Food Diary CHEATERS!

Brandywithrow

Hey I only read the original post so have no clue what anyone else comment.....

I usually try to put in everything im going to eat in a day when i wake up, just so ill know if im in my calories or not and (if) its a day im going to be eating something crappy I can figure out what exercise I have to do to make up for the extra calories, then I click the button at the bottom (see what you will weigh in 5 weeks) to see what it will be.

So then MFP put brandy stayed within her calories and sometimes people say hey good job!

Then later in the day something changes (my husband wants something different for dinner) whatnot and I go back in at the end of the day and make changes accordingly and some days I put that I was going to exercise so I eat the calories early (because i dont like eating at night ) and something comes up and I cant workout!

So I do understand what your saying and sometimes I do the same thing and look at peoples diaries for ideas but I cant always eat (fat free this) and l(low cal that) so for me if I am having pizza or something like that I just limit my portions and stay within my calories!!

karmasBFF

Let me start by saying I pass no judgement on anyone, this is not in reference to any one particular person, most are not even on my friends list.

I am all about encouraging people for doing a great job for staying under their calories, and I try my best to post a comment on each status that acknowledges the achievement. Often times, I will go to the person's page and look at their diary for ideas. Then I see they are under their calories because they hit the "close" button right after breakfast. Or they had a half of a Little Caesar's Pizza for breakfast but then a yogurt for lunch and an orange for dinner. Or they remove things from their diary that I KNOW they ate. I won't go into specifics but lets just say if you're going to admit your guilt for having eaten it, make sure you dont remove it from your diary.

Maybe I am just being hard on people because I want everyone to experience LONG-TERM success but I really think it is stealing the glory of other peoples' efforts (yes, including mine) when someone claims to be under their calories but they are not doing it the right way. Isnt pizza for breakfast and nothing else the rest of the day "cheating" in a sense? I also realize that its an automatic response generated by the site. But then remove it before you start getting credit for something you really didnt achieve....not the healthy way, anyway. and ESPECIALLY if you know you lied about what you ate!

So now, I cant help but look at people's diaries, not for ideas anymore, but to see if they have actually earned the congratulatory comments. Does anyone else do this? Do you give these people encouragement in the form of positive adjectives on their status? Because I don't.

Like I said, maybe I'm just being hard on people because I know the effort I am putting forth, but I just had to put this out there!

Any opinions, judgements, ideas-I am definitely open to reading because Lord knows that sometimes, I have looked at things from the wrong angle. I just really don't see a "right" angle.

If someone wants to cheat its still them not losing weight. I just encourage because thats what you should do. Personally, I set mine up the night before, add and subtract as needed and close "finished" (or whatever it is) after I know I am done for the day... Lol i dont really even pay much attention if i log things under the right time of day! lol

Now is eating a pizza for breakfast, and then maybe doing 200-300 cals the rest of the day, wrong? Prob not but def not healthy.

Yes, I do the same thing...I just logged tomorrow but I wont close until tomorrow night. I, too, make changes, as sometimes, I cant finish everything that I logged, sometimes my kids will steal some of my food and sometimes I have a craving I cant curb!


LMBO @ not even sure if its under the right time of day! LOL

lemonllama

Im not sure if you'd considered it or not but maybe they had PLANNED to eat something and didnt?? I know a lot of people plan their meals out in the morning and then hit enter and see what they would weigh and then they try to stick to that plan....

Ive tried that a few times and if I end up NOT eating what I had already planned I delete that and then enter what i really did eat..

I dont think that the majority of people hit the complete or whatever the button is, to get "kudos" or anything- I think they hit it to see the "if everyday were like today you'd weigh.." I mean if I go OVER i even hit it just so i can slap myself in the face by seeing how much weight I'd gain, not so all my friends can see I went over, same goes for under, im not looking for a "good job!" Im looking to hopefully motivate myself by seeing how much I would lose if I kept it up...

I think if its your REAL life friend and you know they ate a whole pizza and then didnt enter it, then maybe you just shouldnt look at their profile for support, or delete them off...

AND, if somebody DID have pizza for breakfast, I dont think they're CHEATING by eating light all day, if I want to go out for pizza for lunch I'll try to stay light for the rest of the day so I dont go over my calories..

I feel whatever works for the person they should be allowed to do... I dont think theres a CHEATING on a weight loss site, Its for each of us to use how we please to help reach our own goals.

godblessourhome

i hear what you are saying. it does stink to see people lying to themselves; it is hard to know what to say or how to react.

just to give you one reason why their food may be changing, it could be that they 'plan' on eating one thing but actually end up eating another. i input what i planned for fuel this morning, but ended up changing my diary tonight when my meal changed.

if you can, give them the benefit of the doubt.
dawn

BrendaLee

GAWWWWW.....go run some laps or something....wayyyy too much time on your hands..

Thanks for your CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM...then again I would be pretty upset, too, if I was guilty of what this post is discussing!

Like I said, I pass no judgement, but people who live in glass houses should NEVER throw stones...

