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

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?)

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.

I've been about 99% vegetarian this year, and I don't want someone giving me **** if they see I've had chicken.

I've been about 99% vegetarian this year, and I don't want someone giving me **** if they see I've had chicken.

What the ****.....you had ****ing chicken!

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?

I am extremely concerned when it comes to people on MFP who won't share their food logs.

You really don't have anything of more importance to be concerned about?

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?

Because I can do it myself. Not everyone needs a cheer squad.

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?

Yes, I did. Key word: I. For ME. I didn't do it for YOU.

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?

If I have a question, I will provide the necessary information it would require to get an answer.

People can tell you all day how to do something but ultimately it is up to you.

Exactly. So why does having a closed or open diary make any difference?

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.

Please cite your sources for this information.

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.

Just because you can't control what you put in your mouth or exercise if no one is watching, doesn't mean others can't.

Am I off base? Have I crossed a line?

It's just none of your business what others do.

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.

It's none of your business. You don't have to understand why people don't care about sharing what they ate for lunch with you.


Edit to add: Not everyone is here for the same reason.

Whether or not you open it or not is ultimately a personal choice. And no, I didn't say I would cheat if I didn't open my log to others, but I did say that it helps to keep me honest with others and with myself.

I have been overweight all of my life. I have struggled for years with my weight. I have been a yo-yo dieter for years. I would gain weight while others lost on the same program.

I am glad I opened my diary to others because it was a way to publicly OWN UP to my weight loss goals. It also saved my life. I didn't realize there were problems with me physically until I opened up my logs so that others could see. A MFP friend saw my log and made the suggestion to go see my doctor about it. I printed out the logs and took them to him. He was alerted by certain things and with his advice, I learned how to lose the weight by doing things a bit differently than what most people were doing. I didn't know I was sensitive to carbohydrates. I didn't know I was messing up.

I said before that FOR ME it was the right choice.

I never for one moment thought that I would see such venomous and rude things that some have written. So much for a decent public forum. I don't think I gained anything out of this at all except some possible hatred from those who think I am self righteous, or nosey or to caught up in others and their business to worry about my own. I think you missed the point and just thought you would make yourselves feel superior to me by asserting yourselves in a rude way. I wanted a healthy debate, not a judging of my personality or an attack on how I thought. Niiiice. Whatever gets you through the day, man. Don't bother trying to keep the conversation going, because I won't be back. Peace out.

Whether or not you open it or not is ultimately a personal choice. And no, I didn't say I would cheat if I didn't open my log to others, but I did say that it helps to keep me honest with others and with myself.

I have been overweight all of my life. I have struggled for years with my weight. I have been a yo-yo dieter for years. I would gain weight while others lost on the same program.

I am glad I opened my diary to others because it was a way to publicly OWN UP to my weight loss goals. It also saved my life. I didn't realize there were problems with me physically until I opened up my logs so that others could see. A MFP friend saw my log and made the suggestion to go see my doctor about it. I printed out the logs and took them to him. He was alerted by certain things and with his advice, I learned how to lose the weight by doing things a bit differently than what most people were doing. I didn't know I was sensitive to carbohydrates. I didn't know I was messing up.

I said before that FOR ME it was the right choice.

I never for one moment thought that I would see such venomous and rude things that some have written. So much for a decent public forum. I don't think I gained anything out of this at all except some possible hatred from those who think I am self righteous, or nosey or to caught up in others and their business to worry about my own. I think you missed the point and just thought you would make yourselves feel superior to me by asserting yourselves in a rude way. I wanted a healthy debate, not a judging of my personality or an attack on how I thought. Niiiice. Whatever gets you through the day, man. Don't bother trying to keep the conversation going, because I won't be back. Peace out.

Well in fairness that's not quite true - you asked some specific questions about people's motives, and voiced your "concern" about those motives if they don't declare all and sundry to anyone.
You specifically challenged the motives of people who log but do not share... and as such got responses from people who feel no need for additional accountability.

It is easy to filled with a sense of missionary zeal when you find something that works for you - you just want to share and advise in the hope that someone else can gain from your experiences.

I was astounded at how many people I knew in RL who were already on MFP!
On the flip side... someone I thought was a friend had nothing but scorn for what I was doing... even though I have been steadily losing weight... so.... lesson learned there for me...

So... it's fab that you have tapped into something that has really helped you on your journey, I just don't need to do the same to see success on my journey... and I exercised my right on a public forum to say so.
Best of luck in the rest of your endeavours.