WHY keep your food diary hidden?

BodyRockerVT

I had mine open but actually just closed it (even to friends) because I found it was stressing me out to worry about being judged for my food choices.

I grew up in an overweight family (though I was always thin) and people were ALWAYS commenting on what I ate. I have found that having people commenting on what I eat now is a bit trigger-y for me and I am hoping it will lessen my stress when it comes to logging my food.

Missaprilnichole

Yes i didnt see that mine was set to private and noticed a fellow friend i met on here had theirs to view. Everyone is different and I praise you for putting this out here. I think allowing mine to be open to MFP friends makes me feel more accountable and i am more than open to take in any tips! However if someone want to criticize me Im sure i can delete them. No need to get all huffy over this

Pebble321

It's a personal choice - I'm pretty careful about anything I post online, but I do have my diary and my weight visible, somethat that I never imagined I would do.
Everyone is in a different situation, and for some people having that private information publically available is not helpful.

robinreed10

Ididnt know there was an option....havent paid much attention to my profile and I dont have any friends on here?!

LorinaLynn

Mine's open, and I really don't care what anyone thinks of how I eat. I like what I'm eating. I'm getting the results I want. That's all that matters. It doesn't make me any more or less accountable. If I didn't want to be accountable, I'd just omit things, or out and out lie about what I ate. There's some days, some weeks even, when I don't log at all. I'm at my goal and pretty much know how to much eat.... I know when I exercise my butt off, I can eat pretty much whatever I want. Unfortunately, I have a stress fracture right now, so my exercising is a bit limited.

I like checking my friends' diaries, and have gotten some great ideas from them. But I'd never question someone on why they choose to not have it public, unless they were asking for help on what they're eating. I've used the analogy before, that MFP is like a Swiss Army Knife. There's many different tools and not everyone is going to use the site the same way. Someone using it differently than you'd use it isn't doing it wrong. Just differently.

abbbigayl

I know right?! I keep mine open to friends ...I'm nosy I like to see what people eat.

yoshi91610

I used to have it just for friends, but now it is 100% private. In my case I am not 100% on what I eat if I know others can see it. I understand how people can turn that into a sort of motivation but I just lie, and don't put everything I eat on there because I know that people can see it. So now I am private, and then I will see what I actually eat.

CalJur

Its a personal decision which I respect either way. I do, however, believe we learn from each other and can support one another better with open diaries. I'm about to implement a policy of not commenting on someone's status update of whether they met or exceeded calorie goal unless the diary is open. There is so much to be ascertained from seeing what choices the person made for the day. Again, it is not judgmental in any sense. We are all FAM here in my view committed to a healthy and fit lifestyle. Moreover, there is no need to lie or omit items in your diary. We all fall short some days. That is human nature. What we are learning here is how to minimize the damage and get back on track as soon as possible. One .

SueGremlin

I don't look at anyone else's diary and I don't care to have anyone critique mine. What works for me works for me. If I were looking for help or advice, I would open it. But I'm not.

monkeymouse74

I log everything i eat and feel ok ( most of the time ) with what i eat but if i had to share it - i'm afraid i wouldn't log EVERYTHING! I'm just not comfortable sharing that info xx

I'm the same. I think it's too early for me to go there, and I'm scared I wont be as honest as I am when nobody's looking. When I get the hang of it, I'll open it, but until then, This way is working for me. I'm losing weight, and not feeling under pressure or judged. (not that people here are judgmental).

crawpapa

Mine was newbie issues.....didnt realize it was until about two or three days ago. Set to public now, and don't really care if people see it or not, as long as the input is given as helpful instead of judgemental.

kandyjo

Mine is viewable by my friends only... They are the ones who support me in every other aspect of my journey, so it's open to them...

crzyone

I'm not "accountable" to anyone and I've not asked for help with my food/eating, so no need for it to be public.

clwasmer

Mine is open I feel if I have a great day others can check out what I ate.

SachaMichel

Because I have weird eating habits and consume a lot of junk on a regular basis (cookies, chocolate, alcohol, etc.).

This is a health site, so odds are I would get a few wags of the finger and judgmental words so I just save myself the embarrassment by keeping it to myself :laugh:

angel79202

I did have mine open at one time..but i felt so judged..I am thinking of opening it with a key..my trainer reviews mine weekly so I guess I don't feel like I need anyone else to hold me accountable
to each their own!

unmitigatedbadassery

I think some people don't like the idea of disclosing something so personal; it's a way to avoid judgement (which of course wouldn't happen here, but it's a valid concern).

