WHY HIDE YOUR FOOD DIARY ??

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  • BlackTimber
    BlackTimber Posts: 230 Member
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    Will someone please, please PLEASE define what they mean by "Processed Food"?

    If I peel a banana is THAT processing?

    How about peeling (sweet) potatoes?

    Lighten up, please.

    If your banana came from a factory and had 10 ingredients listed on the package and the third item was banana, then you have bought a processed banana.
  • sarahjpappas
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    I use this site to help me get in shape, not to receive unsolicited advice from strangers. If I have a question, I will ask. I mind my own business and appreciate others doing the same.
  • danibu98
    danibu98 Posts: 281 Member
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    Because when I think about other people looking at it, I feel tempted to lie about it. It is a place where I want to be scrupulously honest with myself. What I'm doing is working fine. I don't feel I need advice. I do feel I need to log honestly and scrupulously.

    Different people are different. I want my diary private.

    This is me, except mine is open to friends. If my friends start criticizing me, then I will lock it. So far so good. I have a crazy job so my eating can be questionable at times, but I would rather be honest and log it than worry what people I don't know think of what I've had.

    I will open up my diary if I hit a plateau or need particular advice and I post about it, because I think that makes sense
  • LaLouve_RK
    LaLouve_RK Posts: 899 Member
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    Nasty comments when I mess up my calorie intake pisses me off.
    Bad days happens and I don't need other people to remind me all the time thinking they are perfect and better than me.
    I am learning to know my own body all over again, not a third party's body.
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
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    Not everyone wants people to see their uncontrollable habits.

    i_eat_babies3.jpg
  • muffle1969
    muffle1969 Posts: 96 Member
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    I think whether to have a diary open or not is simply personal choice. Mine was closed initially by default, and then I opened it. While it was closed, I had no issues being honest and accountable in my diary. However, once it was open, I found I dreaded entering information, or I felt I had to justify my choices...it made me less honest. I realized at the beginning that if I am not honest and as accurate as possible in my diary, I am harming only myself, and that makes no sense to me. So I closed my diary again. Now I don't worry about justifying any of my choices to anyone except myself. I might occasionally open to friends if I need food-specific advice. For me though, having my diary closed is better for my "process".

    I do enjoy looking at other people's diaries for ideas and information. And I love that I can comment on friends' diaries in order to encourage them. One thing I don't like about MFP (or other blogs/forums) is that many people have a tendency to attack each other simply for having differing opinions. I try to avoid that kind of drama, since this tool has been wonderful for me for the last 5 months. The one thing I've learned here is that different things work for different individuals. It's that diversity that makes MFP so effective, I think.
  • PhearlessPhreaks
    PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
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    I don't think it really matters if someone's diary is public or private. The only time I think it becomes relevant is when someone comes on the forums looking for help/advice because they're not losing weight, despite the claim that they're doing everything right- eating healthy, staying within their calorie goals, excercising- and their diary is not available for viewing. Anything other than generic advice is rather pointless; people can't make helpful suggestions when they don't know what's going on, which ultimately defeats the purpose of the person asking for help.

    These are just my thoughts, and I'm not advocating critiquing someone elses food choices, as I don't want mine critiqued unless I ask for it!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I am not sure why people hide there food diary as advice can help and lets be honest if your fat and overweight like i was you need to be honest with yourself.

    This might seem harsh but come on people I found being honest with myself one of the biggest steps. I use to lie how fat I was to people and myself.
    How is hiding my diary from you not being honest with myself?

    I don't need advice. And if I did, I would ask for it and I would open my diary.

    I think you're just a nosy busy-body. :flowerforyou:
  • Roni_M
    Roni_M Posts: 717 Member
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    Its funny as no one has ever made a negative comment about what I eat or drink . If they did then I am cool with that also if its in a positive manner.
    I have to say very surprised at peoples reactions and even an attack on my grammar which is funny as someone who is supposed to suffer from dyslexia or so I am told. This has never caused me an issue .

    Of course its up to the individual and I respect that as an individual choice. I do however feel that if you have lost alot of weight or found something that works for you why not share it ?

    This is after all an online community, I was actually amazed at how easy it is. I have done the gyms in the past and always played sport. However it was what was going in that was wrong. I was kidding myself that I was fat and fit when really I was just a fat bloke thinking I was fit.

    Just because something works for me doesn't mean it will work for others.

    My diary is private because sometimes I eat... Dare I say it... PROCESSED FOODS! I know... The horror of it!! But in my defense I have low blood pressure (to the point of lightheaded spells) and my cardiologist recommended I not cut my sodium. So what I eat would not necessarily benefit someone else. Processed foods taste good and is the easiest way to keep my sodium up. I also eat lots of "healthy food" but people seem to only focus on the things you are doing "wrong".

    I had it open briefly and got a recipe in my inbox for some kind of green spinach and flax seed protein smoothie thing with a note explaining all the things wrong with what I was eating. So I set it back to private. It's easier than telling people to mind their own business constantly.
    [/quote]

    It's wonderful that you haven't had that experience but I did. And the guy who sent it wasn't even on my friends list! Kind of creeped me out a bit. Why would some stranger feel the need to make recommendations to another stranger? It was weird and I would have been one of those "no one snoops through strangers diaries" people until that incident.

    I don't look at other people's diaries because I really don't care what other people are doing. If Susie is living on nuts, berries & green smoothies, good for her but that doesn't fit my lifestyle. I do what is sustainable long term for me. If I'm looking for food ideas, I go to the recipe section of the forum. To me counting calories is simple math (made easier by MFP). Looking at my answers won't help you on this particular test.
  • hollyjane77
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    It's a personal preference and I don't have to explain my reasoning to you or anybody else. As long as I'm honest with myself, that's all that matters.
  • Mandybean88
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    My diary is private because it isn't really anybody else's business what I eat. If I wanted it to be, it would be open and I'd be inviting people to look at it and comment. I know some people do this and that's fine.

    Nobody NEEDS to see what I'm eating. I know the basics of a healthy diet and I can get along fine by myself. I know my own tastes and habits, I know my budget for spending money on food shopping, I know where I can shop, I know my routine etc. So I think the only person I want to be figuring out my meals is me.

    I'm not being dishonest with myself, if I was being dishonest, quite simply I would not be keeping any diary at all! I think that keeping it private is being more honest with myself because nobody else enters into the equation. How can I be more honest than that?

    We all have individual goals and aims. Some people want to keep to a very strict diet, carefully controlled, food weighed, nutrition scrutinized etc. That's fine. Some people want to just cut out the unhealthy snacking, or just control portion sizes, or try to eat more fruit and veg - that's fine too. Everybody approaches things in their own way and it's up to them to decide how they want to tackle it.

    I'm trying to lose weight for me. When I prepare my meals I want to do it for normal reasons - what I like to eat, if it's good for me, is it healthy, will I enjoy it etc. Not 'Will the people on MFP approve of this!?' I don't need the added stress of every morsel that passes my lips being published for the world to see and jump in with criticism. I know my own personality and I think if I started down this road I would end up with seriously disordered eating.

    I don't understand the mindset of anyone who routinely stalks people's food diaries, reads all the tiny details and then sits and judges. Support others yes, be a good friend yes, but your attention should be on your own life. Who honestly cares that much about what other people are eating, really? Does this person seriously think that EVERYONE with a private food diary MUST have a horrendous fat filled diet? What a ridiculous attitude!
  • Coffeeholic8
    Coffeeholic8 Posts: 270 Member
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    Mine would be very little use to anybody as it doesn't have much detail in it. I don't log loads of individual things in detail just the calories at each meal or snack, I don't do all that macro counting stuff, such as sodium, and just eat a good balance of protein, carbs and fat, the ratio of which changes depending on the type of training I'm focusing on at the time, while keeping good portion control. It works for me, and has done for the nearly 11 months I've been on here, but it might not work for others and I don't see the point in opening a diary which will tell you next to nothing other than calorie consumption. Oh, and I'm very honest with my self thank you.
  • cargilb
    cargilb Posts: 116
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    I don't hide my diary. I don't know if it will be of any help to anyone, especaially lately that I have been eating a little more junk than normal, but I leave it open. It may help someone especially if they don't understand portion control of starches.

    I try to be detailed and even add the oil i use to pan grill foods. It helps to be detailed when you are within 10 to 20 pounds of your ideal weight. thats when the going gets tough.
  • greenmeena
    greenmeena Posts: 118 Member
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    I am not sure why people hide there food diary as advice can help and lets be honest if your fat and overweight like i was you need to be honest with yourself.

    This might seem harsh but come on people I found being honest with myself one of the biggest steps. I use to lie how fat I was to people and myself.

    As long as we're saying things that "might seem harsh," you'll forgive me if I don't take advice from someone who doesn't know the difference between "your" and "you're." You may think I suck because my food diary's private, but I think that a grown man spelling things phonetically is a worse crime -- I guess we all have our things that drive us nuts.

    LOL! Awesome. It's my huge pet peeve too, nothing to do with OP's post but I just needed to laugh.
    To comment on the original post, I keep my diary private because I am a private person. I don't really need nor want friends on here, I am here for me, to track what I'm doing and make sure I'm tracking my macros and calories correctly. I'm amused by the forums etc, but the whole reason I'm here is because I use it as a tracking app.
  • molliepops1962
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    I think I blame twitter and face book for all this obsession with sharing everything lol never got on with either as a private person I like to keep myself to myself really.
  • BellaFe
    BellaFe Posts: 323
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    Im sorry I was not aware my life and what I eat was your business.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    probably cause they dont want to be ripped apart by the big mean MFP bullies who are being "helpful."
  • Lissette_Brooks
    Lissette_Brooks Posts: 173 Member
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    one of my friend's has hers locked. she says she writes personal notes on the diary on some of the days. she doesn't want those publicly visible because they are only for her to see. so her profile stays locked... seems like a good enough reason to me.

    I do the same thing. I write personal notes on almost all of my entries and I log my whole day ahead of time so I can be sure of my calories. If I end up switching something I will mak ethe correct changes.
  • hughtwalker
    hughtwalker Posts: 2,213 Member
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    So, write out 100 times:

    You're not Your
    Separate not Seperate
    Lose not Loose
    Definite not Definate

    - then, and only then can you possibly hope to lose any weight, apparently
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    So, to summarize the thread (and a few others)
    So ya, though ya, might like ta, go on the web...
    To feel the warm thrill of confusion, hit desk with your head.

    Tell me is something eluding you, sunshine?
    Is this not what you expected to see?
    If you wanna find out why the net is so droll,
    You'll just have to wade your way through all the trolls!

    Are there diary hiders in the theater tonight?
    Get 'em up against the wall!
    And that one with the barbell, she don't look right to me!
    Get 'er up against the wall!

    And that one looks skinny, and he weighed in too soon,
    Who let all this riff-raff into the room?
    He eats way too much sodium, and she's doin' squats!
    If I had my way... I'd have all of 'em shot!