Having a private diary seems so counter-productive to me....

sthrnchick

We are all here for a common goal...to get healthier! Whether that means you have weight to lose ( like me...) or you just want to define yourself further after a successful journey...

So I am trying to figure out WHY some people keep their diets private? I don't understand. I think by opening it for all, or at least your friends, opens up a missed opportunity if you have it closed!

Those that have their diets open and have been successful, some losing HUNDREDS of pounds, gives us (the ones that are just starting and needing to learn and lose) so much info by peeking at your food diaries! Or, like me, and clueless or not, have your diary open, and not making the best choices, but having it open, others can HELP you! I can not count how many people have offered suggestions as to what would be some better choices as far as protein, or what my carbs should be....

NOT judging, but for those that have your diaries private, what is the reasoning? I dont think the fear of ridicule for a bad day is an excuse... WE ALL HAVE THOSE DAYS! And on those days, my friends have rallied around me more than usual...and that's motivating..... just my 42 cents worth! Happy Saturday!

Fieldsy

I keep my profile/diary open to all

I want to help as many people as I can. They can add me as a friend or not, but I always have an ear out.

I do not track on weekends though

sthrnchick

I keep my profile/diary open to all

I want to help as many people as I can. They can add me as a friend or not, but I always have an ear out.

I do not track on weekends though

WHY do you think I sent you a friend request? And thank you for keeping it open! CHECK OUT my protein for the day! Listening to ya!

victoria4321

I keep mine private because its a diary which is personal to me. Sometimes, I do open it up. When I'm eating terrible I lock it again. Sounds crazy but I dont want to feel like I have to eat a certain way to keep a good log. When I know I'm the only one seeing it, I log absolutely everything. If it was always public I might be swayed to add junk food as quick calories. So far i've logged everything for almost 300 days

sthrnchick

I keep mine private because its a diary which is personal to me. Sometimes, I do open it up. When I'm eating terrible I lock it again. Sounds crazy but I dont want to feel like I have to eat a certain way to keep a good log. When I know I'm the only one seeing it, I log absolutely everything. If it was always public I might be swayed to add junk food as quick calories. So far i've logged everything for almost 300 days

GREAT job at logging so faithfully... I still dont understand why you wouldnt keep open... is it b/c people give you crap about how little/ or too much you are eating? Thats the reason I keep mine open... I want the feedback from the success stories so one day I can be the success story... not arguing.. I really do just want to understand! Thank you for responding!

ZugTheMegasaurus

I'm not worried about people seeing a binge day (I don't have them); I know that people are extremely judgmental of even healthy diets that do not match their own and I don't want to deal with it. If you spend two minutes randomly flipping through forum posts, you'll have no trouble finding people whining and criticizing and blatantly insulting others who don't happen to meet their standards for what a diet is supposed to look like. Pretty much daily, I see people with perfectly healthy diets accused of eating disorders, starving themselves, making stupid unhealthy choices, and so on. And those people eat a lot like I do.

Honestly, I don't need help. I know what I'm doing. The last thing I need is a bunch of self-righteous food police who know nothing about me or my circumstances calling me names and telling me I'm an idiot. Don't get me wrong, I recognize that the majority of people aren't like that, but I'm not willing to open myself up to abuse from those who are.

Fieldsy

I keep my profile/diary open to all

I want to help as many people as I can. They can add me as a friend or not, but I always have an ear out.

I do not track on weekends though

WHY do you think I sent you a friend request? And thank you for keeping it open! CHECK OUT my protein for the day! Listening to ya!

good job! Protein is harder to get in than carbs, but it will treat your body much better!

Spanaval

My diet is very heavily ethnic, and wouldn't make sense to someone that isn't familiar with food from my part of the world. It wouldn't be helpful to pretty much anyone else, quite honestly.

relocatedcowboy

I keep my profile open no mater what I did, so that people can tell me if I need to get of my *kitten* or hey take a break. It also keeps me accountable, if I want to eat something I shoudnt I better be willing to get the comments from people. MY 2.

S have a great night.

sthrnchick

I'm not worried about people seeing a binge day (I don't have them); I know that people are extremely judgmental of even healthy diets that do not match their own and I don't want to deal with it. If you spend two minutes randomly flipping through forum posts, you'll have no trouble finding people whining and criticizing and blatantly insulting others who don't happen to meet their standards for what a diet is supposed to look like. Pretty much daily, I see people with perfectly healthy diets accused of eating disorders, starving themselves, making stupid unhealthy choices, and so on. And those people eat a lot like I do.

Honestly, I don't need help. I know what I'm doing. The last thing I need is a bunch of self-righteous food police who know nothing about me or my circumstances calling me names and telling me I'm an idiot. Don't get me wrong, I recognize that the majority of people aren't like that, but I'm not willing to open myself up to abuse from those who are.

