Open your food log to others or not, that's the question.

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bertabird
bertabird Posts: 52
in Motivation and Support
I am extremely concerned when it comes to people on MFP who won't share their food logs. If you want to lose weight, and you are friends with others on MFP, why wouldn't you want the encouragement one receives when they SEE what you've put in your face?
I think some have to think about why they came to MFP in the first place. Did you come to use the food and exercise logs? Did you come for advice from others who know your plight? Do you feel that you have no clue how to lose weight or to maintain your health? How can others help you if you aren't ready to give them the information they need in order to give a bit of advice? People can tell you all day how to do something but ultimately it is up to you.
Keeping a food journal makes a person responsible and accountable for what they put in their face. It is also a known fact that those who do keep a food journal lose more weight than those who don't. I thought about it when I first came to MFP. Do I really want people seeing what I ate? No, I didn't, but when I found myself cheating and not getting anywhere I knew that I did it because there was no accountability. There was anonymity but no accountability. Now that I share with others what I put in my face, it makes me responsible for my loss or gain. It puts a fire up my butt to get off of it and exercise. It makes me accountable for MY loss or gain. Complete honesty with others and especially with yourself is a part of your winning at losing.
Am I off base? Have I crossed a line? I honestly don't think I am nor do I think I have. Since I started showing others my log I have lost some serious weight. I have become a better person and I have made some friendships on MFP with others who also need a kick in the pants every now and then.
I get it that for some, their privacy is of the utmost importance. However, if you are friending with others across the globe and you are worried about privacy, don't you think you have slightly crossed that line already?
I don't claim to know everything, nor do I hang out on MFP shoveling advice to others, but I engage in debates at times, I do help encourage others to exercise and I do celebrate with others when they experience success.
I know some people will think I am wrong or am making a big deal out of something little, but I honestly don't understand why anyone would want to share their exercise, their thoughts for the day, their successess, their encouragements to others, and not their food logs. To me, it just doesn't make sense.
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Replies

  • dorianaldyn
    dorianaldyn Posts: 611 Member
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    I love your passion, but you're extremely concerned about someone like me that chooses to keep my diary private?! What I eat, how I get my calories is my business, no one else's. If for some reason what I was doing wasn't getting results and I *needed* help, then yes, I'd probably open it up to my friends so they could point out where I'm going wrong. But at this point, my diary is private. I'm fully able to hold myself accountable and it's working. Why fix something that isn't broken?
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
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    I agree with you on this. Why have friends on here at all then. And then there are people who respond with good job to friends with closed diaries. How do they know just because it says that they were under their calorie goal? They could have it set to 3,500 and ate 3,499 or only ate 800 with exercise and a net of 200.:huh:
  • DeMarraDontStop
    DeMarraDontStop Posts: 342 Member
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    Yeah I don't get it either, I had someone tell me they are shopping based on my food log and that was so cool to me. I mean not that I eat the best but people get ideas and I know I pick up ideas from viewing others food logs as well. I mean really what you eat is your business and I hope that no one is out there to criticize becase no one is perfect. I have good days and bad days but its no big deal for me to share....
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
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    Lots don't even realize it's an option, default is that your diary is private, if you don't go looking for settings you may not know it can be changed.
  • youngpip
    youngpip Posts: 18 Member
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    Sounds like you are the kind of person who has little willpower and will cheat if you haven't got someone looking over your shoulder. That's fine, open your food log and get the opinions of others.

    I am not one of those people, so I'll keep mine private thank you very much and carry on losing 2lbs a week.
  • Jim1960
    Jim1960 Posts: 194
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    I know some people will think I am wrong or am making a big deal out of something little, but I honestly don't understand why anyone would want to share their exercise, their thoughts for the day, their successess, their encouragements to others, and not their food logs. To me, it just doesn't make sense.

    I certainly don't think it's a little thing. Logging, as you point out, is very helpful in weight loss. I do share my food logs, because I'm at the point where I need more people to keep me accountable. But I used to be at the point where exposing that log to others would in the end have caused me to quit. For many people with eating problems, exposing their food logs to others is a MAJOR step of trust and their own security. I do encourage people to share their logs with friends eventually - but only if they are comfortable with it.
  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
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    I am extremely concerned when it comes to people on MFP who won't share their food logs.

    Firstworldproblems
  • julieh391
    julieh391 Posts: 683 Member
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    To each their own, but I do think commenting "WTG" or "Great job!" on someone's diary that is private is silly. Someone could eat nothing but a box of ding dongs all day and still come in under. That's hardly a good job. :sick: But it's really not a huge deal if they don't want to share with me or other friends. I just am unable to provide much encouragement having little to no idea what they're eating. :ohwell: That typically results in them providing little encouragement to me, and eventually me unfriending them because it's pointless (to me) to have "friends" I'm not actually interacting with.
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
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    Don't like people who don't have open journals? Fine. Don't friend them. Otherwise - why do you care, outside of a need to find some way to make yourself feel superior to how you are losing weight?

    Food is a deeply personal relationship for lots of people. Implying that other people are not committed simply because they don't want to publicly air that is just plain being nosey and overconcerned with what others are doing. (And this comes from someone with an open journal. Who cares, really?)
  • bertabird
    bertabird Posts: 52
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    I love your passion, but you're extremely concerned about someone like me that chooses to keep my diary private?! What I eat, how I get my calories is my business, no one else's. If for some reason what I was doing wasn't getting results and I *needed* help, then yes, I'd probably open it up to my friends so they could point out where I'm going wrong. But at this point, my diary is private. I'm fully able to hold myself accountable and it's working. Why fix something that isn't broken?

    That is awesome that it is working for you. And I did say I understand other's rights to privacy. And if it's not broke, then don't fix it. I just don't know how some who are struggling with their food and exercise goals can still keep their log private.
  • Jim1960
    Jim1960 Posts: 194
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    Sounds like you are the kind of person who has little willpower and will cheat if you haven't got someone looking over your shoulder. That's fine, open your food log and get the opinions of others.

    I am not one of those people, so I'll keep mine private thank you very much and carry on losing 2lbs a week.

    Wow. Just a wee bit judgmental?
  • FitFabFlirty92
    FitFabFlirty92 Posts: 384 Member
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    That is awesome that it is working for you. And I did say I understand other's rights to privacy. And if it's not broke, then don't fix it. I just don't know how some who are struggling with their food and exercise goals can still keep their log private.

    I really don't understand how it's any of your business either way. Why not just worry about YOUR journey and what works for YOU, instead of stressing about everyone else?
  • enigmachik
    enigmachik Posts: 150
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    You may have joined MFP to get ideas/motivation/help from others, but I did not. I joined so that I'd have a place to log my calories every day and see my macros. That's pretty much it. Yes, I check the community section once in awhile, but I don't need anyone else to validate what I'm doing. It works for me. The fact that you are "extremely concerned" about me is overly dramatic and ridiculous. You worry about you. I'll worry about me. Thanks :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I keep my diary open to my friends, but I have no problem with people keeping there's closed. It's no skin off my back, and I doubt I'd really look anyway unless someone specifically asked me to. I kept a food journal before I found MFP...the old fashioned way, pen and paper. It wasn't open to anybody obviously.

    I don't personally keep a food journal because I need people to comb through it and make suggestions or whatever...I keep a food journal because I'm tracking my calories and macros as well as sat fat intake and sodium intake due to health reasons. I can pretty much do that on my own...I'm an accountant and I'm pretty good things like this, as well as finding solutions to "budgetary" issues (i.e. my nutrition budget). If I want someone's advice, I'll ask for it. If I think a friend has some particularly good nutrition ideas, I might ask them if I could take a peek at their diary...otherwise, I really don't care what anyone else is doing.
  • youngpip
    youngpip Posts: 18 Member
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    Sounds like you are the kind of person who has little willpower and will cheat if you haven't got someone looking over your shoulder. That's fine, open your food log and get the opinions of others.

    I am not one of those people, so I'll keep mine private thank you very much and carry on losing 2lbs a week.

    Wow. Just a wee bit judgmental?
    The OP said she would cheat unless her diary was open, so not judgemental. Trying to make the point that everyone is different so it's silly to suggest everybody should open their diaries by default.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
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    ...
    Now that I share with others what I put in my face, it makes me responsible for my loss or
    ...
    Since I started showing others my log I have lost some serious weight.
    ...

    These are not mutually exclusive events. I am accountable to me and only me. Having an open diary doesn't change that. Whether or not my diary is open has zero impact on whether or I am responsible for what I stuff in my face.

    I have lost serious weight and never once opened my diary to a soul. Again-these events are not mutually exclusive.

    It's my business what I eat, it's my body that accepts the consequences. I am fully capable of "owning" that reality and my choices without opening my diary.

    Ty for posting though-I'm a bit bored at work and this should liven up my day considerably.
  • youngpip
    youngpip Posts: 18 Member
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    You may have joined MFP to get ideas/motivation/help from others, but I did not. I joined so that I'd have a place to log my calories every day and see my macros. That's pretty much it. Yes, I check the community section once in awhile, but I don't need anyone else to validate what I'm doing. It works for me. The fact that you are "extremely concerned" about me is overly dramatic and ridiculous. You worry about you. I'll worry about me. Thanks :)
    ^^^this, agree 100%.
  • rfsatar
    rfsatar Posts: 599 Member
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    I hold myself accountable - you know why? Because I am a grown adult, and I am well aware that the combination of decent balanced meals and increasing exercise is my key to success. Always has been, always was, and t'was ever thus.

    My diary is open to friends, but I have to say.. one of the most encouraging pals I have here has their diary closed. We chat about different options for calorie goals, we chat about Cadbury's Creme Eggs, they supported me in my recent injury woes and encourage... all this without my seeing their diary. Does that make their support any less valid? No. Am I flattered when they ask me for recipes of some of the things they see in MY diary? Well yes.

    To me ... THAT'S what the social side of this site gives me.
    But for everything else... eating to a TDEE deficit, progressively rebuilding my training after another injury knockback... seeing pounds come off... that victory is all mine... if my friends want to share that's great too. But I log for me.
  • rachelxcrashes
    rachelxcrashes Posts: 2 Member
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    It's just one of those things. You can't really judge people for how they use MFP. The app/website is so wonderful because of its tools and that you can use the community of not use the community. When I first started trying to lose weight, I was pretty private about everything I was doing, but now I don't really care. I can understand why someone wants the support of the MFP community and why someone might not.
  • robin820
    robin820 Posts: 150 Member
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    Some people are not confident enough to share yet. Maybe they just joined and are seeing if the sight will help them out by just seeign themselves what they are actually eating and the calorie count. Som people just want to log their activity.. Not every nosey person out there needs to critique what someone else is eating or doing. When they are finally comfortable with the site they may open it up to some of their friends. It took me a while to trust some people, and then it helped my weightloss too. :O)

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