Food diaries .. are you surprised sometimes?

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Replies

  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Junk is also subjective to a degree.
  • Eupho
    Eupho Posts: 201 Member
    Yes I have one friend who is always whining about not losing weight but then I looked at her diary and she eats a ton of calories and dessert everyday but rationales it because she works out at ton. Clearly if your formula isn't working, time to cut back.

    I don't whine when I don't lose weight because *I know* exactly what meals caused me to not lose weight.

    I think the friends of mine with hidden diaries are the ones really binging on fast food and other crap because everyone with an open diary at least attempts to eat well most of the time.

    I have often wondered this..
  • Eupho
    Eupho Posts: 201 Member
    Junk is also subjective to a degree.

    True! :smile:

    I want a cake now... at least if I made it Carrot?... *slurp*
  • stina0t2
    stina0t2 Posts: 62 Member
    I'm more concerned when I look at people's food diaries and they don't contain any fruits and veggies. I'm not the cleanest eater out there, but I almost always get my 8 servings of fruits and veggies every day.

    that's my concern too. and a lot of pre-prepared meals.
  • makemewannadie
    makemewannadie Posts: 401 Member
    And this is why my diary is private. I don't eat a bunch of junk, but I don't like the idea of people looking at my food choices and judging me. I try not to do it to others, either. Technically, you can eat what you like as long as you're within your calorie limit for the day, so getting on my high horse and looking down on other people for what they eat is not going to help them lose more weight.

    This! Especially as i've had disordered eating in the past, MFP has actually really helped me in terms of getting over that, but there are some days where my calorie intake is really low, and some days where it's really over my recommended calories... not only that but my food combinations are really weird haha, don't want people thinking what a freak I am (; I prefer the privacy, but love the support you can get on here.

    The OP has a point, but it's true that saying that won't help anyone lose any weight. It's true that we've all known people (if we've not been that person ourselves) who whinge about not losing weight... whilst eating a pack of doughnuts.
  • Eupho
    Eupho Posts: 201 Member
    I don't judge other people's diaries when I look at them. if a person is logging and publically showing their diary that's good enough for me to know they care about what they are eating but may not have the knowledge, experience, finances or motivation to make more changes. Logging is a first step for many people. Since I'm far from perfect myself, I sort feel "good for them for keeping track".

    Ohh I agree! really!

    But honestly.. I am talking some I have seen that have been 'logging' for a year or more... and STILL 4 times a day fast food?

    *scratches head* ..
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
    I'm generally surprised because other people's diaries seem to have a lot less food in them than mine do. But I tend to make things from scratch, and I add small portions of all kinds of different things, and log each one. I love reading my friends' diaries though - I find it really interesting to see how different people eat, and how it differs in different countries.
  • marthadztx
    marthadztx Posts: 337 Member
    I'm not one to judge, to each his own. Ppl have different ways of losing weight and some are just learning. I love to look at my friends food diary to get ideas and i keep my diary public so i can be of help too. :flowerforyou:
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
    and bloody hell!! (I'm Eeengleessh ;) .. NO WONDER!

    I have PMS ..
    does it show? .. :flowerforyou:
    Ha Ha, too funny!

    I'll be honest, I eat a lot of junk and still lose weight. Well, not A LOT as far as qty's but I don't eat clean like people talk about and I eat alot of processed foods. Right now, we have to eat cheap and that's what works for our budget. You can do it, just have to watch portions.

    I know what you mean about people that still seem to be clueless about why they aren't losing weight. Not sure whether they really just don't know or if they are seeking attention. Either way, hopefully this site will help them get whatever they need to lose weight.
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
    Sorry you are PMSing...it really sucks. Hope you feel better! :)

    I ate chocolate junk :laugh:

    I am feeling better already.. :wink:

    But yes, I agree with you, good idea.

    Chocolate is not junk!
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
    Or the people who eat all that and still lose weight. That pisses me off. Recently I'm getting annoyed that I've been busting my *kitten* to lose weight, sticking to 1300 calories (aside from a bad day yesterday), and someone who's been at this for a shorter time than me and doesn't log some days, and eats junk, has lost more than I have. Super annoying. I can't complain really though, 2 months and about 15 lbs gone is pretty good for me.
  • Eupho
    Eupho Posts: 201 Member
    And this is why my diary is private. I don't eat a bunch of junk, but I don't like the idea of people looking at my food choices and judging me. I try not to do it to others, either. Technically, you can eat what you like as long as you're within your calorie limit for the day, so getting on my high horse and looking down on other people for what they eat is not going to help them lose more weight.

    Thats how I felt at the beginning.. it was when I KNEW I wasn't eating very well and didn't want people judging me. I kept my private for the first few months.. (and didnt lose much!!)

    Opening my diary helped me A LOT .. it made me accountable.. because I KNEWWW people would see if I stuffed my face with cr@p that day.. .. so it made me think twice before doing it. (because I didnt want to lie and not log the cals.. because what good would THAT do me?) ..

