To share or not to share your food journal

callie006

Do what works for you. Mine is hidden. It helps me be completely honest about my food if I know only I and select friends can see it.

Chevy_Quest

I am keeping mine open because six months from now, and I have successfully have lost a steady 1-2 lbs per month, I can show that I eat Pizza and have a realistic approach to life. Not some derp-based orthorexic "bunker" mentality. LOL :drinker:

BikerGirlElaine

I share mine because I am only as sick as my secrets. And because I love it when I can look at others' diaries and get ideas, so I want to reciprocate. If someone were to be judgey about my food I would take them off my FL.

Having said that, I just went through a period where I was in a really bad spot with my food and I closed my diary. I didn't feel bad about that either. It's really up to each individual what they want to do.

ninjakitty419

I didnt read the other replies, so maybe this has been said. But I think it depends on what you want out of it. If you just want to see for yourself what you are eating, and you want to make sure that you are honest, it might be best to keep it private for now. Then you won't be tempted to misrepresent your day. That will give you a good solid idea of what you are eating, where you can improve, etc. Now, if you want suggestions, you will need to open it up, at least to your friends. If you don't know much about what your body needs, it might be beneficial to let someone have a look so they can make suggestions "cut back on this, try to up that, here are some foods to help you acheive that, etc".

MinnieInMaine

Set your privacy setting however it suits you best...

If you're afraid of being judged you may not be completely honest. If you think this is the case, keep it private.

If you think it'll make you more accountable, keep it public, or at least viewable by friends only.

I sort of picked an in-between option. My diary is open to my friends but I don't care for any kind of comments so I don't hit the "complete" button which eliminates that alert from popping up on my friends' news feed(s). No alert, no comments.

Just know, if you ask for assistance, you will be asked to make your diary public if it isn't already. It's hard for folks to give feedback if they can't see what you've been eating and/or doing for exercise.

Jim_1960

I share mine cause its not about anyone else its about me, but its nice to get tips and comments from my friends
You could always put your diary on private if you don't want anyone seeing.

I am with my friend MissCKemp on this one. Good to get feedback and support from your friend list. I understand some have had some critical comments in the past which I really don't understand or accept. Try it....

kristen2713

Personally, I look into others on occasion for 2 reasons. 1) I love new ideas and this is a great way! 2) I like to see what kind of macros and calories others have who in particular who are lifting and/or have fabulous results. Personally I never judge, and I hope that people don't judge me. I am brutally honest in my journal and it's open. If I eat a bag of m&m's or have a few beers, I throw it in there. We're all human and it helps me when I say,"why am I not losing weight?" to look back and say "oh...yeahhhh...." :drinker: My opinion is that we're all here for the same basic reasons so why judge and why keep it closed? If someone chooses to be vegetaian, paleo, some form of fasting, or some other "diet" it's their choice and it shouldn't matter to others.

Kadoober

Share it. The more accountability, the better. And if you're stalling, having an open diary makes it much easier for your pals to help you out. Share share share!

nehtaeh

I figure if people like looking at food journals to get ideas and such ... they certainly don't need to look at mine. It isn't inspiring in any way. At best I'm boring, at worst I'm bad. I opened mine up for a bit, hoping maybe I'd feel pressure to keep my intake cleaner ... it didn't really work, I just felt the urge to fudge things. I decided to go back to private and at least stay completely honest. That few days I had it open though, I didn't get any negative comments from friends. It's just my own insecurities.

This! I don't really fill it out totally everyday anyway. I use it as a tool to keep me on track. I've been doing this long enough that I know where my calories are and where I need to focus. When I log it's because I've gotten out of hand and need to focus. I log my food randomly and don't usually add in everything so it's not really something that needs to be shared or open. It's completely for me.

soldiersmudge

Theres no reason to not to want others to see it?? If ur filling it in honestly with everything and not cheating then it will help people help u find out why things maybe arent working!!Im rigid with every last gram of save I use!!!

Broderick50

Personally I look at everybody's food diary. It's not to be negative though I wonder how some people are under their calorie goal all the time. So I like to see what they're eating and such also it gives me ideas. If they ask for advice then that's another tool I can use to give them advice.

lajpeck

I share mine with friends and have had nothing but positive feedback. I like looking at friends diary's too get new ideas for other foods to eat.

Nicola0000

no one is going to judge you, but they might be able to use it to help you improve your food choices. I share mine (chocolates and all) when I fill it in.

There are plenty of people who stalk food diaries to criticize and judge...

^^^ This. People kept saying to me "Great job on being under, even with that chocolate bar". Made me feel like I had to hide my treats, so now its private and I can be totally honest with myself.