This, I personally don't keep mine private (I don't think) but I know some who do for this very reason. I SHOULDN'T be an issue but the sad truth is that is does happen here.

hausofnichele

Mine is kept private because what I put into my body is private to me. I am a very private person. It doesn't mean I'm eating nothing but Snickers bars all day long - it just means I don't feel comfortable with everyone knowing every single thing I place inside my body. To me it's like posting photos of my bowel movements for all to see --- really freaks me out. To each their own though. I've had lots of friends ask me why I keep mine private and I just think it's my own business.

godricshollow

I don't need to be held accountable on the internet, I know when I've had a bad day or a good day when it comes to eating. I don't really see a need to show everyone what I put in my mouth. I never read other food diaries as well, just a preference. If I was struggling to lose weight or something, I'd open it and ask for help I suppose. For the time being, I simply don't feel comfortable sharing to that extent with people I don't know outside of this website.

CHEFCH♥ZZ

I'm just curious.....I understand if you want your page to be private. However, why keep your food diary private???? Do you do this....if so what's your reasoning? I personally think by making it viewable to friends that it hold you accountable.

b/c you think this doesnt make it true. im not sure why folks do this and i dont care. i no longer post that ive completed my diary but my friends can view if they like. its a personal choice, no hidden agenda. just let people be!

mariamikulich

I never see anyone's food diary that is not hidden. Just curious, where are the ones that are not hidden at. They are not in the home page.

Hope228

The reason mine is locked is because I got tired of people telling me i wasn't eating enough, and my body would go into starvation mode.
I'm 51 yrs old, I know all of this. I actually HAVE continued to lose the weight and eat the same way, I know my body & what works for me. I get annoyed when people tell me I need to eat more.

parys1

I have mine set to private and I don't worry about accountability to others. I am accountable to myself. It is important to me that I can make smart choices (at least most of the time), without the approval of all who know me. This is a change I am making for life and I don't think any food is off limits - logging food helps me to see the numbers in what I eat. I love fruits and vegetables, meat, grains, chocolate, marzipan...one of my greatest challenges has been appropriate portions. What really helps me is the big green or red number at the top of my home page. Looking and that and being hungry inspires me to exercise. The weight I am losing and increasing energy I am feeling also inspire me to exercise, it's a win-win for me. Should I hit a plateau or have trouble, I may well open it to solicit opinions. Until then, I value my privacy.

I do find it somewhat amusing that some people figure I am likely lying or hiding something by virtue of being private. I wonder if that is because so much of people's lives are exposed to the masses. Fame (even infamy) seems to be increasingly important these days.

Edited to add: I suppose I figured those that have their diaries open welcome/expect commentary. I do this occasionally, but not all the time. I feel more comfortable supporting their activities.

t3hsandy

I had mine set to Private. Some of the time, I can't even find the stuff I eat in the listings or online (so I could add it to the listings), so it's not really accurate anyway. I'm missing some foods that I eat. But I don't really care if I go over or not; I eat when I'm hungry and don't eat when I'm not. But just in case, I test to see if I really am by drinking water. Simple as.

Johnnyswife

I've earned the right to do whatever I please.

This.

SarahBrown1979

Originally I had mine private and was afraid of the back lash b/c of reading what others had to say about others diaries, neg and mean things. But I wanted to get others points of views and advice and that was the only wat I knew how to get it, and now open to my friends and are all supportive (thats why there my friends, lol). Either way I have always been honest about what I log b/c I have a serious issue with my weight and need to make sure I meet my goals. So even on bad days where I've messed up big and still logged it all.

veganbaum

I have mine set to private and I don't worry about accountability to others. I am accountable to myself. [ . . . ] Should I hit a plateau or have trouble, I may well open it to solicit opinions. Until then, I value my privacy.

I do find it somewhat amusing that some people figure I am likely lying or hiding something by virtue of being private. I wonder if that is because so much of people's lives are exposed to the masses. Fame (even infamy) seems to be increasingly important these days.

My thoughts exactly. In this Facebook/Twitter, etc, world, I think people actually share too much. Granted, your food intake is directly related to what we are all here for (regardless of whether we are losing, maintaining, or gaining), but unless someone asks for help, others shouldn't be concerned about whether one's diary is public or private.

cakeums

I don't really want unsolicited advice on what I'm eating, so I have it set to friends for now. I have RA and am sick and tired of people saying, "Ohhhhh, eat gluten-free, that's what I did and my RA is gone now," or other such nonsense. It is really, really annoying.

stephabef

Mine was friends only; now it's public. My friends are a huge support, and I love getting advice! If I ever get any I disagree with, I ignore it... but it's usually super constructive and helpful

hemlock2010

Used to have it open. Now have it closed. Personal preference.