Hidden Diary

fbmandy55

I wish there wasn't the feature to make your diary private. As i see it, we have friends on here to support each other, and that is hard to do when you can't see what your pals are doing for food and excercise! I really wish I could get some food ideas from other people but most people have blocked food diarys.

Maybe it could be that people don't want others to know when they eat bad but to me, knowing that others can see what I'm eating makes me think twice sometimes about what I put in my mouth!

heathersmilez

.

mamareese

Mines open to friends. I think that some of the reasoning for not opening it to the public is because a lot of people have gotten unwanted comments on their foods. Personally, I like having the option. I do like being able to get advice off my friends on food but also wouldn't want random people commenting on too many carbs for the day or whatever the case maybe. I guess that's why there's an option! Different options for different approaches.

jeanjeanne

I agree, I do like to look at others Diaries to get ideas and hints for meal etc. My dairy is open if you would like to ad me as a friend that would be great.
good luck to you
Jeanne

ZebraHead

Mine is also open to friends with a password.

I am not worried about what I eat but I require no 'input' from the general population about it either. Not mean, just drawn that way. :flowerforyou:

ajbeans

I wouldn't have joined if I couldn't make my diary private. It's open now, but when I first joined I was very nervous and didn't want to get any criticism. It would have been a no-go if I couldn't hide my diary then. I've changed my tune now, but a lot of people just need the privacy. Not to mention the fact that some people have different dietary needs that might seem extreme from an average standpoint, so they might get criticism and have to repeatedly explain themselves to other people, so maybe it's good for them that they can hide their diaries to avoid the hassle.

kao708

I like having the option but it drives me crazy when people post "why am I not losing weight" and don't make their diary public! :bigsmile:

fbmandy55

I didn't even think about food comments. I wouldn't mind people telling me that i need to cut back on some things or others but then again, I assume people have enough decency not to be hateful! I am often suprised though!

nancymmorris

I wish there wasn't the feature to make your diary private. As i see it, we have friends on here to support each other, and that is hard to do when you can't see what your pals are doing for food and excercise! I really wish I could get some food ideas from other people but most people have blocked food diarys.

Maybe it could be that people don't want others to know when they eat bad but to me, knowing that others can see what I'm eating makes me think twice sometimes about what I put in my mouth!

I so agree with you. When I first joined I Didn't have my diary so anyone could view it because I didn't want them to see when I made bad food choices. But one day relized there was no accountability so I opened it and now even if I make bad choices everyone can see it. But I tend to make much better choices because I know anyone can view it.

angiesteele

I used to have mine hidden but I am very open about my weight loss journey and I know that my diary helps keep me accountable so mine is open to the public.

Leamac83

Yeah i also think that is good motivation to have your diary open. Maybe some people dont like it open as they are trying to hide when they have overeaten or just as bad, undereaten. At the end of the day they are only kidding themselfs. You diary is there for you to keep track of your calories and hopefully inspire some others on healthy choices to make when it comes to food.

tanniew78

I agree with this. Mine is open. I use the notes to write down what I was feeling that day and why I might have been more junky than before. It definitely keeps me from overeating my cals. I am very accountable for every bite I eat.

nmp1994

Never knew that was an option?! How can I change mine?

PJilly

I wish there wasn't the feature to make your diary private. As i see it, we have friends on here to support each other, and that is hard to do when you can't see what your pals are doing for food and excercise! I really wish I could get some food ideas from other people but most people have blocked food diarys.

Maybe it could be that people don't want others to know when they eat bad but to me, knowing that others can see what I'm eating makes me think twice sometimes about what I put in my mouth!

I think there are almost as many reasons for keeping a food diary private as there are people who have food diaries. I use mine strictly as a tool to plan my meals. Some use theirs to track what they've eaten so they can go back and learn from what they've done. That's one of the coolest things about MFP, that there isn't just one way to use the resources it has to offer. I love how versatile it is.

My food diary is public. I don't give a second thought to the fact that others can see what I'm eating. I have areas where I could improve (definitely should eat more fruits and veggies), but I'm quite good about being very close to my goals for percentages and overall calories. You're welcome to check it out if you like.

nerdyandilikeit

I wouldn't have joined if I couldn't make my diary private. It's open now, but when I first joined I was very nervous and didn't want to get any criticism. It would have been a no-go if I couldn't hide my diary then. I've changed my tune now, but a lot of people just need the privacy. Not to mention the fact that some people have different dietary needs that might seem extreme from an average standpoint, so they might get criticism and have to repeatedly explain themselves to other people, so maybe it's good for them that they can hide their diaries to avoid the hassle.

i agree, i was very self-conscious at the beginning when i was still learning how to use the diary itself and figuring out what choices i needed to change. but i am fine with people seeing my diary now that im ready for them to, and i do my best to log everything both good and bad. feel free to add me if you want to see my diary, too

girlinahat

I like it when i see other people's diaries and see that they had a fry-up or something which makes me smile - that even the occasional 'unhealthy' meal can be turned into something good and slipping off the wagon isn't a permanent thing.

helps me to know I'm not the only one. Especially when I see things like 'so and so burnt 7,489 calories doing cardio including zumba'.....

