WHY keep your food diary hidden?

Umeboshi

I like to feel more accountable by keeping mine open, but a lot of people like to keep theirs closed so people aren't criticizing everything they eat. Some people like to stick their nose into other people's diaries and then make unsolicited comments on food choices or macros. I can imagine that'd get annoying. xD Fortunately I haven't had to deal with any of that.
Also, I'm sure there are some who feel that what they eat is very personal and don't feel like sharing.

cariliz

I've also received a message about drinking too much wine one night and going over calories...truth though, it happened whether I log it or not

Amen. I hear ya….I log what I eat and DRINK period…..and on the days I don’t log….I’m aware of the vino calories.

cariliz

I don't want the opinion of random strangers telling me what to eat or how to eat. Which is different from me *asking* for opinions/help.

Wow! Do random “strangers” really comment on your diary, food intake etc? I can honestly say that I have not had anyone outside my friends give me an insight. Of course, unless I asked for it.

Vermilla

Even friends here aren't the same as friends you know in person. You've never met them, and especially with new friends, you don' t know how they're going to be. You may friend them and next you know, they're calling you a fatass, a lazy person who just sits and is a glutton or all other kinds of things which are not helpful or helping you stay on track. They're just mean and spitefule, and nobody here needs to hear that when they're struggling. I have my diary open to friends (I think,now I'm going to go make sure), but I understand people who don't.

sambo155

Mine was set to public and I changed it yesterday to private. A few weeks ago, I wasn't losing weight and was very discouraged. I wanted to vent and stated just that, as well as that I didn't want advice; I just wanted to vent. I got blasted for everything WRONG with my food diary. Nothing said about the good things. I disappeared for 2 weeks and I'm back and now my diary is my business. If I'm having a bad day and want encouragment, I will ask for it and if I do, I don't want people throwing in my face every mistake I made just so they can feel superior.

mrschrismorris

I just recently joined and so far ive posted a lot of blogs and it seems like I dont have any encouragement on here. The only person who has responded to anything is my aunt. So if I have no encouragement on this site, why am I going to post my food diary? I have not yet made "friends" on this site and I will not be judged.

Shock_Wave

Because they dont want you to see them cheating and or they are not really counting cals. haha

Marianna194

people who are just starting or who are going through a rough patch may feel more inclined to keep logging-despite thier day being a fail- if it is set to private. that's what i do

Suzy_in_DE

I joined MFP about a month ago, while I was getting started and getting familiar with the site I set my diary to private. I have found that I like to look at other's diaries to get menu choice inspiration, so have now opened mine up to my friends.

Helenatrandom

Don't know if mine is hidden or not....*shrugs* Look if you can and you will see I allow for beer everyday :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :bigsmile:

Egg nog. I was living the high life on the spiked egg nog for a couple of weeks. I still have more.... YUM!

(Beer is good, too! :drinker: )

EbonyK

I had mine open for a while but closed it because I am my own worst critic and I don't need anyone helping out! lol

JOANIE69

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.

cos its our choice and just cos we dont put our diarys on view doesnt mean to say we are not honest people .we just prefer it PRIVATE and it annoys me when people quote this time after time :explode:

bedoozled

I made mine public when I joined - for me, MFP is all about being held accountable; I've tried logging what I eat in my own food journal in the past, and I always stop or it never works out because the only person who will know any better is me! By having an account with this community, friends to support me, and making my diary public I feel like I'm doing all I can to really engage with weight loss and taking advantage of everything MFP has to offer : )

cariliz

WOW...some people need to relax, it was just a question. I personally like mine open to my pals...if they want to ***** about what food choises I make then.... there is always a delete button. It helps me a bunch when I can see what others eat, it gives me ideas for myself.

Thanks smitty….my sentiments exactly.

My diary, like my profile, is open to my friends. I could care less if someone wants to keep their diary private. However, don't comment on mine, if I can't even see yours. Fair enough, I think.

Touche! You hit the nail on the head.

Iam918

I've had mine private since 2009 (started on sparkpeople) and have lost 155lbs w/ it that way. I opened it to friends only, however, when I joined MFP.

lostsanity137

I keep mine open to everyone if they want to see it. I think it makes me more likely to eat a little better. I don't eat perfect and I mess up all the time, and usually post it to my feed when I do (goodness that dinner at Red Lobster last week was a killer ).
I have no problems with sharing, though I suppose some people do...

JOANIE69

What I put in my body is my business. I am MORE honest with myself than with anyone else, so having a private diary works for me. If I am ever struggling and need advice, I will open it to my friends, but that isn't the case.

SO WELL SAID I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU X

regions02

Two reasons -
1. It's my business.
2. Mine's pretty boring - I eat the exact thing for breakfast and lunch 9 out of 10 days.

Just because mine is private, doesn't mean I cheat at it. You can ask my husband - as soon as I put anything in my mouth, he asked me if I logged it! This site keeps me accountable to me and I'm the one that matters.

cariliz

cos its our choice and just cos we dont put our diarys on view doesnt mean to say we are not honest people .we just prefer it PRIVATE and it annoys me when people quote this time after time

Then ignore my post. Simple.

JOANIE69

WOW...some people need to relax, it was just a question. I personally like mine open to my pals...if they want to ***** about what food choises I make then.... there is always a delete button. It helps me a bunch when I can see what others eat, it gives me ideas for myself.

Thanks smitty….my sentiments exactly.

My diary, like my profile, is open to my friends. I could care less if someone wants to keep their diary private. However, don't comment on mine, if I can't even see yours. Fair enough, I think.

Touche! You hit the nail on the head.

WE ARE RELAXED JUST UNTIL SOME PEOPLE ARE NOSEY AND SPOIL IT .CLAMPED

kag1526

honestly for me it was just because I'm so used to setting everything to private (facebook etc) or to friends only that I just did it automatically. I opened it to the public when I posted a question and realized there is no info there that is any kind of security issue.

JOANIE69

Excuse me and I mean this in the most polite way possible but - I am a grown *kitten* woman! The only person I need to hold me accountable is me. It is no one's business what I eat and is certainly not information that complete strangers feel they should be entitled to scrutinize.

well said lovely we are private and its ours xx

cariliz

Thanks for everyone’s mature and honest input. What’s works for one person doesn’t always work for another. Just being inquisitive.

cspence2270

I keep mine private- I'm doing this for me.. I like to read and make comments and ask for help if I need it but I don't "friend" people, this is not a social thing for me.


OR I could just be a *****.

lynn1982

I got tired of people sending me random messages telling me that I should be eating 200 grams of protein. I'm 4'11. I'm pretty sure I don't need that much protein...

pwittek10

I do not know how to do private, so if mine is, I do not know how to change it!

PegasusDeb

I just closed mine because I am still struggling to climb back on the wagon! (Plus still clearing out my fridge from the holidays!) It will be open to my friends. Not to everybody, because I don't think it's their business. You wanna see, friend me. (I'll show you mine, if you show me yours!)
How many people really look anyways? I rarely look at other peoples food. I did one dude & he was making me sick with all the crap he ate & bragged about his weight loss. I ended up unfriending him. I didn't want to be around that. I am curious to know when he crashed though!
One person kinda criticized my food choice & I felt very violated! LOL Personally I would rather just go the old fashioned route, with paper & pencil!

vs1023

Mine's public. I honestly don't care who sees it. I have my good days and my bad ones, but it's out there!

Yup same for me! I eat pretty much the same stuff day in and day out.

mammothdoll

It reminds me too much of having my food intake _controlled_ by someone else. Even though that's not what it is.

sharidiane

It's not 'hidden' ... it's private. Mine was private for a long time, well, because I am a private person. I don't talk about my periods with my girlfriends. I am fairly modest in a lot of respects. And I just like keeping certain things to myself.

Keeping my diary private had nothing to do with avoiding comments, or being dishonest, or ashamed of what I eat. It's just ... it's mine, my diary, my own journey.

I think I made it public at some point to help out a friend who was stuggling. I don't really know anymore if it's public or private. Whether or not it's open, it's just not really anyone else's business.