    Thats why I opened mine..

    and now.. time for some junk WINE! :drinker:

    (makes it hard to get on my high horse tho *hic*) ...
  • AlexandraLynch
    AlexandraLynch Posts: 161
    I don't look at other people's food diaries because other people don't have the medical issues I do.

    You see, I am intolerant of fructose, and have IBS triggered by cruciferous vegetables.

    I don't fantasize about cake and cookies and chocolate, but about oranges and strawberries and lush black grapes. And I stare with longing at broccoli and cabbage. But I don't want to live with a constant migraine and lowgrade nausea and bodyaches, and I do not want to have the gut upsets that indulging in a nice serving of beef with broccoli would give me. So I can't eat these things.

    Using packaged meals on occasion is both simple (on really busy/painful days) and keeps me reminded of what a normal size portion is. It would be very easy to slip back into eating just too huge a quantity.

    As it is, though, I find that I can eat just about anything I want, and what I want is mostly well within my calorie count for the day. (laugh) The other day I sat down in the evening to summarize, realized I was five hundred calories low, and groaned because I was SO not hungry! So I left it at that, because I have a rule not to eat when I'm not hungry, and that trumps the calorie intake math.

    Everyone is different, different things work for different people. and I wish us all a smooth progress to the health we desire.
  • Eupho
    Eupho Posts: 201 Member
    [/quote]

    Chocolate is not junk!
    [/quote]

    this is true... it is a nectar of the gods! .. an ESSENTIAL for woman.. (and merely and 'luxury junk food' for men') :wink:


    *runs* ...


    (quite fast, now I have new shoes!!!)
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
    getting on my high horse and looking down on other people for what they eat is not going to help them lose more weight.

    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

    I disagree with this - I have an open diary so that if I need a reality check then I get one.

    A "reality check" doesn't have to include nasty comments from people about the food choices you make. You might not like it much if a stranger posted on your wall that you eat like a pig and should be a ashamed of yourself. :bigsmile:

    Well, maybe you're like me and don't really care what others think. :drinker:

    Either way, people need to be supportive and not make their feedback negative. Unfortunately, not everyone has mastered the art of constructive criticism. That's why I tend to keep my opinions to myself about specific diary entries. Unless we are friends in real life, it's not my place to tell you what to do.
  • Tank_Girl
    Tank_Girl Posts: 372 Member
    Im New to keeping a food diary... Its not that easy as ive discovered, not had a great food day today but its not as bad as it could
    be... yesterdays food diary was better, reason my diary is open so that I can get advice. On how to improve my diet
  • gldnlark
    gldnlark Posts: 53
    Hopefully, this site will one day enable them to look back on it and realize what they ate and what they were doing didn't work..?

    The calorie counter has helped me immensely.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I AM!! :noway: :noway:

    I really am shocked sometimes when you see someone saying how they are struggling to lose weight, so you glance at their diary.. and bloody hell!! (I'm Eeengleessh ;) .. NO WONDER!

    I didn't eat half that junk while I was GETTING fat! .. .. How you can expect to be losing ANY weight.. or doing any good .. for your body with a diary like that amazes me tbh.

    Breakfast - Junk
    Morning snack - Junk
    Lunch - Junk.
    Afternoon snack - Junk
    Dinner - None because ate so much junk this morning.
    Evening snack -Junk..

    :huh: :noway:

    But how can you POSSIBLY expect to lose weight, when you seem to be making almost ZERO effort with what is regularly going into your mouth?


    I have PMS ..
    does it show? .. :flowerforyou:

    . :huh: Glad you aren't looking at my diary. Or, at least, I don't see you saying things to me about it. I got enough judgemental crap when I was a kid.

    I don't look at other people's logs unless I am asked to. It is none of my business.

    Same. If I can offer a different take, I'll say something.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    I don't look at other people's food diaries because other people don't have the medical issues I do.

    You see, I am intolerant of fructose, and have IBS triggered by cruciferous vegetables.

    I don't fantasize about cake and cookies and chocolate, but about oranges and strawberries and lush black grapes. And I stare with longing at broccoli and cabbage. But I don't want to live with a constant migraine and lowgrade nausea and bodyaches, and I do not want to have the gut upsets that indulging in a nice serving of beef with broccoli would give me. So I can't eat these things.

    Using packaged meals on occasion is both simple (on really busy/painful days) and keeps me reminded of what a normal size portion is. It would be very easy to slip back into eating just too huge a quantity.

    As it is, though, I find that I can eat just about anything I want, and what I want is mostly well within my calorie count for the day. (laugh) The other day I sat down in the evening to summarize, realized I was five hundred calories low, and groaned because I was SO not hungry! So I left it at that, because I have a rule not to eat when I'm not hungry, and that trumps the calorie intake math.

    Everyone is different, different things work for different people. and I wish us all a smooth progress to the health we desire.

    This. I am allergic to most fruits and would LOVE to be able to have 8 servings of fruit and veggies a day.
  • Tixxie
    Tixxie Posts: 11
    Opening my diary helped me A LOT .. it made me accountable.. because I KNEWWW people would see if I stuffed my face with cr@p that day.. ..