:laugh:

IdaBetances

I agree. I like to share what I eat and be able to look at others diary to get some ideas and so I don't get bored of what I eat. I hope everybody reads this posts.

IdaBetances

Never knew that was an option?! How can I change mine?

Go to settings then Diary Settings and change to public or friends. Whatever you feel comfortable with.

tsgaddy

My diary used to be open and now it's only open to friends. I closed mine for the same reasons as others - unsolicited diet advice. I'm working with an awesome trainer who has me on a strict diet and I'm not allowed any carbs, other forms of sugar and I'm pescatarian, so I don't eat meat. I don't believe in "starvation mode", and I think it's stupid to "eat back exercise" calories, so I almost never reach the insignificant 1200 calories that a lot of people (who are not doctors nor nutritionists) here seem to think I HAVE to have. Because of all of these factors, although I'm completely full, some days it may seem that I have an eating disorder (I weigh 260 lbs, an eating disorder is the LAST thing I have, lol). I started getting unsolicited advice that I should eat more and blah blah blah and instead of me telling people to go chase themselves, I just closed my diary for friends only.

That said, I almost always accept new friend requests and am always open to having positive people in my MFP circle.

paroxysm

I'm not on here for advice or weightloss, I use the diary to supplement my fitbit in maintaining my weight so it's for my eyes only. A lot of people wouldn't understand why I eat 3,000 calories and then 2500. (I don't usually go below 2300) when they're on 1200-1500 calorie diets. I run and my intake is important but I only loosely monitor it, meaning I don't track everything, just the main things to be sure I'm getting enough/and my carb loads are high enough before a long run. I used to closely monitor, but now have learned what I need.
I tried opening mine for about a week and that was a mess as I got unsolicited advice about what I was eating and what to 'cut back on' (I'm underweight! I don't need to cut back lol) I say to each his/her own. Some people need the reinforcement of others and some are on here just to use the MFP diary features.

I do love the community though- so friendly usually

oheatheroh

How do I make my diary not private? I agree. I love to see what other people are eating!

PJilly

How do I make my diary not private? I agree. I love to see what other people are eating!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

autumnsquirrel

Bumping this up; it frustrates me, honestly. I allow friends to see mine, I should be able to see theirs; this is why we're here.

jazzy_45

Well my diary is private, but I guess that doesn't matter anyways because I have no friends on here lol. I'm a private person and if I need help or suggestions I turn to the forums.

glevinso

I don't keep mine open because I don't need anyone's advice on how to eat, and unless you are willing to train 15-18 hours of cardio a week, I doubt anyone will get anything interesting out of seeing my massive calorie intake.

kimny72

autumnsquirrel wrote: »

Bumping this up; it frustrates me, honestly. I allow friends to see mine, I should be able to see theirs; this is why we're here.

Might be why you're here, but it's not why everyone is here. There are thousands and thousands of people on this website, why would you assume they are all here for the exact same reason you are? If you friend someone and their diary is closed and that is important to you, then unfriend them.

diannethegeek

autumnsquirrel wrote: »

Bumping this up; it frustrates me, honestly. I allow friends to see mine, I should be able to see theirs; this is why we're here.

Here's a more recent discussion where people include a lot of the reasons they choose to keep their diary private. It might be a worthwhile read for you. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10015213/why-doesnt-everyone-make-their-diary-public/p1

baconslave

Why is it anyone's business?

My friends are more than welcome to look at mine. I'm not hiding anything, but if I'm not going to let someone stalk my profile if we aren't "friends," then I'm not going to open myself to the hateful or the weirdo to get all up in my food-diary. But I rarely look at anyone else's diary, unless they ask me to. Because it's none of my business. I know how to google recipes for my diet of choice. They are grown-*kitten* people and can handle themselves. I have 4 kids, and I'm not interested in being any one else's momma.

I think I'm not the only one here who doesn't care whether or not anyone else likes how I do things.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Kalikel

I always choose private. It's my default choice.

Checking out what strangers are eating and then make nasty comments about it is weird and creepy. And just plain nuts. If someone gets mad that they can't see what I had for lunch, all the more reason to keep it closed, lol.

I never eat anything of any interest and I don't think any normal person really gives a crap what I had to eat. If I thought someone had a genuine interest, I'd tell them...but nobody does.