Good luck on your weight loss journey!

Didn't you say you would never the call the person out on it? lol

lreed

I plan my whole day out and then true it up at the end of the day. Didn't know I could take the newsfeed off, so I just did! Thanks for the tip! Don't worry if others are fibbing to themselves on their food, it will obviously catch up with them on the weigh ins! BUT as a point of reference, I actually leave a few calories at the end of the night for my little treat, sometimes after I true up I find that I have only one hershey kiss, sometimes I get 3 hershey kisses, and sometimes I have to go get my butt up on the wii since I went over and then I exercise to get myself just to a couple of calories under. REALLY stupid, because really does 30 calories matter in a day, not usually, but it's how I keep myself accountable. BY THE WAY I LOVE SEEING HOW MUCH I WILL WEIGH IN 5 WEEKS, so sometimes I hit that button a couple of times. Hope everyone has a blessed evening! Good luck all! :flowerforyou:

karmasBFF

i hear what you are saying. it does stink to see people lying to themselves; it is hard to know what to say or how to react.

just to give you one reason why their food may be changing, it could be that they 'plan' on eating one thing but actually end up eating another. i input what i planned for fuel this morning, but ended up changing my diary tonight when my meal changed.

if you can, give them the benefit of the doubt.
dawn

I do the same thing! I plan the night before and adjust accordingly. But the one person that I was referring to posted a status about how guilty she felt for having ALREADY EATEN something (the calories in it were very high and took her over high enough that she couldnt eat the rest of the day if she planned on staying under). But later, when I looked to see how she accomodated (I figured it would be some kind of great eye-opener on how to handle that), it was gone! I couldnt believe it. I really think seeing this did me a disjustice because that is when I started looking into diaries for reasons other than ideas. Yes, I have to stop this and I completely acknowledge this; I just feel cheated when I congratulate someone for doing something they didnt really do!

And about the pizza in the morning and nothing else all day-I am guilty of this myself...I think its part of the process. To compensate for overeating at a meal as well as planning your meals so you CAN have dinner with the girls, etc, etc. But when its this kind of intake EVERY DAY, that's when I become worried.

Either way, thank you for your input and for your support. Although some of the responses were harsh, I definitely have a better grasp on how to handle this without feeling cheated and without cheating anyone else out of my support!

karmasBFF

GAWWWWW.....go run some laps or something....wayyyy too much time on your hands..

Thanks for your CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM...then again I would be pretty upset, too, if I was guilty of what this post is discussing!

Like I said, I pass no judgement, but people who live in glass houses should NEVER throw stones...

Good luck on your weight loss journey!

Didn't you say you would never the call the person out on it? lol

That was before a rock hit me in the forehead! :huh:

Mamakatspokane

i actually hate that it encourages being under the calories. i'm at 1200 calories/day and have reached a point where i'm so adjusted to it that i'm having trouble consistently hitting my calories. i don't want to be encouraged for under eating.

I also HATE that it encourages people to be under 1200 cals.

karmasBFF

i actually hate that it encourages being under the calories. i'm at 1200 calories/day and have reached a point where i'm so adjusted to it that i'm having trouble consistently hitting my calories. i don't want to be encouraged for under eating.

I also HATE that it encourages people to be under 1200 cals.

Me too...I keep my limit at 1380 but eat just over 1200...I figure it helps me lose weight quicker but I am definitely eating what I should!

BrendaLee

GAWWWWW.....go run some laps or something....wayyyy too much time on your hands..

Thanks for your CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM...then again I would be pretty upset, too, if I was guilty of what this post is discussing!

Like I said, I pass no judgement, but people who live in glass houses should NEVER throw stones...

Good luck on your weight loss journey!

Didn't you say you would never the call the person out on it? lol

That was before a rock hit me in the forehead! :huh:

Isn't it funny how these threads can spin out of control? Sometimes I get wrapped up in a thread, and I think...seriously? Did it really come to this? lol

karmasBFF

GAWWWWW.....go run some laps or something....wayyyy too much time on your hands..

Thanks for your CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM...then again I would be pretty upset, too, if I was guilty of what this post is discussing!

Like I said, I pass no judgement, but people who live in glass houses should NEVER throw stones...

Good luck on your weight loss journey!

