Food dairy, why don't more people make them visible?

millionsofpeaches

I went back and forth having mine visible and not...

First I had it so everyone could see, then just so my friends could see, and yesterday to private. I actually got a pm from someone on my friends list saying that they were "shocked" to see that I had Wendy's. I had a 4 piece nugget and a small frosty. (hey, I had a craving). I am also not really trying to loose weight, just stay in shape and tone up.

The fact of the matter is, I am accountable for what I eat... Not everyone else on this site. It really comes down to what works for you. If you want people to look at your diary and critique then go for it! If not, then don't. I think it is important to not criticize each others reasons for this (not saying that you are). Naturally, if I was looking for a critique -- I would have it set to public... However most on here are not experts so it is all just an opinion anyways.

bry_all01

I went back and forth having mine visible and not...

First I had it so everyone could see, then just so my friends could see, and yesterday to private. I actually got a pm from someone on my friends list saying that they were "shocked" to see that I had Wendy's. I had a 4 piece nugget and a small frosty. (hey, I had a craving). I am also not really trying to loose weight, just stay in shape and tone up.

The fact of the matter is, I am accountable for what I eat... Not everyone else on this site. It really comes down to what works for you. If you want people to look at your diary and critique then go for it! If not, then don't. I think it is important to not criticize each others reasons for this (not saying that you are). Naturally, if I was looking for a critique -- I would have it set to public... However most on here are not experts so it is all just an opinion anyways.

Wow. See, its people like that I would consider removing. If they can't understand we are human and get cravings and either be supportive or not say anything, then they don't need to be a friend. ( your screen name!)

vim_n_vigor

Mine is not public because you'll have no idea what I'm eating sometimes because I am Hindu and eat alot of curries and other recipes named differently which I've entered into MFP myself.

I love curries. If you don't mind sending some recipes, I would really appreciate it!

vim_n_vigor

One other reason I don't have my diary open to the world is I manually changed my calories from 1200 up to 1700. I view this as my daily range. So, I could have days where I am 500 under, but really, that puts me where mfp puts me, not into starvation mode or not eating enough calories to stay healthy. I don't think that eating 1200 calories a day for 'most' people is probably really enough. Obviously shorter, smaller framed people are going to be an exception to that, and some of them can probably go a few hundred under the sacred 1200 calorie zone and be perfectly fine for their size. I don't need frequent comments that I am 500 under my goal because I manually set it higher.

exacerbe

Mine is open -- I really have nothing to hide but I can see how some people might feel embarrassed about what they eat and/or do not want to be judged. Privacy is different from person to person.

SugarBaby1987

Mine is visible to everyone, b/c I could careless what others think about the way I eat. I have received some nasty comments b/c I don't eat grains, and follow a pretty low carb plan. I simply don't care though. I can completely understand why people keep theirs private.

angela828

mine is private and will always stay private. i log every thing i eat, no matter how healthy or bad it is. i don't need people to judge my food choices or give me ideas. i know if i don't log something, my body will anyway. i think if i made it public, i'd lie on it bc i'd be embarressed if someone saw i ate a hershey bar or something. i don't need to worry about what other people think so i keep mine private.

why do people care so much if diaries are public or private??? there are enough recipes in the forum if people really want food ideas and half your friends diaries are private.

i do not comment on anyone's diary ever bc i do not expect people to comment on mine.

SlowlyLosingLolita

I've had it both ways and I really prefer private.
I'm a vegan, so some days I could eat massive amounts of veggies and fruit and make it no where near 1200cals.
Other days, I could eat a few too many slices of bread and go way over. On days I went under even though I ate great and massive amounts of food, I would get emails asking if I was feeling ok and telling me how 'unhealthy' I am (no joke, I had a friend on here email me like three times one day asking if I had an eating disorder because I went under by about 200cals.Which, thanks for the concern but she was less than nice about it) and then days I got to 1200cal (even if over 2/3 of it was Taco Bell) I would get messages praising my diet. It's just weird to me.
I think at the end of the day, the only person you are accountable to for your choices is you.
It's nice to have support and to have people who care and are in the same boat as you, and to me that's what MFP is for.

Jennloella

mine is private because I only track calories, nothing to see!! I think if you are wanting advice/help then it's important to log everything and let your friends see it....but if not, then what's the big deal.

chridow

*disclaimer: please don't read any emotions (or alternative interpretations) into the following. i'm simply stating what i think, as it applies to me. i am not being rude, snippy or defensive*

mine is private because i'm not interested in sharing. while i am here for support, that doesn't mean i have to share everything. and i'm not specifically asking for support with what i'm eating day to day. if i were to ask a nutritional/diet type question that required access to my diary i'd provide it. but short of that what's the point?

while some people may use private diaries as a way to eat what they want without accountability, that's not always the case. i don't like ppl assuming i'm "hiding" something just because i chose to not share every bite i eat with the whole mfp community.

Purecity

I don't make mine visible because I'm not asking for advice on it.

This.

Double this.

PrincessStubbie

I share mine with my husband as he shares with me his diary, but we eat the same meals so it's no big deal. We are each other's accountability in food and exercise. I am not using MFP for anything more than a tool to help me change my food relationship. I personally don't care what anyone else eats, honestly. And that is not being rude, its honest. Its my business to keep it private as it is yours to make yours public. What business is it of anyone to spend time and energy worrying about other people's diaries. That's my 2 cents worth...LOL

Watch_Me_Shrink

I cant believe some people can be so rude to comment that they were “shocked“ to see someone ate wendys! We all need a day off sometimes, if you dont have anything nice to say keep it to yourself!

xalligator

Mine's open because I like to use my diary as an example when introducing MFP to IRL people who don't have an account, for school projects, etc. It beats having to hunt down some random member with a public diary.

I don't particularly care what people have to say about my eating/exercise habits, good or bad I've already committed to it and won't change. And it seems that lots of people want to see others' diaries to get an idea of what to eat, so hey, why not.

Leola2011

I think it's silly to expect for people to expose their food journal. Mine is open to my friends, but I absolutely reserve the right to shut it down if I see fit. I understand the issue of accountability, but we're not talking about criminal behavior or active addiction here. And if someone is battling food addiction/eating disorders (and right many people are on this site), it's STILL up to him/her to be transparent about it.

If your stuff is open, expect comments. If you don't want comments, make your journal private. Either way, do you! But don't sweat it if someone else choses to keep their diary private. People live longer minding their own business.

HMonsterX

I think having it private makes it more likely you will be honest with yourself and log everything. If it's public adding that treat or that takeaway will be much less likely, in case people see it :noway: , and judge you on it.

I subscribe to the "calories in < calories out", and not "quality of calories". I dont want messages every day telling me to eat less snacks and eat more veg, fruit, grains, nuts etc, which seems to be all some people think about!

nortiekeeks

I eat well and don't have anything to be ashamed of in my food diary. That being said, it's nobody's business what I eat and if one of my friends on MFP started complaining that I don't let them know every single bite I put into my mouth, I would find that creepy. You don't need to know what somebody is eating to be able to support them in their weight loss and there's an entire subsection of the message board devotes to recipes if you need new food ideas.

...what she said!! ;P

Barneystinson

I made it private because I'm only accountable to ME.

I've never had any negative experiences with others commenting on my choices, but I think I've gotten away from the social aspect of the site and just want a purely mathematical model to give myself a view of what my food choices do to my weight - both good and bad.

CindyCountingCalories

I don't make mine visible because I'm not asking for advice on it.

This.

Mine was, (still is) open, for 5 months it was great no problems, but I was thinking of closing it today, but decided to keep it open and just change my settings so it won't show on the news feed when I end my day. In that way I can't get any weird comments, but those who are interested in viewing it still can, win-win situation

So if I WANT advise I can ask...

RMuske

Mine is friends only... I am not really great at eating the way I want to so I kept it private for a long time.. I guess I just figure who needs to know other than my friends who are there to support me..