Food Diary CHEATERS!

karmasBFF · February 2010

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.

mmccurrach · February 2010

I wouldn't have thought people were doing that to be sneaky, but maybe some are doing what I do....I hit that button after almost every meal out of curiosity so I can see how much I would weigh if I only had that many calories everyday for the next 5 weeks. I use to hit that button alot more before I realized it logged it on my status.

SugarHi · February 2010

I don't. But I keep mine private. What people want to log is their business, if their ashamed of something, that's their own personal beef and not mine to check in on them about. I can see how that could be agitating, but I say keep the positive comments coming, these people will probably come around, OR maybe the don't really use the site to log their foods they do it for other reasons... who knows. Have you confronted anyone on it yet?

MrsFerrare · February 2010

Wow, I'm new to this so I didn't even realize you could look at what others logged into their food charts. If they aren't honest in the logs, that's their business. It only affects them and their own success. Maybe they forgot or simply became discouraged? It's nobody'sbusiness but theirs.

readyforchange · February 2010

Well said Sugar. I agree that its nobodys business what others are doing in their food diary. This is probably why so many have their diarys private.

geekyjen · February 2010

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.

GinaB30 · February 2010

I figure if someone is doing that, they aren't hurting anyone but themselves...
I keep my food diary private, if I have a rough day than that's for me to deal with. =o/

epj78 · February 2010

I keep mine private also. But will say, I'm one of those people that once in a blue moon will eat pizza and that is it for the day. Really, that is all I eat. I don't consider that cheating. 90% of the time I eat healthy - but I do plan splurges in and when I do I don't think that is cheating at all. I'll also have "not hungry" days where my calories may only be 500 a day. That being said, sometimes I have hungrier days were my calories may reach 1800. I don't think it is fair to comment on what other people log on a single day - how can you "know" they are cheating or not recording anything unless you are with them?

mvl1014 · February 2010

I tend to support all my buddies with positive comments on their "under calorie goal for the day" posts. That said, 1) I tend to only do it if I know they're done for the day (i.e. if they're on Pacific time and it's noon here I know they just logged breakfast), and 2) lieing to yourself is pretty $h!++y.

BrendaLee · February 2010

I don't know, but it seems wrong to go around policing people's diaries- which is why I keep mine private, because that's the last kind of pressure I need. Most days I don't complete my food diary because I don't want the congratulations for the most part...I actually hate that feature. A person may be clicking the button to see what they would weigh in 5 weeks- I don't think there's any other way to get that information.

Don't be so quick to judge. It takes nothing away from your accomplishments whether they're being honest, cheating or just playing around with the site's features.

MirandaJayne · February 2010

I had friended a girl after reading a post of hers questioning if she should list the fried cheese sticks, nachos and jalapeno poppers she had for lunch. she said that she felt sick after having ate all this for lunch and was looking to other MFPers for support.
I really thought that this girl seemed real, however after a few weeks of following her food diary, I noticed that she was always under her calories for the day, because she too would do the same thing. she would post her breakfast and lunch which were almost always take out food/crapola, and would never list any snacks for dinner or she would skip lunch and post her bad choice dinner. she was always on target of her 1200 calories a day. She wasn't losing any weight nor would she log any, any form of physical activity.
Needless to say she was cheating and not even being honest with herself. So I took her off my friends list.

I enjoy reading other peoples food diarys for the same reason as you, for ideas/inspiration. And I like having my food diary posted as public to help keep me more accountable to myself and everyone else using this site.

don't worry I don't think you are being too harsh or judgemental.

BamaRose0107 · February 2010

I don't. The only time time I comment is when it pops up so in so has lost X amount in their weigh in or stuff like that. As for the food diary issue. I quess I am more worried about my own to keep a check on how much everyone else is consuming. I figure it is their business not mine. The only time I would look at someones food diary is if they asked me to for advice. I really don't think it would be a good idea to confront anyone about it. In my opinion it would just start trouble. I always keep my food diary on here private and now I am really glad.

thisemmabites · February 2010

I honestly don't let it bug me, especially because I have a lot already that I'm stressing about. Even if my friends don't make their calorie goals I try to give them some encouragement. Just relax !

PJilly · February 2010

Most days I don't complete my food diary because I don't want the congratulations for the most part...I actually hate that feature.

Did you know you can change your News Feed Settings? You can select or deselect all of the following for purposes of notifying your friends when:
# I become friends with someone
# I reply to a topic on the message boards
# I create a new topic on the message boards
# I create a new blog post
# I commented on someone else's news feed update
# I wrote on someone else's profile page
# I have not logged into MyFitnessPal for an extended period
# I have logged in for several days in a row
# I have lost weight
# I have completed my diary for the day

emilyfh · February 2010

maybe you should worry about your own weight loss, Im here to loss weight for myself, If someone wants to eat 3 pizzas thats there business. this is a free sight!

Kudzu · February 2010

I understand what you are saying BUT the way I look at it is they are only cheating themselves.....My goal, by using this site, is to be honest with myself and to truly make a life change.....to make my goal and to maintain it, to be healthy and strong as I grow older. I don't think you should waste your time and energy worrying about them....each of us is responsible for the choices we make.............. and in the long run you are the winner if you reach your goal and are healthy when you get there! We just have to accept that not everyone will be honest and they probably won't reach and maintain their goal....that's their loss! :bigsmile:

Keep up your hard work regardless!!!:flowerforyou:

BrendaLee · February 2010

Most days I don't complete my food diary because I don't want the congratulations for the most part...I actually hate that feature.

Did you know you can change your News Feed Settings? You can select or deselect all of the following for purposes of notifying your friends when:
# I become friends with someone
# I reply to a topic on the message boards
# I create a new topic on the message boards
# I create a new blog post
# I commented on someone else's news feed update
# I wrote on someone else's profile page
# I have not logged into MyFitnessPal for an extended period
# I have logged in for several days in a row
# I have lost weight
# I have completed my diary for the day

I didn't know that! Thank you.
__

Where do you change that? lol
__

Found it.

MirandaJayne · February 2010

maybe you should worry about your own weight loss, Im here to loss weight for myself, If someone wants to eat 3 pizzas thats there business. this is a free sight!

yes it is a free sight and it is peoples own business, but this site offers so much support through other users, and that i think is what the main message is. She wants to offer positive feedback when people are learning to make positive choices for themselves to reach life long weight loss. When people cheat or lie to themselves they are only going to reach minimal short term goals, only to relapse and have to start all over again.

Its too bad that you are here only for you, because maybe by taking that view point you will miss out on lots of positive and constructive feedback. No noone wants to hear the contsructive feedback but that is the dose of reality that we all need from time to time.

Maybe everyone responding to this thread should review what she is asking. she is asking for feedback on her feelings about a friend who is cheating and venting her frustrations with this.

MirandaJayne · February 2010

maybe you should worry about your own weight loss, Im here to loss weight for myself, If someone wants to eat 3 pizzas thats there business. this is a free sight!

yes it is a free sight and it is peoples own business, but this site offers so much support through other users, and that i think is what the main message is. She wants to offer positive feedback when people are learning to make positive choices for themselves to reach life long weight loss. When people cheat or lie to themselves they are only going to reach minimal short term goals, only to relapse and have to start all over again.

Its too bad that you are here only for you, because maybe by taking that view point you will miss out on lots of positive and constructive feedback. No noone wants to hear the contsructive feedback but that is the dose of reality that we all need from time to time.

Maybe everyone responding to this thread should review what she is asking. she is asking for feedback on her feelings about a friend who is cheating and venting her frustrations with this.

sofaking6 · February 2010

I agree with most of the responses here: you're really hurting yourself if you're paying that much attention to what other people are doing EXCEPT those people you can learn from. Focus on yourself and those who can be good role models for you, you'll find it MUCH less stressful! :glasses:

My food diary is public but I never expect anyone to be looking at it lol..I'm so boring

karmasBFF · February 2010

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.

karmasBFF · February 2010

maybe you should worry about your own weight loss, Im here to loss weight for myself, If someone wants to eat 3 pizzas thats there business. this is a free sight!

yes it is a free sight and it is peoples own business, but this site offers so much support through other users, and that i think is what the main message is. She wants to offer positive feedback when people are learning to make positive choices for themselves to reach life long weight loss. When people cheat or lie to themselves they are only going to reach minimal short term goals, only to relapse and have to start all over again.

Its too bad that you are here only for you, because maybe by taking that view point you will miss out on lots of positive and constructive feedback. No noone wants to hear the contsructive feedback but that is the dose of reality that we all need from time to time.

Maybe everyone responding to this thread should review what she is asking. she is asking for feedback on her feelings about a friend who is cheating and venting her frustrations with this.

Thank you sooo much for seeing my point of view. Its always difficult to watch people struggle and by no means am I saying that people are lying "intentionally". I mean, it is a conscious choice, but I think it comes from a whole other issue inside. Contrary to how some people feel, I am here for EVERYONE, not just me...that is the point of a support network isnt it? And I would want someone to "mind my business" to keep me on track. Because it is for the long term and I would love to be a part of peoples' success as they are such an integral part of mine.

Thank you again Miranda!

BrendaLee · February 2010

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.

I see what you're saying. I've never experienced that, which is probably why it doesn't bother me. Dishonesty does suck though, and is completely pointless, but I think some people just need the attention.

karmasBFF · February 2010

I agree with most of the responses here: you're really hurting yourself if you're paying that much attention to what other people are doing EXCEPT those people you can learn from. Focus on yourself and those who can be good role models for you, you'll find it MUCH less stressful! :glasses:

My food diary is public but I never expect anyone to be looking at it lol..I'm so boring

LOL! That is exactly why I look. Because, for me, boring leads to cheating...and I am trying to avoid that like the plague! Mine is public too, for other people to review, find ideas, and yes, criticize. Its public because I WANT to be held accountable for my food and if I can lie to myself about what I actually eat, then I can lie to myself about why its ok. Thank you for sharing!

stormieweather · February 2010

I don't cheat (I'm only cheating myself, if I do). But I don't judge others as to the accuracy of their entries. I assume that if someone asks what they're doing wrong and invites viewing, that they're being honest, otherwise no one can get an accurate picture of their diet.

But what anyone else does is irrelevant to me and my progress.

ebh1024 · February 2010

I want to say I enjoy getting positive feedback. That is why I really like this site, all the support. The way that I look at this too, is that by deleting, lying or whatever only hurts that person. Trust me, today I ate so much crap I was embarrased to log it, but I did. Just so I can slap myself in the face. But in some cases people look at calories as a calorie is a calorie. So if they choose to eat a pizza for breakfast, well their choice and their calories. It is all about your own honesty and what you want to gain from this site.

lazygalina · February 2010

when you are cheeting - you are cheeting yourself!!!! you can eat pizza and pretend you did not...but final result when you will Weight yourself!!! I agree...we do not have a police here...you log your food for yourself... and GOOD LUCK cheeter !!! you will not be able to acheve your goasl!!!

noseovertail · February 2010

If you are THAT bothered by one particular user's eating & logging habits, why not just delete them off your friends list? Problem solved.

karmasBFF · February 2010

I want to say I enjoy getting positive feedback. That is why I really like this site, all the support. The way that I look at this too, is that by deleting, lying or whatever only hurts that person. Trust me, today I ate so much crap I was embarrased to log it, but I did. Just so I can slap myself in the face. But in some cases people look at calories as a calorie is a calorie. So if they choose to eat a pizza for breakfast, well their choice and their calories. It is all about your own honesty and what you want to gain from this site.

The slap in the face is precisely why I log it too! And I won't lie, I am guilty of trying to convince myself that it was really a tsp and not a tbsp of ranch dressing! but in the end, I make myself be honest. Lying reminds me of the too many times I went to McDs for me and the boys...got our food, plus 2 extra dbl cheeseburgers, scarfing them down in the car and hiding the wrappers just so I could hide the truth. And that didnt help me, it got me here at 219 lbs-and that is AFTER a 13lb weight loss. I just hope these people will realize that its hurting them...and some may not understand, but I have a heart that opens as wide as the ocean for anybody that needs it, so it equally SUCKS when you see someone hurting themselves.

Thank you for sharing!

karmasBFF · February 2010

If you are THAT bothered by one particular user's eating & logging habits, why not just delete them off your friends list? Problem solved.

I've thought about it, and I will be taking this course of action eventually. But in the back of my mind, I will know they are struggling. It just sucks to think about that, you know....sorry for being sooooo sensitive! LOL My mother was a martyr for a long time, always sacraficing herself for others well being...I guess I havent completely over come that yet! :ohwell:

noseovertail · February 2010

Sorry, I guess I just don't see the point in even complaining about this. If that person is going through a hard time or whatever, don't you feel bad for creating this post complaining about them? I'm new to the site so maybe I don't understand.... but if I were the person you were complaining about and dedicating an entire thread to, I'd rather you just delete me.

Food Diary CHEATERS!

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