    Accountable to other people? The only person you need to be accountable to is yourself. A calorie eaten in private is a still a calorie ...
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    At times I will look at other diaries that are public for meal ideas, but like the OP said, it's an eye opener as some food choices people make are more than I ever ate to get here in the first place (i.e all fast food, multiple servings of franks, burgers, sandwiches as a serving) and when I see them posting about having no calories left or why they're not losing weight, I really do wonder what they're thinking. I mean, fine if it's working for you and you are losing weight, but if you aren't, somethings obviously wrong with what your'e doing.

    I just shrug my shoulders and of course I'm not saying anything unless someone asks for an opinion on their diary or on what they're doing wrong. I do give people credit for keeping their diaries open despite what they say they're consuming. My diary is open to my friends and I log to keep myself accountable.

    But bottom line is, yes I am surprised.
  • sunnyshine1313
    sunnyshine1313 Posts: 112 Member
    And this is why my diary is private. I don't eat a bunch of junk, but I don't like the idea of people looking at my food choices and judging me. I try not to do it to others, either. Technically, you can eat what you like as long as you're within your calorie limit for the day, so getting on my high horse and looking down on other people for what they eat is not going to help them lose more weight.

    Totally agree, used to have mine public but felt like I may be getting criticized for what I was eating :cry: when I am new at trying to eat healthy and still struggle with it, but I do stay within my calories.
  • cersela
    cersela Posts: 160 Member
    I keep mine public for the sole purpose of judgment, it might sound strange but thinking that some person out there might be 'tisking' at me helps me be more accountable. At first I was private about it, but now my grandmother knows about my foodblog (and will comment about things I eat when I visit her.) I can't tell you how much that has helped me make better choices.

    The only time I look at other people's are when they make 'look at my eating habits' posts or logs of people on my friend's list for ideas.
  • Eupho
    Eupho Posts: 201 Member
    I like looking at people' diaries. It gives me ideas on what to eat.

    Me too!
  • rcc1988
    rcc1988 Posts: 125 Member
    I don't usually look at food diaries but I did look at one of someone's and it was literally, no lie, fast food, pizza, and cherry pie every single day.

    I keep clicking back through the days thinking surely, surely I've just caught this young lady during a binge week and she doesn't always eat like this! But nope. Pizza, fries, and pies all day erry day. (And occasionally Hostess/Little Debbies snack cake muffiny things.) Well...whatever. More power to her, I guess?
  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 639 Member
    I don't randomly comment on what people eat unless they start a thread asking for help or complain on their status. I assume this holds true for most people? No one on here is perfect, that's why we all need to trim down and are on a journey to do so, and that journey is not a straight line to the finish line, but a squiggly one with plateaus and setbacks.

    If you're serious about losing weight you will be honest with your logging and log all. Rest assured if you don't log perfectly, your body keeps track of every calorie in. I equate hidden diaries with people binging in private. You might think no one knows about all the crap you eat, but what you eat in private shows up on your body in public.

    There are people that are on here that just aren't ready yet to lose weight. When you are ready, you just do it. There's no excuses like the need to have a hidden diary. Your diary being open is a helpful tool. I see so many people on the message boards get help by getting feedback on their diaries. I also get inspiration from diaries to try new foods. For instance I see a ton of my friends eating sandwich thins and veggies burgers so I tried that for breakfast one week and it really kept me full.
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
    I look at diaries from time to time. Primarily of people who're losing well, or have lost a fair bit of weight, to see how they're doing it and to get ideas for the future.

    Edited to add: Darn, I really wish I hadn't read cherry pie.
  • VitaBailey
    VitaBailey Posts: 271 Member
    The one thing that I am surprised about is how many people fit alcohol into their diet. I guess it's good for me that I don't like the stuff. But I never realized how many people think it's important enough to work into their calorie count.
  • simplynaturalfarm
    simplynaturalfarm Posts: 73 Member
    I'm usually surprised at how much junk people can eat and get away with. Or how much packaged food they can eat and stay within their calories, that they can exist on so little junk and consider it nutrition . . . but I really don't judge them for it. LOL
    Me, I am fairly certain anybody who looks at my dairy is going to be horrified by the fat and protein because MFP is ridiculously unbalanced when it comes to carbs vs. fat and protein.
    I think everybody is different and different combinations work for different people. I can include carbs in my diet and it makes me hungrier next meal and I don't lose weight. If I cut those carbs out (even though my calorie count would allow for them) and add something more nutrient dense I am more full and more happy - and my skin is soo healthy!
  • icandothis_dani
    icandothis_dani Posts: 10
    Yeah I am surprised sometimes. I mean, am very honest with my food logging so whatever I eat, I log it, and as everybody else I have my bad days and some junk food can happen, but I see people doing it on a daily basis like really eating crap/junk food and just because it is within their calorie allowance they are just fine, no regrets lol.

    I dont think it works like this. It is very important to be within your calorie intake but also very important to think about some other stuff such as:

    # drinking plenty of water
    # having your 5 a day
    # cutting on sugar and fat
    # being careful with the sodium intake and much much more
    so thats how i try to act and think.

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