WHY HIDE YOUR FOOD DIARY ??

I am totally honest in my diary. I have days where I am a superhuman rock-star eater and days where I am just human. I have lost 37 lbs and have toned my body. I had my diary open for awhile(about mid way through my journey) but now it's closed. It's not out of shame or fear. It's not because I don't want feedback or because I don't want to help others. It's because for me it's really detrimental to my mental health! I start over thinking it WAY too much. This is meant to be a tool for me to stay healthy, to me that means overall health and if having my diary open makes this a negative then guess what it stays closed. We are all different in how we handle things. If people want their diary closed that is their personal choice, and it just might work for them! If anyone wants to know my strategy I tell them. Sometimes I post recipes or meals I just don't feel like people need to see my every decision, heck just because what I do works for me doesn't mean it will work for them. I hope having your diary open helps you. I think this site is meant to be positive so maybe focus on that!

I think this thread and a few responses are sufficient enough reason for someone to lock their diary. People really don't need judgmental messages about their diaries, particularly from people who are not nutrition experts. Mine is completely open but quite a few of my friends have their diaries locked, and I also lost the vast majority of my weight before joining MFP using a variety of other calorie counting apps that did not include a social network.

My advice? Back off. Encouragement and Judgement are two very different things.

I am accountable for my choices and I am honest with myself. That doesn't mean I care what random strangers on the internet think. My real world family and friends are all the support I need. I am here to continue to maintain my 125lbs weightloss and to reach my fitness goals. I may not be an expert but I think I have MY needs figured out. Just because you have issues being honest with yourself that doesn't mean I am in the same boat as you.

My diary is for me, and I am completely honest with myself. My diary is also open to my friends. But unless I have a question to post, it will remain closed to the public because it isn't any of your business . If I want advice, I will ask for it.

I explain in my profile the reasons why mine is locked:

My food diary is locked and will remain that way for a couple reasons:

1) I eat reasonably healthy, but I won't hold my diet up as an example for anybody else to emulate.

2) What I'm doing works for me and I really don't care what anybody else thinks of it.

This is how I am. I don;t go into forums saying "Why can't I lose weight." If I wanted advice about that I would unlock mine. But what I'm doing works for me. I eat less calories then people think I should, but I'm not hungry and don't feel effects from it. If I feel like I', limiting to much I eat more. There are some days I eat horribly and some days I eat great. I had my diary unlocked at one point and heard all kinds of things from people that were irritating so I locked it.

OP, you also assume that everyone on here is "fat", which is why everyone is here.

Not true.

I joined MFP to track my eating habits and make some changes.
Others track macros, etc because they are working on body comp.
Like SS mentioned on page one, some people are battling an eating disorder.

This is not a one-size-fits-all tool, so don't expect people to fit into your tidy boxes of what you think is an appropriate use of this site.

If I'm not asking you for your advice, what business is my food diary of yours?

I am honest with myself, but I don't need people judging every little morsel I put in my mouth--we are all on different journey's to health. That is the same reason I refuse to comment, or even look at, othe people's diaries--unless directly asked to. It's nobody's business.

Oh , this post AGAIN!

*eyerolls*

I am recovering from an eating disorder. I sometimes log I sometimes don't. I sometimes struggle to eat my daily allowance. I no longer binge or purge or undereat or overeat, BUT my diary is for my eyes only, if I want advice on something I will open it up for everyone's critical view, until then it is just for my practice and to allow me to overcome what used to be a trigger for me (calorie counting). If you don't know what a trigger is, then please google eating disorders and triggers, thank you..

p.s. there is no anger contained in this post, just a little frustration maybe at this old chestnut mmmm k?!

If people ask for help with their diet and are wanting to be guided by others, then yes, they should have their diary unlocked. But unless they SPECIFICALLY say something along the lines of "I don't know what I'm doing wrong, I think I'm eating healthy but I still can't lose the weight/bulk up/ feel more energized/etc", then don't judge them negatively for keeping the diary locked. Just because someone's asking for ideas doesn't mean they want to be criticized for their current meal plans, and just because someone locks their diary doesn't mean they're lying to themselves. It simply means that they don't want dozens of differing opinions on what they should be eating, and that's their choice.

Like others have said I think your logic is flawed that just because people don't have their diary open to everyone means they are not being honest with themselves. I am honest in mine good bad and ugly and yep it is viewable by me only.

If someone isn't going to be honest with themselves they can do that with an open or closed dairy, it isn't like someone pops out of the wall if you eat a Big Mac and "forget" to log it.

My diary is just a personal reference for me, no one else needs to know what i'm eating