Really do not want to track

FrauHaas2013

You can set it so you're the only one who can see your food diary. It would be a little weird if you were the only one looking at it and you were still embarassed - since you're the one eating the stuff! But I kinda know what you mean; you can read a list and see all the "bad" things you've been eating and feel some "shame" about making those not-so-great choices...

It DOES help; just get over that embarassment hurdle - it's all for your betterment! You may be eating things that are really high in sugar or fat or whatever and not even realize it. Journaling is just a way to really put it right in front of you face, literally in black and white.

ctalimenti

Watch some episodes of the British TV program "Secret Eaters" on youtube.

dridings74

Tracking everything I put in my mouth is a pain BUT it makes me thinks twice about shoving those cookies or chocolate cake in my mouth. The choice is yours but like everyone else I recommend you do it.

marciebrian

well the laziness I can't help you with but as far as not wanting to track out of embarrassment that's easy. Keep your diary private and only you can see it. It will help you identify what your food issues/problems/challenges are and keep everyone else out. This is for you not for anyone else so do what works for you and don't worry about the others. We all do this our own way and if you log, and eventually feel you want help with food choices etc., you can open your diary

auntiebabs

Knowledge is power... If you are embarrassed by what you are eating keep your diary private.
But be scrupulous about tracking everything.
For me it turned out once I saw what I was eating it made it easier to scale back in places that weren't that important to me. Made it much easier than I expected. And I wasn't living in a state of constant deprivation.

I think of it sort of like getting from place to place on a map. If I'm in Dallas and want to go to California. It's 1,400 miles west, but If I think I'm in New York and go west for 1,400 miles I'll end up somewhere in Nebraska.

Track for a couple of weeks. Before you take any steps, because then you'll see where you are really at.
People made chide you for keeping your diary private. But I personally, found it helpful... Lots of folks out there with lots of different eating strategies. I didn't really want them all chiming in on my diet. Too may opinions for me to process. No carb, No fat, No sodium, Paleo, Atkins...

thedarkwombat

Its easy for me know. It took a week to get used to it. Now I panic if I don't.
I tell everyone that I track.

If you are too embarrassed to track in front of people then you are still in denial.

Camera_BagintheUK

For me it turned out once I saw what I was eating it made it easier to scale back in places that weren't that important to me. Made it much easier than I expected. And I wasn't living in a state of constant deprivation.

Me too! I'm amazed how it's been so much less difficult than I imagined to reduce my calories - not to say it's *easy* but as people keep saying, knowledge is power!

ThinLizzie0802

There is nothing embarrassing about tracking your food. Even when you aren't trying to lose weight, it is always awesome to have a better understanding of the food we eat.

BigAl_2

Um, it might encourage you to eat properly if you're aware your food choices are embarrassing.
I don't get the whining on here. I understand lots of people need support and some encouragement, but declaring you just don't want to do something seems pointless. Are we supposed to convince you otherwise?
If you can't do something as simplistic as jot down your calories, I think you're not ready or willing to lose the weight.

Yeeeep

jmp1958

We need to be held accountable for what we eat - tracking is the only way!

norahwynn

I'm sure someone else pointed this out, but just in case they haven't:

If it's out of embarrassment because people will see what you're eating, then just set your diary to private. You don't have to let the whole world see it if you don't want to.

You really should take the time to log everything. Just until you get a handle on what your goals are and start seeing success.

Bernadette60614

First, welcome!

Second, you can keep your tracking diary "closed"...so no one but you can see what you are eating.

Third, if I was a "perfect" eater, I wouldn't need myfitnesspal...so don't be embarassed.

Fourth, the only way your body is going to change is if your choices change and knowledge really is power.

By tracking, I learned that I 1) must eat breakfast 2) I can knock back 1,000 calories from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. when everyone comes home and not even be aware of what I'm eating.

You can do this, and you can do a little of MFP, a lot or all of it..but the more you do, in my experience, the more successful you'll be.

Take care.

mamacoates

You either do it or you don't. Those are your options.

I agree. You opened an account on MFP because you wanted help achieving results. Laziness is not an option in achieving a goal. Your diary is YOUR diary. You don't have to share it with anyone you don't want to ... but if you are embarrassed to see the information in black and white then you have some serious reflection to do. You either want to make changes or you don't. You are either ready to make a commitment to a healthier lifestyle or you are not. There is no easy road to success.

There are lots of people on this website willing to support you through the tough times that are bound to happen, but you have to be ready to put in the work. Trust me, tracking what you eat is the easiest part of the journey ...

shapefitter

Maybe, this site is not your thing. It's not everybodys cup of tea.

bcattoes

I get the laziness, as it can be time consuming and frustrating. But I don't get embarassment. Just close your diary if you don't want others to see it.

dinobunni

Track, but keep your food diary private when you do your settings. This is what I did to limit embarrassment .

That's a wonderful idea! I hate tracking too because some of the things I eat are ridiculous. xD Start by tracking everything you eat no matter what it is! Then maybe you'll see some of the stuff you can do with out and other stuff isn't as bad as you thought. Good luck!

slenderez

I know what you mean it's a bit of a pain, but for me it makes me face up to what I'm eating otherwise I have this attitude of that bit won't matter I'll start tomorrow. Also as I've got in the swing of it it's quicker and easier good luck in finding what works for you.

Bernadette60614

I'd toss this in:

There's lots of stuff I don't "want" to do (hello...laundry..!?)

But, you do what you gotta do to get to where you want to go.

Like having:happy: clean clothes...and achieving your weight management/fitness goals.

2point0h

It gets easier with the first few tries (referring to laziness).

I've become more conscious of what I'm eating. I went over my caloric goal yesterday, but I knew I would when I decided I was going to eat what I ate. Posting here is keeping me accountable to myself - it's for me to see what my habits are. No one is judging you when you have another cookie. It's purpose is for you because a healthier you is what you've decided you wanted.

Hope it helps Feel free to add me. I like to high five!

weightlossdiva1219

Tracking is on of the biggest reasons I've lost weight. You CAN make your diary private if you don't want to, but I recommend keeping it public. If you're embarrassed about how you eat then it will keep you in track. And you're not going to get anywhere if you're too lazy. Weight loss is a full time committment!

SmartAlec03211988

Come back when you've run out of excuses.

msjac23

I did not want to keep track of my food and activity at first, I started to just log my activity. Once I started doing that I decide might as well log my food. Now I'm use to doing it. It help me from eating too much. Feel free to add me as a friend.

weightlossdiva1219

Also, way more embarrassing to be obese. Just saying.

nmb0717

It's kind of awkward when you first start logging and seems cumbersome but I log anywhere and everywhere at anytime. No one is even wondering what you're doing anyways and even if they were, who cares, you're doing this for yourself... right?

kristcollins66

I just signed up to map this week I am not embarrassed I am accountable for all I eat. If I eat unhealthy who cares? I do people who know how much I want this for me do....... I may not like it but I am doing it for me.

NickieCR1

I don't want to either. I wish I was one of those people who can intuit how much to eat, listen to every last tiny bodily signal, or just effortlessly maintain my weight.

Wishing did not make it so.

Thus, here I am.

Losing weight requires motivation and dedication...if I didn't listen to my dietitian I would of not of lost 11 kilos and continually lost weight. My motivation is health issues I was sick of having blow up feet due to lack of water consumption and I was getting bigger and bigger.

Using the calorie counter you can make better choice if you find calorie counting hard why don't you just start small and maybe do a swap it program so if you usually drink a large coffee drink a small one...if you usually eat mcdonalds make a burger yourself at home...it's as easy as that.

My tip good luck with it all....

tapirfrog

Okay, so don't track.

Any other questions?

blackNBUK

I hate tracking because there is too many inacurate entries in the database they need to fix this problem. I don't log but I use the database as a nutrition guide if I'm not sure if something is good for me or not. It seems to work for me

Actually, YOU need to fix it. When you see that the info is wrong, click the appropriate button indicating that the info is correct/wrong/you don't know. If it's incorrect, it prompts YOU to correct it. Use the food label to correct the label. Problem solved. Orrr, you can create a new/correct food entry.

Unfortunately correcting an entry doesn't seem to be an option in the phone and tablet apps. At least I haven't been able to spot it yet. It would be great if MFP could add it to the apps because I don't think I've ever used the web-site to log any food.

I can, you may need an update.

I'm pretty sure that I'm up to date, the App Store isn't displaying any updates for me anyway. I can edit the details of my foods that I've created from scratch and I can search for another food after scanning a bar-code but I can't see any way to correct the details of any of the foods from the database. The nutrition details screen appears to only have options for changing the quantity of a food.

Are you on Android? Maybe the apps are a bit different.

jcmrax5

Thats pretty much the point of this site. Tracking.
Do it.

NickieCR1

Thats pretty much the point of this site. Tracking.
Do it.

Good point