letting other people see your food diary

torsaer

I've taken the (for me, huge) step of letting my friends see my food diary. I was wondering what people think - does it make them more accountable and more likely to make good choices? Or unwilling to write down the sneaky piece of chocolate....?! I'm embarrassed by some of the things I have to log... and am hoping it will make me improve (by eating cleaner, mostly)

Genie30

None of your friends will judge you for your diary. I expect they have bad days too. Yes, on a bad logging everything is hard emotionally but I find that whether others can see it or not. It also helps your friends to suggeest alternatives, notice patterns in your eating and provide support. In my opinion, it can only be a good thing.

robin52077

mine's been public since I started over a year ago and I log every little thing, even horrible binges that put me 1000 over for the day.
I have never "not logged" something out of embarrassment, that would be lying.
Sometimes it helps me to make better choices, but sometimes I just eat the crap and log it and then take the crap from my friends when they see it!

6heatherb6

None of your friends will judge you for your diary. I expect they have bad days too. Yes, on a bad logging everything is hard emotionally but I find that whether others can see it or not. It also helps your friends to suggeest alternatives, notice patterns in your eating and provide support. In my opinion, it can only be a good thing.

Agree - honesty is the BEST policy...just log it in and see the outcomes - and remember we are 'friends' on here!!

LeeKetty1176

its a good way of people staying accountable.

I log everything and sometimes catch myself thinking "best not have that cos it will be seen"

they should be public so people can help and support others. Without the support i have had i would be no where near where i am today.

That said I understand why people do lock them, and hope that they find the help and the strength to give the "key" to some people to get help

minburke

None of your friends will judge you for your diary. I expect they have bad days too. Yes, on a bad logging everything is hard emotionally but I find that whether others can see it or not. It also helps your friends to suggeest alternatives, notice patterns in your eating and provide support. In my opinion, it can only be a good thing.

exactly!

hartsmart

for me (though i will go a couple days w/o logging due to crazy stuff coming up in life) logging has helped keep me accountable. especially now that i have family members on here, i know that i can't sneak stuff in! but if you are making it available for others to see so that you can get some helpful hints on what you may or may not be doing wrong (ie: someone might notice you are consuming more sodium than you realize and point that out to you) then why would you want to hide anything? don't be embarrassed.
it helps me make sure that i log EVERYTHING...and when i'm 300 calories over for the day b/c i just had to have that second cocktail, well then that's the way it is...and i'm not gonna hide it, i'm just going to try to do better next time! and sometimes i'll reach for a cookie and think, 'ugh! do i really need it...do i really want to log that and be the girl who can never resist a cookie!?'
and it's fun to be encouraged by people commending you on eating stuff that is good for you and skipping the stuff that's bad (or at least, cutting back on the bad stuff!)

Janet39

This is your personal log, it is there to keep a record of your progress for good or bad.

You may feel bad having to log over eatting at the time, but it needs to be logged so you can be honest with yourself, no one else matters. You need to see that certain foods trigger you to eat more, and that certain foods keep you fuller for longer etc.

If you lose weight you need an accurate record of how you did it, warts and all so you can repeat it. and vice versa.

This will help you to slowly increase the foods that move you in the right direction, and lower the ones that hinder you from being where you would like to be.

You will recieve more constructive help if you have your diary open, as people have a better idea of what you are upto, day to day.

We all have bad days if we where perfect, we wouldn't be here.

Ultimately the choice is yours. If you find you are not logging because your diary is open then you should probably close it until you feel more comfortable again.

The main bit of advice is don't use it as an excuse to lie to yourself about where you are on your journey and how you got there.:happy:

psb13

i am now 2 weeks into my journey with MFP and have been wondering the same thing. i have not, as yet, made my diary available to anyone but have seriously been considering it for many of the reasons posted here. thanks for helping me make th choice. today it will be open!! :bigsmile:

Mmmary212

Mines open to friends...but not to the general population.

I don't follow the standard american diet, and would rather prevent the criticism and private messages about what I'm doing, before they happen....and yes, they (did) happen.

lovediets

I try to log everything in even if it is embarrassing. I think it helps to know that everyone will see what bad choices I have made. Just facing the calorie content of some things sometimes really wakes me up!

melsinct

I log everything but keep my diary private. I don't need others looking to keep me accountable. I actually have lost weight this time because I decided I need to be accountable to myself. However, if people need the motivation of others looking at their diary to keep going, then so be it. Just like some people need the accountability of Weight Watchers meetings to keep them accountable. There are many different paths to the goal we are all trying to reach, which is losing weight. Whatever works for you personally is the right way!

marianne_s

Mine is open for friends.... and for the most part, I didn't think anyone actually looked at it.


But lately, some of my friends have made positive comments - which actually made me feel quite good.

When I've had a 'bad' day - I post it on my status as well - I guess it's like owning up to making bad choices.

forever28

mine's been public since I started over a year ago and I log every little thing, even horrible binges that put me 1000 over for the day.
I have never "not logged" something out of embarrassment, that would be lying.
Sometimes it helps me to make better choices, but sometimes I just eat the crap and log it and then take the crap from my friends when they see it!

