To me though, I may idly have a look at someone's food diary, but I'm not going to scrutinize it intensely...I don't think anyone would.
Plus it's not like it's my deepest darkest secrets, just what i have eaten and drunk that day.

So, again the question: Why do you care? If you want to look at the public diaries, do so. For those of us who wish to keep our diaries private - allow us our privacy. I still do not understand why some of us wishing to maintain our privacy is so confusing to you.

frankiesgirlie

I have a negative connection with leaving my diary open. I tend to be a very open book, sometimes to a fault.
But, when I first started on MFP and opened my diary, I had someone message me to tell me I would get much better results from strength training if I did Keto.
Not only that, she had her buddy message me too.
Meanwhile, I’d never asked for advice from these people. That wouldn’t be so bad, but then I got snarky comments about my food choices from them for weeks, until I deleted them.
I’m currently in maintenance and stay in a 10 lb range, but I have a bi weekly late night sweet binge that happens.
I’m pretty good about dusting myself off the next morning and saying “new day”! So when I have a couple of people say, wow, LOTS of chocolate yesterday! It makes me feel like sh-t. Who needs that?
Lastly, I realized that while I’m an open book, I like it on my own terms, and when I chose.
Something about people lurking in my diary at random times feels like a peeping Tom or something.
Meantime, I’ve never had an ounce of interest in anyone else’s diary. So, there’s that.

frankiesgirlie

One other thing. I had a friend on MFP tell me she didn’t like an open diary because it made a liar out of her. She felt she was being judged, so while she ate a couple of kitkats, she’d actually log an apple.
If your diary is to impress other people instead of working on yourself and your health, something isn’t working for you. A private diary may work better for your goals.

rfsatar

A lot depends on why you landed on MFP in the first place. I find it easy to track/count carbs as a diabetic so the calorie counting aspect is meaningless to me and it is just easier to have it that way than to explain to people the differences between types of diabetes etc. I don't have the time for that nonsense! I also use the notes to track Blood Glucose through the day and meds so that I can use that and the results from blood glucose sensor to discuss with my GP. He is the ONLY person that needs to have a take on my carb control and BG... no-one else needs to know that!

b120in2021

I am just now learning from the comments that this is the default setting. I don't care if you want to see what I'm eating. I'd prefer it if you made all my food though. that would be easier for me I don't log what I eat. I just record the number of calories.