Closed Diaries?

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  • Livingbalanced
    Livingbalanced Posts: 84 Member
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    I'm going to throw a wrench in the system and say my diary is open but there's nothing in there ;) lol
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    I keep mine private for several reasons - but to name one: I make personal notes everyday in the Food and Exercise note section....how I feel, personal goals, long term goals, ideas..things that are no ones business.
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
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    Mine's open but it was used as ammunition by a "friend" when she decided she wanted to delete me, not that I care, I've lost 53lb she's lost 14 :smokin:

    Seriously? Wow, better off without that friend. And I love your avatar!
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    i don't like closed diaries, it defeats the whole purpose

    But we are all here for different purposes, not everyone on this site is here to lose weight. Some people are here training for events and already know how to eat and how to get the best nutrition for their systems. Someone who is losing weight is not going to know to congratulate someone who may have just eaten a 3000 calorie meal. They may chastise them when that person actually just followed their program perfectly.

    Some diaries are closed and some are open cause there are as many reasons as there are individuals on this site.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    If they stay within their calorie limits, why are you concerned about what they're eating?

    If you can't see their diary then you don't know if they're under/over by a huge margin or not. I'm not going to congratulate someone who only ate 500 calories a day, or who ate 3000 calories over their target. I'd like to offer support if someone is wildly over or under, that's why I like open diaries.

    This...I rarely comment on someone's completion of their diary unless it is viewable mainly because I don't want to condone excessive undereating or overeating in the event that is what the person is doing. I was friends on here with someone who was anorexic. I would comment on his diary about what he ate because he often ate good foods and then give feedback on how he could add calories to what he was already eating instead of adding extra meals or snacks. Eventually enough people gave him a hard time and he closed it. I wouldn't comment anymore because there was nothing to say.
  • jjelizalde
    jjelizalde Posts: 377 Member
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    Mine is open to friends. Mostly because my daughter has been really successful on MFP and she helps me with food choices, etc.
  • SabrinaJL
    SabrinaJL Posts: 1,579 Member
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    i don't like closed diaries, it defeats the whole purpose

    Really? For me, the purpose of the diary is to track what I'm eating. Doesn't matter whether other people see it or not.
  • kalynn06
    kalynn06 Posts: 368 Member
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    Mine is closed. I obsess too much if I know other people are reading. It's an issue. I actually lost 15 lbs as a freshman in college (becoming underweight in the process) when I had to regularly eat in front of other people than immediate family for the first time. It's better now in person, but it would make me less likely to log if it was open. If I ever want advice on it or a second pair of eyes, I'll open it. I never really look at diaries unless someone asks anyway.
  • misty0413
    misty0413 Posts: 212
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    Just opened my diary, did't know how to get people to look. thanks.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    My diary is closed except to friends. Its a tool for my own personal use, not for trolls to hassle me about....not that there is anything in there I'm uncomfortable about logging most of the time. Its private space. Your mileage may vary.
  • Pspetal
    Pspetal Posts: 426 Member
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    I generally look at people's diaries not to comment or chide them about what they eat, but to get different low cal ideas for snacking... Like last week I saw Shirataki noodles in someones diary and googled it only to find that it could be the best thing I've found this year!
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    i don't like closed diaries, it defeats the whole purpose

    Really? For me, the purpose of the diary is to track what I'm eating. Doesn't matter whether other people see it or not.


    ^^^ Exactly!!! It's not mandatory that we have to be attached at the hip, creeping on each others pages and in their diaries to give each other support!! We're all adults. Jeeshhhh maybe I'm recording my poop habits in my diary :blushing: It's none of anybodies business!
  • cyclerjenn
    cyclerjenn Posts: 835 Member
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    I have a closed diary and here is my story. I am 5'10 and currently 150 pounds don't have weight to lose. I am a tri-athlete and burn from 300 - 5000 calories a day. For me I try to stick to a number of calories every day so some days I will have 3000 calories left to eat. I do load up on doughnuts and bagels before a race and most of my food is carbs, this help give me the energy for my workout and races , with out being tired afterwards. I would not want someone to use my day of eating as a guide for what they should be eatting, so I keep it closed.
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
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    If they stay within their calorie limits, why are you concerned about what they're eating?

    If you can't see their diary then you don't know if they're under/over by a huge margin or not. I'm not going to congratulate someone who only ate 500 calories a day, or who ate 3000 calories over their target. I'd like to offer support if someone is wildly over or under, that's why I like open diaries.

    Then don't comment on diaries at all just comment on exercise and status updates. I personally don't comment on diary entries because like you said I don't always know how their day was. Nor does their day affect me, they are only hurting themselves by not being honest, undereating, overeating whichever. To each his own. Mine is private because I keep personal notes in there..it is a diary after all. I eat clean 90% of the time so I'm not 'embarrased' by my diary but I wouldn't care what others think if I didn't eat healthy. I've lost 104 lbs with a closed diary. It's my tool not others.
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
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    Some people are just private or sensitive...they don't WANT your remarks or input. I don't know why that's so hard to understand??
  • kurenaikumo
    kurenaikumo Posts: 271 Member
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    Probably so the "MFP Police" won't hassle them... :laugh:
  • str8bowbabe
    str8bowbabe Posts: 712 Member
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    I keep my diary as a private record.. not to get messages about why im eating less, or you should eat more of this, or less of that.

    Ditto...my diary is for my reference. I am sorry if you cannot creep because of me but there are plenty of people out there with open diaries to get ideas and creep on.
  • paxier
    paxier Posts: 59 Member
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    Some people are just private or sensitive...they don't WANT your remarks or input. I don't know why that's so hard to understand??

    thanks I DO understand. however do they not want SUPPORT either from their MFP buddies?
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
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    Someone asked this exact question in the Motivation subforum the other day, so I'm just copy/pasting my answer from there:

    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.
  • peacefulsong
    peacefulsong Posts: 223 Member
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    I keep my diary closed because I don't really feel like anyone else gets an opinion on what I eat, and I know myself well enough to know that if someone offered a negative opinion, it would likely have the opposite of the intended effect. Knowing people might be paying attention to what I'm eating would make me more likely to leave things off or something, to avoid that situation. With a closed diary I know I will be completely honest, which allows me to look at trends in what I eat (like for example I have seen how I sometimes tend to go over on carbs and fat) and make adjustments that I know will work for me to correct those things, as opposed to what someone else might tell me I should do.

    I'm not really interested in getting pats on the back for being under my calories for the day. My calorie goal is a range around the one set on MFP. Some days I'm over and some days I'm under, which is fine with me, so it seems a little pointless.

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