Keeping it to yourself??

Trying to keep your goals to yourself from the people closest to you will never work. Support is a MAJOR factor in weight-loss, and to be frankly honest MFP isnt full of the "best" supporters.

I disagree with this as well. I kept it quiet from my friends and family for a long time and got the best support from MFP who were trying to do the same thing. There are some asshats on MFP but if you come across them, block them and spend some time finding the really good people here. I have a rocking friends list who I get the motivation from rather than friends and family. Best of luck to you!

Only my husband and two daughters know. I am also trying to keep it private from friends and work. I feel the same that it creates too much pressure and I would rather do it for myself and when I succeed, it will be a big surprise to everyone else who didn't know about it. My husband is the best supporter a woman could ever have and that has motivated me and my two daughters have been supportive as well! I am only 5 days into it and am very new to My fitness pal, but I am loving it so far! Good luck to you!

Do whatever works for you - i haven't shouted it from the rooftops but i guess if anyone asks i will tell them. My family and Boyfriend know, but that is about it

I kept my goals a secret back when I initially dropped 40lbs. I think support is a good thing but I didnt want to tell anyone because I was very determined and I wanted people to notice on there own OR not lol. When you drop 20 lbs people take notice and it feels really good when someone who hasnt seen you in a while gives a compliment. I was quietly determined. Support is a very big thing tho so I told my best friend, someone I trusted. But it was my own private thing and I wanted to do it for myself and not because I told a bunch of people and then had to make good on what I'd said I wanted to accomplish. I can relate with you about feeling the pressure.

This is a hard call....and completely an individual decision. It truly depends on how open of a person you are, how comfortable in sharing you are, how much you want to share, ( i/e general 'healthy eating' or specific numbers to lose, etc) and the people around you. My only advice would be to tread very very gently.
I've swung both ways myself. People who were seemingly just like me, I thought I'd get their support. Instead? Not at all....judgmental, sabotaging efforts, mean snarky comments, put downs, etc. it was really awful.
I've share with other weight loss warriors and that too can blow up in my face- it can turn competitive, comparing, etc. and get downright ugly.

Some people, honest to God want to support and encourage you, but have no clue what to say/do. They might say/do the wrong thing, thinking they are being helpful, when it makes you want to shove their ( or your) face in a cream pie. My dad was like that. He meant well, meant from the heart, but my God, the blows he'd say....so harsh.

Some people will go overboard on what they think is supportive, and become food nazi's...also not helpful.

So it depends on what you are needing, wanting and the people in your life, basically. I've done it alone, and I kind of enjoyed the 'secret' I had. I've done it semi-publicly and learned to live with the comments, and learned who I could trust, depend on. Also very publicly and that was really amazing, because people came out of the woodwork to support me and say amazing things to me that really helped me out.

I am too. Aside from my husband knowing. I want to surprise everyone

I kept it to myself for a long time, because I knew if I told people I was trying to lose weight, they would get hypercritical of what I was eating. Like, if I went to a family member's birthday party, and even just had one bit of somebody's cake or something, my family would get all up on me and say things like "Why are you eating that? Aren't you on a diet? How do you except to lose weight if you're eating cake all the time?"

I still haven't really told my family that I'm actively trying to lose weight. They do comment on my weight loss though. But I'm pretty sure they all just think it's magically happening by itself. (except for my dad, who accuses me of being on drugs. -.-)

I'm not keeping it to myself, exactly - most people at work know I've been making an effort over the last several months (and so have they). Although they were supportive at first, things got a little weird around the holidays as everyone got their halloween/thanksgiving/christmas gorge going. The chatter and conversation around food tends to get really strange as people vocalize either their pleasure or their justifications regarding various sugary treats... it starts to sound more and more like "diet talk," which personally drives me up the wall. I'm recommitting to a much more personal effort right now, in part because even when people are being "supportive" - in honestly nice and genuine ways - their comments end up making me feel bad.

For example: If I don't notice any visual difference in my appearance, and someone comments that I'm looking good or that I've lost weight, that makes me feel REALLY WEIRD in a bad way. If they don't know I've been working on it, then at least I can take it as genuine, if unecessary - if they do know, then I pretty much assume they're lying and get creeped out by how invested they are in MY appearance/health. I know, my brain's messed up. But that's why I'm keeping it on the relative down low right now.

Edit: Also, people usually misunderstand my reasons for making changes. It took a zillion years to accept my body, and how it looks and feels. The changes I'm making should result in fat loss (I've got some serious endocrine issues if it doesn't), but the point of them is not to "look good." So being supported on how my appearance is changing just sounds like criticism for what my appearance has been for the last ten years, not true support for what I'm doing. If that makes sense.

I've told my boyfriend, and friends only if they ask. I don't want them to treat me differently.

i tell everyone, ive nothing to hide, if anything i tend to spread the word on what they should be eating but i can be quite boreing.

Strangely enough I read about a study once that showed that you were more likely to achieve a goal if you didn't tell anyone about it because telling someone about your goal gives your body almost the same feeling as having accomplished the goal and then you no longer feel motivated to achieve because you feel as if you had.

Here's the URL for it: http://www.mind-meditations.com/motivation/want-to-achieve-a-goal-don’t-tell-anyone/

I told some people about my goal and the rest just found out as I was working towards it.

Strangely enough I read about a study once that showed that you were more likely to achieve a goal if you didn't tell anyone about it because telling someone about your goal gives your body almost the same feeling as having accomplished the goal and then you no longer feel motivated to achieve because you feel as if you had.

Here's the URL for it: http://www.mind-meditations.com/motivation/want-to-achieve-a-goal-don’t-tell-anyone/

I told some people about my goal and the rest just found out as I was working towards it.

Ok now thats really interesting!

Only those closest around me know that I'm getting back in shape and I prefer it like that. MFP is the only place I post about exercising and what I eat. Posting it all over FB is not me and I find myself rolling my eyes when other FB friends post about going to the gym everyday, what they eat everyday, etc, each to his/her own I suppose. Even now when current pictures of me are posted on FB and there's an obvious difference, when people bring it up or compliment me, I only say thank you and don't mention my weight loss journey. While I'm glad family and friends have noticed my weight loss, the constantly talking about it does get on my nerves. 98% are totally supportive and then there's my Mom who compliments the weight loss, but likes to make sarcastic comments about my methods. And then there is a good friend who I don't get to see too often these days and she came into town for Christmas. Now, God love her, she is an airhead, but the one day we hung out together she gave me cookies for my Christmas present and then throughout the day kept handing me candy. I'm talking I would go to the bathroom and when I come back there is more chocolate waiting for me. Years ago when I said I wanted to get back into shape she said "But, you won't be the same person!", so I don't know if all the junk thrown at me was her attempt to sabotage me or just her usual "airheadedness." It was annoying nonetheless.

I keep it to myself and I do just fine.

I read this article last year about shutting up and doing it and I think about it quite often

http://todayhealth.today.com/_news/2011/12/29/9807220-should-you-keep-your-new-years-diet-a-secret

My close friends and family know about it but acquaintances no. I have tried and failed so many times that I didn't want to announce it until I had lost a significant amount.