Ok, i respect this answer... thank you. I guess i dont know what i am doing and dont let any critism bother me...My diary is open to my friends only... and if they are abusive, I get rid of them! PERIOD... I just think I can learn a lot from some, and some can learn from me...but respect your answer.. thank you!

aproc

I had my diary private for a while because I got tired of people deciding they could comment on it for stuff like: I need to get more water (I don't log my water), soo many calories (yeah, well I'm on a bulk... finding what works for me.), or commenting on silly things like how eggs can be 'bad' for you and that crap. I know how I should be eating and I keep the diary on here for my purposes to keep track of calories and macros. Not for other people's feedback.

I don't really see how many can be helpful on here anyways. I'll see so many people way under their calorie goal and eating very few calories, yet people comment on it saying congrats and 'way to go'... Seems a lot of bad habits are just reinforced...

Thats just my take on it though. I currently have my diary open or at least open to friends on here.

sthrnchick

I keep my profile open no mater what I did, so that people can tell me if I need to get of my *kitten* or hey take a break. It also keeps me accountable, if I want to eat something I shoudnt I better be willing to get the comments from people. MY 2.

S have a great night.

I guess the accountability thing is what i am in a round about ( really round about!!!!) point I am trying to make....You have a great night too sweetpea!

ZugTheMegasaurus

Ok, i respect this answer... thank you. I guess i dont know what i am doing and dont let any critism bother me...My diary is open to my friends only... and if they are abusive, I get rid of them! PERIOD... I just think I can learn a lot from some, and some can learn from me...but respect your answer.. thank you!

You're welcome, glad it made sense, haha.

Thought of one other reason: while I know that my diet is healthy for me, I don't advocate it for others. I would prefer if everyone developed a diet and exercise plan that works for them rather than trying to copy some other program, whether that be reading a book, buying a prepacked system, or following someone else's diary. I'd feel awful if someone ended up hurting themselves or their progress trying to copy what I do. I'm happy giving general advice about food ideas if someone asks, but I stop short of giving any details or numbers.

LizKurz

Mine is open. I keep it that way, so that my friends on here can call me on my BS when I do stupid things. Sometimes, I get caught up in eating so much less, it just keeps going down, till Im eating nothing and don't realize I've taken it to like 1200-1400 cals a day. I want my friends to be all like "whoa girl!".

But I can see where for some, this is a personal journey. Something they want to do on their own, not sharing it with anyone, and that's fine too. I lost a damned bit of weight like this, with no one seeing what I ate simply because the site I used back then, didn't have "sharing" of the diaries.

It's all preference. It's like asking why someone will eat ice cream when they're trying to lose weight. Ice cream can certainly be part of a healthy balanced diet, in moderation. And privacy works the same way.

I guess what I'm saying is that I dont think everyone needs that kind of accountability to succeed. Some can have accountability in other ways, like sticking their ticker below in their posts. I don't do this, cause I'm a lazy hoar whos entirely too lazy to click the settings button, and I don't need that accountability, kwim?

sthrnchick

I had my diary private for a while because I got tired of people deciding they could comment on it for stuff like: I need to get more water (I don't log my water), soo many calories (yeah, well I'm on a bulk... finding what works for me.), or commenting on silly things like how eggs can be 'bad' for you and that crap. I know how I should be eating and I keep the diary on here for my purposes to keep track of calories and macros. Not for other people's feedback.

I don't really see how many can be helpful on here anyways. I'll see so many people way under their calorie goal and eating very few calories, yet people comment on it saying congrats and 'way to go'... Seems a lot of bad habits are just reinforced...

Thats just my take on it though. I currently have my diary open or at least open to friends on here.

I thank you for answering... And i understand your point, to a point. I say open it to your friends, and if they are judgemental, kick em to the curb!

Overall... I think it helps us TRYING DESPERATELY to do better, more accountable... and we learn from those LIKE YOU!

Ttopeka

This website can be used for a plethora of reasons, and while many are here for the purpose of support/guidance, not all of us want it in that matter. I'm happy getting support through chatting with my friends, or in group discussions. Frankly, I'm quite content having my diary 100% private because I'm not interested in what other people think about my eating habits (nor do I think it's anything worth sharing for the sake of helping others). I log for my personal record.

I understand that others, though, want accountability and guidance and tips on how to improve -- and that's fine. But I don't find my habits counterproductive because I don't see how having it open would be productive for my reasons

mabug01

Some people are just more sensitive, or private, than others. It's just a choice. You don't really need to understand it, just accept it.

ambitious01

My diary is open, but after ridicule of pals on here I can understand why some would. If I'm hungover, I dont want to hear" why I didn't get my 1200 cals". besides I get my vitamins and nutrients.

Darlingir

I keep mine open...food has been a dirty little secret for me for way too long...

wk9t

I'm not worried about people seeing a binge day (I don't have them); I know that people are extremely judgmental of even healthy diets that do not match their own and I don't want to deal with it. If you spend two minutes randomly flipping through forum posts, you'll have no trouble finding people whining and criticizing and blatantly insulting others who don't happen to meet their standards for what a diet is supposed to look like. Pretty much daily, I see people with perfectly healthy diets accused of eating disorders, starving themselves, making stupid unhealthy choices, and so on. And those people eat a lot like I do.

Honestly, I don't need help. I know what I'm doing. The last thing I need is a bunch of self-righteous food police who know nothing about me or my circumstances calling me names and telling me I'm an idiot. Don't get me wrong, I recognize that the majority of people aren't like that, but I'm not willing to open myself up to abuse from those who are.