Didn't you say you would never the call the person out on it? lol

That was before a rock hit me in the forehead! :huh:

Isn't it funny how these threads can spin out of control? Sometimes I get wrapped up in a thread, and I think...seriously? Did it really come to this? lol

Yeah, for a minute I was worried that perhaps this was something I should have kept to myself...but you know what, I come here for support. And none of my REAL WORLD friends would understand so where else should I have posted this? I thought I was doing a good thing for myself and did not mean to offend anyone. But people being passionate, and honest, and sharing their thoughts is, in my opinion, refreshing! It just needs to be done constructively and respectfully. Hopefully, I did just that. :flowerforyou:

kiffypooh

Thank you all for your HONEST opinions. I do not mean to "police" people's diaries and I NEVER bring it to their attention, nor would I EVER, for the same reason that you all have stated: that's their business. But when people are looking for encouragement from me, that makes it my business. Not so much the diary, per say, but my encouragement. I understand that people have their under days and over days and cheat days and by no means is that beyond me because I have them too. I guess I am more agitated by one particular person that I have noticed puts foods in his/her diary, then goes looking for support or people to make them feel better, then he/she removes it to stay under the recommended calories and takes the encouragement for that, too! Does that really not bother anyone but me??? And everytime I see a diary that "looks" like its doing the same thing, it just further irritates me. I really do look at diaries for ideas but it seems like, in that, I get to see just how many people are being dishonest.

This is also an issue in my personal life: I work my *kitten* (sorry) off as a single mother to have what I have for me and my boys. And then I have friends to claim the "indepent woman" title and it is soooo far from the truth! They take money from men, from their fathers, from the government, from anywhere they can. And you are all right, to each their own, they are by no means affecting my success, but I definitely feel like they are stealing the glory of those that are truly doing it the right way.

I truly hope I did not offend anyone; it was just something I needed to vent because it really bothers me. I suppose in the end, it does NOT affect MY success and that's what really matters.

I totally hear what you are saying all the way around. I feel like I trust someone that is giving me advice or support from a place they have been, then I find out they are living off 800 cals and they don't know a thing they are talking about. It takes away the trust and confidence I have in them. If it's a day or two, whatever, but all the time. I have one cheat day a week (today) and I don't log and I eat that thing or two I've been really craving. I don't go over board or anything but I go over my calories, but I don't lie about or pretend I don't do it.

ScarletTarah

I do not cheat but I do mess with the buttons throughout the day, I try to preplan my meals and log them in way before I eat them, then I have to go back and tweek it to whether I ate more or less, I even bought a scale to make sure I get it exact or as close to it.

karmasBFF

Kiffy and Scarlet,

I think we all do this- preplan and play with that "magical" button at the bottom that tells us how skinny we will be in 5 weeks! LOL

I will offer you and everyone else that does this until we ALL reach our goals...

But I think Kiffy hit it right on the head with the trust issue. I trust that you have similar goals to mine. I trust that you are tired of yoyo dieting. I trust that you will teach me what you know. I trust that you will trust me. I trust that you will be honest so that NO ONE EVER FEELS CHEATED! I think, at its core, alot of people ARE overweight because they have been cheated at some point by someone. Its no lie that for many, food fills a VOID. And I'd bet my Disney trip that the void comes from being CHEATED.

LittleSpy

Just wanted to add that I almost always add my food in advance. So, you could see some indulgence added to my diary and then I decided not to eat it so I would remove it. How do you really know someone ate something?

Maybe they were just trying to plan their day & then decided to make different choices.
Right now I have 100g of strawberries & 1 tbs dark chocolate peanut butter logged. But now it's midnight and I seriously doubt I'll eat it. I already clicked the green button once & was under my calorie goal then, but *gasp* I'm going to go remove the strawberries & PB and click it again! :laugh:

I know I personally really don't care at all whether someone else sees me meet or not meet my calorie goal and my "friends" on MFP aren't even on my mind when I click the green button.

karmasBFF

Maybe they were just trying to plan their day & then decided to make different choices.
Right now I have 100g of strawberries & 1 tbs dark chocolate peanut butter logged. But now it's midnight and I seriously doubt I'll eat it. I already clicked the green button once & was under my calorie goal then, but *gasp* I'm going to go remove the strawberries & PB and click it again! :laugh:

Jib,

You always make me smile! I know this is the case for most of us, and perhaps I am holding on to this one person that is just CRAVING attention to the point where she lies to get it. Just one more lesson in life, I suppose. I think this post has taught me more about myself with regard to the things I make important to me. I have high standards so I have high expectations; now I just have to learn how to not hold other people to those standards...well those that are only as close as the keyboard is

LittleSpy

Jib,

You always make me smile! I know this is the case for most of us, and perhaps I am holding on to this one person that is just CRAVING attention to the point where she lies to get it. Just one more lesson in life, I suppose. I think this post has taught me more about myself with regard to the things I make important to me. I have high standards so I have high expectations; now I just have to learn how to not hold other people to those standards...well those that are only as close as the keyboard is

I actually understand where you're coming from in your OP. I just wanted to let you know that although my food diary may change throughout the day, it is by no means because because I'm crazy enough to waste my time trying to deceive you & other MFPers! :laugh:

PJilly

Isn't it funny how these threads can spin out of control? Sometimes I get wrapped up in a thread, and I think...seriously? Did it really come to this? lol

That happened to me just the other day, and I was thinking, "How did I get myself into this?" :laugh:

Tiddle

GAWWWWW.....go run some laps or something....wayyyy too much time on your hands..

seriously.... :noway: is it really that big of a deal that random people on the internet are "cheating" on their food diary. get over it..