AshleyMeggg

I started with mine closed, but switched it to open when I realized that my friends didn't really care what I eat. When I have a really healthy day someone might give me extra props, or people have mentioned that they also like something that I ate, and on days when I've had way to much of something (ie Panera) it feels better to have someone say "Panera always gets me too, you'll get it tomorrow." I've never had anyone berate me unless I asked for advice.
The reason I like to keep mine open though is because I find that it helps making compatible friends. I accidentally added some people who eat extremely low calories, and that is triggering to me, not helpful, so I have to defriend them.

Blacklance36

Mine is open to my friends, isn't that why we are here? If you close your journal and don't want anyone to see it its likely because you are not eating the way you should and are embarrassed.

Amitysk

I find I am more honest by keeping my diary closed. No one needs to know how much wine I drink!

LiminalAscendance

I came here basically at the end of my weight loss journey.

Since I didn't lose by following what most here preach, there is no point in allowing others to view my diary (and turning them from the Golden Path). The last thing I'm interested in is an unsolicited message telling me I should be eating back my exercise calories.

IamUndrCnstruction

I have "cheat" food, I once in awhile go over....I log EVERYTHING...."good, bad, ugly and why the hell did I eat that!?!?" My diaryis open, even though once in a great while I do something like do a trial run on the vegan maple pecan glaze I am going to put on a vegan pumpkin cake for a vegan friend of mine, and decide it's so good that I have to eat it....all.....but you know, why hide it? Mine is open to the public, and actually I think only one person has ever commented on anything I logged. I would not be so scared of being judged, if I were you, Most people are concentrating on their own journeys to hard to judge yours.

Edited: To apologize for the horrible run on sentences. I obviously need more coffee.

highervibes

I share mine. I consider it a public service to showcase just how much Halloween candy one can eat and still lose weight.

As for fear of being judged for my choices? Well judge away, my blood labs, weight loss, and strength gains are how I decide whether what I'm doing is working for me, not some sanctimonious stranger on the internet.

rednailvarnish

I share mine but people should not be judging (everyone has different tastes, levels of intake and goals) and only making comments if you have asked for some advice.

SoDamnHungry

I don't share because I don't really need people to comment on it. If I wanted help I would open it, though.

Vince_1964

i share and I don't judge what others are eating. Remember this is about making fitness a lifestyle - not a diet. So, that said, I don't plan to "eliminate" things I enjoy - I just try to consume in moderation and/or step up the exercise if I know we've got something planned where I won't be eating "healthy".

I also don't really make negative comments if someone goes over a target - it's gonna happen on occasion. However, I WILL comment if I see a friend who is consistently eating under 1200 calories/day.

That's my 2 cents!

TravelDog14

Mine is wide open to all and always has been.
I don't want to hide what I eat, as if there's some shame associated with how I live my life.
I'm just a regular person trying to find the balance of what is best for me to eat.
Hell, the past few days I've been eating cannoli, I'm pretty sure there's nothing healthy in them!

Keeping my food diary private would seem to imply it's a secret or bad or something not to be discussed.

And if some stranger on the internet wants to judge me for what I eat, well that says more about them than it does about my food choices.

MysteriousMerlin

I did not at first. I changed my mind because if I'm that worried about what someone will see me eat, then I should share it, as It will hold me that much more accountable. Don't get me wrong, I don't beat myself up if I have a bad day. But if I'm going to be that concerned about what someone will say or think about my diary, then I should do what I can to stick closer to healthier foods and not eat half a big bag of candy in one sitting. I stay honest with it, no sense in not logging something just because I don't want someone to see it. It'll still be something I stuffed in my face, and will still show up on my hips, legs and belly.

I'll eat what I want, in moderation. My diary is open, please feel free to view it. You'll see candy in my snacks EVERYDAY, lol.

highervibes

Hell, the past few days I've been eating cannoli, I'm pretty sure there's nothing healthy in them!

wrong. they are perfectly healthy. You need energy from the carbs and the custard surely has some protein in it ;p

kristen2713

And if some stranger on the internet wants to judge me for what I eat, well that says more about them than it does about my food choices.

I haven't heard it said any better!!

lima013

I share mine with my "friends". Actually it is up to you. But your meals or the meals of others could inspire you or inspire OP.

themommie

I have had mine open since I have been on mfp july 2010 and have not had any negative comments, I did have one person say they were concerned but thsts it. I like to see what others are eating from time to time to get new ideas not to judge.if it works for them why do I care? But do what works for u

ElizabethFuller

I did not at first. I changed my mind because if I'm that worried about what someone will see me eat, then I should share it, as It will hold me that much more accountable.

This is me too. I'm as honest as possible and if I have a really bad day it'll be there.
If anyone feels uber-critical I think there's a day in there when I only ate biscuits but for the most part it's me that needs to care what's in it and I don't mind who sees it.

RozayJones

Mine is open - I had a 'friend' on here tell me everyday no matter what I ate what I needed to eat more of - drove me nuts.....we are no longer friends....