Food Diary Snooping... OR Why is your diary CLOSED?!

Atarahh

So.. what's the most weird or eccentric thing you have seen in a person's food diary?

Or, have you seen something in a person's food diary and actually tried it out for yourself?

Any calorie counts make you cringe?

This is open.

atjays

whale sperm ... look it up

PapaverSomniferum

I've noticed a lot of weird combinations in people's diaries: foods I never would have thought of putting together.

Apple Sauce and Pickles for lunch?

Scrambled eggs and Peanut butter for breakfast? (though that's probably very filling...)

Cheeta_HH

I recently opened up my food diary because I thought that public shaming would be good for me. Not so much! I just changed my settings tonight. I realized that I don't like the scrutiny! I've never paid attention to anyone else's food diary so I haven't noticed anything unusual.

orangelillypad

I guess I never pay much attention. Mine is closed because I KNOW I eat weird foods or too much of one thing or the other and me seeing it and logging it for myself is as much scrutiny as I can handle haha.

jlhill7

I recently opened up my food diary because I thought that public shaming would be good for me. Not so much! I just changed my settings tonight. I realized that I don't like the scrutiny! I've never paid attention to anyone else's food diary so I haven't noticed anything unusual.

Mine is open because I want the negative and positive feedback. It makes me more aware of the choices I am making

susannamarie

I've noticed a lot of weird combinations in people's diaries: foods I never would have thought of putting together.

Apple Sauce and Pickles for lunch?

Scrambled eggs and Peanut butter for breakfast? (though that's probably very filling...)

Sometimes my weird combinations are the result of Lunch A and Lunch B that I haven't bothered to separate into different meals.

MzCongeniality70

whale sperm ... look it up

Oh that sounds delish!! Recipes? :sick: Ick!!

LenaMena87

Mines is open to friends. I honestly could care less who looks at my diary. People can critique it all day but at the end of the day they aren't my nutritionist and they can voice their opinion all they want but it won't hold water.

rrhennen

I don't keep mine open because I might schedule out a day, but then it doesn' fit exactly and I adjust as needed but keep mental track. I know ownership is key, but I just not detailed enough sometimes or have the time to be specific enough to share. I feel like a fraud if my diary is public and isn't completely accurate.

rainbowfaye

My diary is closed cuz I would find myself not wanting to put down the kit kat bar I had for lunch or the fast food I had for dinner. I wouldn't even be going over my stuff, just embarrassed about what I was eating. Not that anyone ever judged me on it but I am always paranoid.

inetgirl

Mine is open to friends.. I like viewing because I get ideas! Also, if someone has a really good diary then it motivates me to do better. I have a love/hate relationship with popcorn and ice cream.. Although I did move to air popcorn and skinny cow ice cream thanks to seeing it on another diary. If I wouldn't have, I probably would not have thought about it.

waffleflavoredtea

My diary is closed now, and it's closed because I don't want to trigger my friends, because I'm recovering from disordered eating and have a number of recovering friends as well. I also am subject to change my mind about my intake frequently and I don't like the judgement or being scared of judgement. Having friends who support me and forums to look through is enough for me I wish it could be open again but it was starting to make me feel anxious.

PapaverSomniferum

I've noticed a lot of weird combinations in people's diaries: foods I never would have thought of putting together.

Apple Sauce and Pickles for lunch?

Scrambled eggs and Peanut butter for breakfast? (though that's probably very filling...)

Sometimes my weird combinations are the result of Lunch A and Lunch B that I haven't bothered to separate into different meals.

you know, that makes WAY more sense:laugh:

i have mine set by times because I don't eat normal meals. I just eat what i'm hungry for when i'm hungry for it. It probably looks pretty weird, but no one's said anything .....

yet

Unknown

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k0nfyo0zed

Scrambled eggs and Peanut butter for breakfast? (though that's probably very filling...)

i used to eat this combination on toast when i was younger. my parents would always cringe. i just remember it being tasty!

things like that are why i keep my food diary closed. also because i usually eat a lot more than people would be comfortable seeing..;. even though i've been losing inches in the process.

L00py_T0ucan

ETA: Oh, oops. This is referring to the 'snooping' and no dogs where harmed nor is there any dog meat in the hamburger illustrated above.

bluehonu20

I wanted to answer the second question, since I'm one of those people with a closed diary.

I started tracking my food because I knew I wasn't eating right. I've never been overweight, but I've had my 5-10lb ups and downs throughout my life. After several years in rough jobs, eating whatever I could, when I could, I had developed a lot of bad habits. Even marrying a health nut four years ago didn't change things much.

So when I started taking martial arts classes in December, and realized that I could easily be on my way to a much healthier lifestyle, I started keeping track of what I ate. I knew it would be bad. What I wasn't prepared for was how ashamed I was, looking at what I really ate.

It's very easy to eat something "bad" one day, then say "oh well, I'll do better tomorrow", but fall into a cycle of doing it over and over. It starts as fast food maybe once a week. But it's cheap and convenient, so you start going more often. On top of that, pretty soon the freezer is also full of heat-and-eat food. After a while, cooking actual meals happens only once or twice a week.

I saw how many calories I was eating in a day, and how much sodium I was taking in, and I was floored. How have I not gained weight? How am I as healthy (albeit out of shape) as I am? It scared me. It scared me because I realized that I'm probably much closer to heart disease than I thought I was. And it scared me because I didn't know if I could really change.

It's been a little over a month since I started tracking. In fact, today is my 35th consecutive day of logging into MFP. Things have gotten better, but I still eat things I definitely shouldn't. And I still feel like I have more bad days than good.

As for keeping my diary closed...It's like going to the gym for the first time, but all you do is wander around and look at the machines. Maybe test a few reps here and there, pick up the dumbbells, but put them back down again. Everyone else there looks so fit, or if they aren't, they at least look like they know what they're doing. There's a fear of looking stupid; of being expected to know what you are doing, otherwise why would you be there? Irrational, yes. But it's a very real hangup for many, many people. Including myself.

I also have that hangup here. That fear of having a diary full of bad days in an online community full of people who know what the heck they're doing, and eat right, and are proud of tracking it and showing it. Despite knowing it's irrational, I'm still afraid of being judged for still being so off-track.

susannamarie

I also have that hangup here. That fear of having a diary full of bad days in an online community full of people who know what the heck they're doing, and eat right, and are proud of tracking it and showing it. Despite knowing it's irrational, I'm still afraid of being judged for still being so off-track.

And oddly, that's one reason I leave mine open. I'm not 100% on-track. I'm moving gradually towards a better-for-me diet. I found it reassuring to read other people's open diaries and realize that not everyone here was perfect either.

bluehonu20

I also have that hangup here. That fear of having a diary full of bad days in an online community full of people who know what the heck they're doing, and eat right, and are proud of tracking it and showing it. Despite knowing it's irrational, I'm still afraid of being judged for still being so off-track.

And oddly, that's one reason I leave mine open. I'm not 100% on-track. I'm moving gradually towards a better-for-me diet. I found it reassuring to read other people's open diaries and realize that not everyone here was perfect either.

I should probably browse around and read some other diaries. Maybe it'll help me come to the same realization.

mangotruck

Mine is closed because I don't want people commenting on what I decide to eat. I'm fully aware of the choices I make so I don't need the scrutiny.
People who are my friends on here are pretty supportive, so I doubt I'd get much negative feed back, but I sort of feel like eating is a private, personal thing. And like bluehonu20 said, when you're first starting out amongst a bunch of people who have had success and are into the swing of things with their bodies, a new person like myself is still trying to find out what works. I think it's sort of a sensitive period when you're new.

rrhennen

My diary is closed cuz I would find myself not wanting to put down the kit kat bar I had for lunch or the fast food I had for dinner. I wouldn't even be going over my stuff, just embarrassed about what I was eating. Not that anyone ever judged me on it but I am always paranoid.

This too! Sometimes, all I have for breakfast is a mocha. Not that it's regular, but if that is what works on a given day and I don't otherwise feel hungry, then so be it.

littlelily613

Mine is open because I only have two friends: my mom and my best friend---both of whom can know what I eat. As for everyone else here, they are all strangers, so why would I care if they know what I eat? I only very rarely look into other people's diaries. Not often, unless they are my friends.

princeza9

I leave mine open. So far no one's criticized my choices (and I have made some that were less than stellar). I'm adult, I'm responsible for what I eat and drink. While I welcome suggestions and constructive criticism, I won't tolerate anyone being negative.

As for weird foods, I don't think I've had anything unusual.

PennyNickel14

My diary is open to friends only. It's only open because I SO ENJOY looking at other people's diary that it seemed tit for tat. Also I have gotten so many good tips and recipes from people just by asking what something was in their diary.

I am not the healthiest eater. I am trying to improve each day. I struggle with fluid intake which everyone on my friends list know and they definitely mention it when it is low (which I appreciate and I think shows they care about me) - I have a history of dehydration .

shellsrenee01

Mine is closed because I am still working on reducing what I eat, not changing what I eat...and what I eat is pretty terrible right now. BUT I do work 25 hours a week and I am taking 5 classes at the university so cooking is definitely not fitting in anywhere! haha

However, once I graduate in May, it is my goal to make changes to my diet so that my diary can look much, much healthier (and a lot less "fast foodie" haha)

Oh...and when I first started using MFP, I added some, uh, personal cardio in and labeled it accordingly. I didn't realize it would post to my profile as "Shellsrenee burned X calories doing 45 minutes of sex" :laugh: :embarassed: Oops! Learning as I go :blushing:

Evelyn_Gorfram

Wow, I'm really glad I saw this thread.

My food diary is open because I figure that (please, nobody take this a a challenge!) no one else is likely to be harder on me than I am on myself. I work really hard at getting good fresh healthy food, and at getting my macros balanced, and at learning as much as i can about nutrition in general.

I've been in an ongoing internal debate about what to say to my MFP friends with open diaries who aren't eating what I think is a proper healthy diet. Can it be right and honest for me to append a "Right On"-type comment to an update about a diary that has no veggies, and hasn't for at least the past week? Or is all processed food? Or is consistently way too low on protein, or more than 400 calories under the person's daily calorie goal before exercise?

On the other hand, I don't really know what these friends are up against day-to-day. How much pressure they have to handle from kids, jobs, husbands, relatives, etc,. or how tight money is, or what other thousand other things they have to try to cope with.

This thread has made me realize how much trust those friends who have their diaries open are placing in me, and how my swooping in with some meant-to-be-helpful comment about veggies or protein or something could do much more harm than good.

Thanks. :flowerforyou:

bluehonu20

Oh...and when I first started using MFP, I added some, uh, personal cardio in and labeled it accordingly. I didn't realize it would post to my profile as "Shellsrenee burned X calories doing 45 minutes of sex" :laugh: :embarassed: Oops! Learning as I go :blushing:

I did the same thing! LMAO! Luckily, later in the day I added some cardio doing other things, and it changed the entry.

bluehonu20

Wow, I'm really glad I saw this thread.

My food diary is open because I figure that (please, nobody take this a a challenge!) no one else is likely to be harder on me than I am on myself. I work really hard at getting good fresh healthy food, and at getting my macros balanced, and at learning as much as i can about nutrition in general.

I've been in an ongoing internal debate about what to say to my MFP friends with open diaries who aren't eating what I think is a proper healthy diet. Can it be right and honest for me to append a "Right On"-type comment to an update about a diary that has no veggies, and hasn't for at least the past week? Or is all processed food? Or is consistently way too low on protein, or more than 400 calories under the person's daily calorie goal before exercise?

On the other hand, I don't really know what these friends are up against day-to-day. How much pressure they have to handle from kids, jobs, husbands, relatives, etc,. or how tight money is, or what other thousand other things they have to try to cope with.

This thread has made me realize how much trust those friends who have their diaries open are placing in me, and how my swooping in with some meant-to-be-helpful comment about veggies or protein or something could do much more harm than good.

Thanks. :flowerforyou:

I love that you see both sides of this.

unsuspectingfish

Mine is closed because, well, it's a diary, which implies that it's nobody else's business what I eat. I came to MFP because I wanted an easy-to-use, calorie-counting tool. The people are just an added bonus. I'm more than capable of keeping myself accountable. Topics like this pretty much solidify my resolve to never open it, too. I have enough problems eating around other people, even when I'm eating nothing but a big pile of vegetables or a random piece of fruit. I don't need the internet watching what I eat, too.

MissCheese

I'm a snooper and proud! I figure if people don't want me to look at their diary they will have it closed.

My goal is to eat a healthy balanced fresh diet currently at a calorie deficit so that I can lose weight while teaching myself how to eat properly.

Everyone has different goals so diarys are going to be different, I find diarys filled with protein shakes and bars as their primary intake strange but hey ho each to their own. I'm not going to pull someone up and say 'Hey, your diet stinks'.

If someone asks specifically for advice or an opinion on their diary then I'll give one.