Why I closed my diary.

We all come here for support/help/community and I think its horrible that anyone was anything other than helpful to you. Members should be making helpful suggestions not giving you a hard time about your food choices.

great post - totally understandable

When I first opened the post I didn't think I'd read all the way through to the end...but I did.

Congratulations on making such big life changes that have brought you and your family into focus.

Absolutely the same for me!

OP you have quite the way with words that kept me intrigued.

I'm so happy you have reduced your stress level, and regained the family life that was once slipping away. Keep doing what you need to do for YOU, and be damned with everyone else

I opened mine because of peer pressure, most days I wish it was still closed but the days I do really well I want to show the world! It's a tale of two sides.

Come Christmas I hope you meet that goal of seeing a "3" at the start of your number, I hope to emulate relative success aswell. Good luck.x

Very well said! I enjoyed your story- and congratulate you on your many accomplishments! I too keep my diary open to encourage me to stay in my calories. If I was getting the emails and comments daily that you were-I would have done the same. Ultimately this is your journey, and you know what will and won't work for you. Wishing you continued success, and ignore the nay-sayers! You're doing awesome!

i appreciate your story. i am working my own program and have thought about closing my dairy also. by the way, great job so far.

I've only just started on here and I love all your posts and updates. If you feel the need to close your diary then good for you - I'm only sticking to calories right now and trying to work out how to get things in balance. I haven't had any comments like the ones you're talking about, but if I ever make comments like that to anyone I hope they call me out on it, because even constructiv criticism can seem like just criticism when you're trying to achieve something. I'm so impressed by your journey and I know you'll reach your goals, you're super supportive to your friends on here and I hope we can offer the same support to you.

And wooooh I'm one of those friends from across the puddle hahah! Aye-aye mate, apples and pears

TL;DR = I like bad food and don't want people to criticise my intake.

Funny but nobody's commented on my (not very healthy but open) food diary in the last 4 months I've been here.

Just eat what you want to eat but less of it. Input < output. Fancy a Twinkie? http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

I understand perfectly. This is a life change not a "diet". I also keep my diary closed for this exact reason. I cannot do this if I don't indulge myself occasionally. It's usually a meal not a whole day. I'm losing slowly and that's the way to do this. Most importantly only you know what's best for you!

I loved your story and I wish you the best of luck. We can do this...our way!

Brother, you do what works for you! I understand that the site is for us to help and encourage each other but from what I have read in some posts there are those who go way overboard on the advice. Keep on trucking and you will meet your goals (not their goals)

Amen and best wishes with your new healthier lifestyle.

Good for you! We all have to start somewhere & I wish you the very best in your weight loss journey! Don't let anyone's opinion of what you should eat change what you know is right for you in this moment. I know I don't, but then again I don't tolerate people nitpicking my foods either. Eventually, when it's the right time, we'll all find balance in what we eat.

That was a very interesting and well explained post! I totally understand and kudos to you! It is a lifelong process and for those of us who have had a lifetime of not so good eating habits and suffered the consequences of it, we have to do something that we can stick with. I personally like to look at other people's diaries to get ideas on go to foods that seem to help in losing weight and changing the way I eat on a consistent basis. You have to do what is helpful to you and from your post you've made some very good choices in your life and I have no doubt you will continue and succeed. Best wishes to you and thanks for the post!

It's unfortunate that you felt that you had to explain yourself on how much sugar/salt you intake on a site that is here to support and encourage people. I think the fact that you are trying to eat healthier, are more aware of what you use to fuel your body and have lost weight are the key factors. Great Job!!

Good luck to you on your weight loss journey!!!

LOL, when I was in my relative youth, I decided to eliminate sodium from my diet. The maternal side of my family had a history of heart issues and I wanted to be heart healthy. So, I stopped using table salt, and stopped eating high sodium foods like fast food french fries. I felt really good about myself, until I didn't. I started feeling off and then there was this swelling on my neck :-(It turns out that the lack of iodine (e.g. iodized salt) caused a *goiter* to start to develop! Really?! I thought that was some sort of 19th century condition like gout (yeah, I know gout still persists.) Anyway, I had also developed a distaste for salty things so my doctor recommended eating more shellfish for the natural iodine content. Okay, I'm on board with that except that many shellfish are high in cholesterol, which of course isn't very heart healthy! Lesson learned: moderation in all things and; I'm grateful I'm not allergic to shellfish!

I understand your decision. If what you are doing is working out for you, it can be exhausting and frustrating to have to defend that position on a daily basis. I myself, focus on the net calorie goal and let the macros fall where they may. I'm sure if my friends genuinely cared, they would be appalled at some of my macro numbers! Last night I had pulled pork sandwiches on giant onion hamburger buns! I made my calorie goal; but looking now at the Na table, insanely high numbers!

Anyway, I wish you Good luck on you continued success ;-)

Another well written and well said post from Scott - an inspiration to many including me.

I never did have my diary open nor will I ever - my daily posts when I close my food diary for the day lets everyone know if I met my goals today or not - and thats enough. As Scott said - I have better things to do with my time than listen to the food nazis when I decided to have a Mcdonalds double cheeseburger for dinner (and still stayed within my numbers btw!) instead of a salad or some such thing.

The reason I call this a lifestyle change instead of a diet is that 1 - majority of diets fail and I'm going to succeed - period! and 2 - Diets dont make sense to me - dont eat carbs for a month then start eating them again - too much stress on the body to me and carrying around an extra person worth of weight is enough stress on my body or eat nothing but grapefruit for a month - Im sure that'll work well for me since I loathe grapefruit.

MFP / IPOARM works for me because I can eat whatever I want as long as I stay within my numbers - if that means 2-3 slices of pizza and thats it so be it but since 2-3 slices of pizza isnt enough food for a day for me to function at anything close to human emotions - I'd rather break my daily cals into smaller meals that keep me happy (and my co-workers happy with me!) I eat better foods and feel better Im even eating fruit regularly for the first time since I was a kid - as I continue on this journey the sodium intake will drop, the fat intake will drop, and the other nutrients will rise - it's inevitable as I learn better choices and make them- but I will always make room in any food plan that I use for my favorites - and yes my high sodium, higher cal, higher fat Mcdonalds double cheeseburger will be in that list - so wiil subway!

Love and luck to all!

You are SO right to do what you are doing. What matters is that you have to be able to LIVE with your lifestyle change and having people nag and lecture you about it is the absolute last thing you want or need just now. This is why my diary is only open to a few picked friends by means of a password.

You carry on the good work and keep doing what works for you. I hope you make it to the 300s by Christmas but don't beat yourself up about it if you don't - the important thing is that you are doing something about it all. It takes time to work through something like this.