I agree with Robin!

I do have days that I eat like poo poo. :laugh: However, I'm human & sometimes I like indulging on something out of the norm. It's all good. :drinker: I never let it sidetrack me or my progress. I keep on keeping on! :bigsmile:

Yemaya1129

Mine's open for friends and I log everything, no matter what it is. It's not public, because frankly, while there are a lot of wonderful, supportive people on MFP, there are also some very rude, judgmental and sanctimonious people on this site. I can hold myself accountable. I don't need some rude busybody to lecture me like a child if I have a bad day or don't conform to their ideals.

becka63

I made mine open to my friends, for many of the reasons already said. A couple of weeks ago I made it open generally, I did that for on the odd occasion I might ask for help and people would be able to see what I was eating / drinking. I don't know how I'd feel if some one was negative or judgemental, I am accountable to myself and I know the good and the bad things I am putting into my body!

futiledevices

It's not public, because frankly, while there are a lot of wonderful, supportive people on MFP, there are also some very rude, judgmental and sanctimonious people on this site. I can hold myself accountable. I don't need some rude busybody to lecture me like a child if I have a bad day or don't conform to their ideals.

Exactly! I completely agree.

michbaden

I would be mortified! But maybe thats because I tend to ignore days when I have been an absolutely disgusting pig...?


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megz4987

I still have mine on private. I still log every single thing I put in my mouth as though people are watching, though.

heathersmilez

Mine's private not b/c I'm hiding anything but b/c I like the MFP calculator and don't need/want the support. I pop into the threads often to answer questions or laugh at the funny things that are said but it's more about finding a work appropriate website when I have a few moments to spare.

I have almost 8 pg's of friends on here but they've all been removed from my feed just b/c this is supposed to be all about YOU, when someone else burns cals it doesn’t affect me and having someone says "way to go!" when I burn cals is really silly - IMO.

michelec64

I log everything but keep my diary private. I don't need others looking to keep me accountable. I actually have lost weight this time because I decided I need to be accountable to myself. However, if people need the motivation of others looking at their diary to keep going, then so be it. Just like some people need the accountability of Weight Watchers meetings to keep them accountable. There are many different paths to the goal we are all trying to reach, which is losing weight. Whatever works for you personally is the right way!

Same here. Though I log everything I feel like whatever I eat, good or bad, is my business. I remember how miserable I felt this time last year when I started to creep into the 200s, and not wanting to go back to that state again is enough to keep me accountable to myself.

But having said that there is no right or wrong way, everyone has to take the approach that is best for them.

Qarol

I see no need to make my food diary visible. But if it helps someone else, good for them.

Elle408

I used to have a public diary, but have recently made it private just because of the pressure I put on myself to be perfect. I feel such overwhelming guilt if I go over my calories (even by just a few) or log cake for dinner. It has nothing to do with the judgement from my MFP family who have been nothing but supportive. But it's more to do with the fact that I'm so personally competitive and a perfectionist and I was finding myself not wanting to log things because I wouldn't get the 'under calorie goal' statement on my profile and in my skewed up mind that's failure. I even found it hard to go up to maintenance calories when I struggle to stay within those limits when I've got friends who always do well at 1200.

I feel less pressure now, so going private has been beneficial for me.

pittielover23

Totally makes me more accountable! I know I am going to have less than perfect days, and no one on here is going to judge me for that. But knowing that others can and probably do look at my diary on occassion makes me want to hit my goals even more.

morganadk2_deleted

mine has always been public! makes me more accountable! we all have good days and bad , i like looking at other peoples diarys, gives me idea's feel free to look at mine! i don't even feel guilty i had cookies today!

kimberlylove

Mine is open to all! Just cause I dont care who sees what I eat.

stormieweather

Mine is public. It's for me, but I don't mind if anyone peeks. I log everything I eat, even 5 chocolate covered raisins (yesterday).

Lunachic77

I like having an open diary. Not for criticism but I'm not ashamed of what I eat or even if I go over. I do like looking at others diaries, not to see if they are pigging out but just what they are eating...it's given me a lot of great ideas and I've learned about a lot of new products (i.e. PB2 powdered peanut butter, Arctic Zero ice cream, and Pop Chips). I will say this though, if I come across a thread where someone is complaining about not losing weight or they have extreme deficits yet are trying to preach about "health" that is the first place I look...it irks me when people try to preach but aren't living up to it...it's a slap in the face for people actually "trying" to lose weight/stay healthy.

ravenlunatic76

Way I see it, why not make it open? You've gone to the trouble to join the site, why not make yourself accountable fully?

dawnrenee567

Mine is open. I'm certain anyone's criticism of things I eat aren't any worse than my own criticism :-)

chevy88grl

I have my food diary set with a key. I'm not 100% comfortable letting others see what I eat day to day. Not because I am embarrassed or whatever, but I do eat far more calories than most people do on here. I've learned that my body needs those calories and I do what *I* need to do. But, I don't want to be judged, so I keep it private but if you ask I will happily hand out the key to it.