I couldn't agree more. I have been on the site every day for the last 207 days and have logged all food and exercise. I have lost 55 lbs. and I have done it with a private diary. I don't need to deal with the BS from the food and or fitness police.

lisaishotpink

I'm not worried about people seeing a binge day (I don't have them); I know that people are extremely judgmental of even healthy diets that do not match their own and I don't want to deal with it. If you spend two minutes randomly flipping through forum posts, you'll have no trouble finding people whining and criticizing and blatantly insulting others who don't happen to meet their standards for what a diet is supposed to look like. Pretty much daily, I see people with perfectly healthy diets accused of eating disorders, starving themselves, making stupid unhealthy choices, and so on. And those people eat a lot like I do.

Honestly, I don't need help. I know what I'm doing. The last thing I need is a bunch of self-righteous food police who know nothing about me or my circumstances calling me names and telling me I'm an idiot. Don't get me wrong, I recognize that the majority of people aren't like that, but I'm not willing to open myself up to abuse from those who are.

This! I have seen so many rude comments on a site that is supposedly here for "helping" each other. Not everyone is like this, obviously, but why deal with people who would rather criticize than help? I have done well on my own and I am definitely not ashamed in any way of what I eat or that I exercise 6 days a week. If I had an issue or hit a plateau I would consider opening my diary to others. But until then I will keep it to myself.

xjulesjx

Each the their own I say

Mine's open though.

I had someone saying that they thought something was missing from mine the other day.

I asked them what? they replied no fruit and veg??

I was like errrr I've had salad and veg today??

See I don't mind my diary been open, but when folk start harping on like that, when I didn't ask for advice, peed me off..

lol..

:huh:

megsmom2

I have mine open to my friends, but since it's mostly a tool tor my own use I don't want it open any further than that. Too many trolls out there. The diary is like my own workbook and I'd rather keep it private.

saragato

I keep my diary private since first and foremost I joined this site just to log my food and exercise and make sure I kept myself on track. I am well aware that having "friends" on the site as well as being active in the forum allows me a broader perspective but if I want someone's advice on how I'm eating or what I'm eating, I want it on my terms not at any given moment. Is it a helpful tool to have an open diary? I'm sure it is, it seems to work for plenty of people but I would rather not have a stranger peering into my diary and saying I eat too much of the same thing or why did I choose to eat a cookie today or I was under a certain calorie deficit so many days in a row that's unhealthy. I have a short fuse, very little patience, and I'm rather sure if some of those things, even said with the intention of helping and not judgment, would get me banned simply for what I'd say back.

Fact of the matter is I'm losing weight doing things the way I have them which to be honest is a way many many people here would grab a torch and pitchforks over and haul my butt out the door, so I am avoiding the needless drama. This may be a place to get support and advice but I'm not here for that. If I want it then they there's a convenience, but I generally don't. So my diary is closed.

budgetqueen79

I started locking mine after discovering I can't eat fruit and I have food allergies b/c I got tired of explaining myself over and over so lock and no headache for me. There are some diary police but I'm not one of them. I'll tell you what I eat and I vlog about it also.

obsidianwings

Personally I don't need the motivation or help unless I all for it, I just use mfp as a tool to track for myself. I'm not against people seeing my diary, just haven't changed it because Theres been no need to.

PeaceCorpsKat

I keep mine private because I don't want peoples opinions to change my food choices. I know what I have to do, and my food choices are about me, no one else.

My friends know if I eat more than i should - it says I am over calories (which I haven't been since I started :laugh: ) but they don't need to know what I eat.

I like my privacy, so I keep it. However, I am doing very well and for me, personally, it would be detrimental to thinking what other people would think of my food choices.

kristinL16

Mine is open. Some days having it open gives me motivation to make better choices but other days I just have a harder time logging everything because I know people will see it and I don't feel like I was "good" enough . Seeing other peoples logs helps me to realize that I don't have to eat perfectly every day in order to have a loss, which is helpful.

katiebythebay

I have it open to MFP friends only. I don't trust the outside public either, like some of you.

I've been fortunate so far, I haven't run into anyone who's been mean here.

There's a small (very small) group of friends that actually watch each other's back on what they see on a daily basis.

I like that because most of the time, they're correct and I already knew it but needed to hear it from someone else.

Cheers. :flowerforyou:

kluvit

I share my diary with my personal friends who have similar goals and eating habits. I'm making great progress toward my goals (faster than expected) without depriving myself. As long as what I'm doing is working for me, I don't need to set myself up as a target for the judgement that's so prevalent on this site.

thistimeismytime

I have mine open, which you know since we're friends But some days I do hate it and wish it was closed....just being honest. Everyone is very supportive...it's not that. It's just that I've felt judged for much of my life for my food choices, and it's a VERY very personal, touchy thing for me. I know how I should be eating, and I know I will never live up to the whole "clean eating" concept. I only opened mine because several people asked me to, but I still don't really like it sometimes....I'm working on getting over it. :flowerforyou: