do you leave your diary open?

Think of it this way: am I ashamed that I have a period? No. Its a normal part of being a healthy 35 year old female. But I don't go posting it on Facebook when it comes. No shame, just no need to share.

Well, there's social convention and boundaries around the open discussion of certain bodily functions. No matter how natural and unashamed we are of them.

I'm not sure eating falls into this category.

Social conventions depend on norms that we are already seeing challenged through the internet and a greater willingness of people to share information. Those social conventions are no longer as strong as they used to be. I would question the strength of that social convention when I've seen plenty of parents talk about potty-training their children in excruciating detail on FB, or when you have forums where people do, actually, discuss bodily functions (I've seen posts titles labeled TMI about bodily functions on here).

Eating doesn't have to be walled off behind social convention to be something that people choose to keep private. A lot of people, I think operate from a position of sharing for relevance, where sharing is done relevant to the task at hand. For people with closed diaries, sharing is irrelevant to their purpose for using MFP. So why should they?

Nobody has to do anything. They can do what they want.

I just couldn't understand what the problem with having an open diary was. Doesn't mean everyone has to suddenly fall down to their knees, hail king Jimmer and open their diaries, does it now?

????

You wanted an explanation. I gave you an explanation. I never suggested you were demanding everyone open their diaries. Should I not have taken you seriously, and not tried to give a thoughtful reasoned opinion about why some people prefer to keep their diaries closed?

Yes, you did. And well reasoned it was too.

It was the "So, why should they?" That I was responding to. The answer, of course, is they shouldn't. They should do what they want. And my opinion, or yours for that matter, should be largely irrelevant.

I really only came into this thread to give my answer to the OP. That answer includes my position/opinion that I couldn't understand why people would want to hide their food intake. That is not to prohibit them from doing so, but rather to express my disconnect with their position. There was a lot of huffiness before, which I was surprised by. But then if people are ashamed of their diaries it makes sense they would strike out emotionally when mention was made of the fact. But, either way, there are probably as many reasons for closed diaries as there are members with closed diaries. Just idle speculation about something I really don't grasp. I don't grasp it because I don't come from a place where I would ever feel the need to close my diary....

Mine's open.

I'm not sure under what circumstances I would keep it private.

The whole idea seems odd to me - why be ashamed of what you're eating?

Just because someone keeps their diary private doesn't mean they're ashamed. LOL
I just don't feel it's necessary to publish to strangers on the internet what I eat throughout the day.
I use this site primarily to log calories. First and foremost. For ME, not you or anyone else.
The forums and interacting with people here is secondary.

I agree! It is interesting that people thinks that because a food diary is not open or because somebody doesn't put a personal picture in their profile, they must be ashamed of their eating habits or their looks, or they must have something so hide.

What a bout privacy, is that word not longer understood?

Mine's open.

I'm not sure under what circumstances I would keep it private.

The whole idea seems odd to me - why be ashamed of what you're eating?

Just because someone keeps their diary private doesn't mean they're ashamed. LOL
I just don't feel it's necessary to publish to strangers on the internet what I eat throughout the day.
I use this site primarily to log calories. First and foremost. For ME, not you or anyone else.
The forums and interacting with people here is secondary.

I agree! It is interesting that people thinks that because a food diary is not open or because somebody doesn't put a personal picture in their profile, they must be ashamed of their eating habits or their looks, or they must have something so hide.

What a bout privacy, is that word not longer understood?

To me the whole point of friending somebody is sharing and supporting. If you're then gonna keep your diary to yourself, why even bother? Also I wonder if a friend has a closed diary, what does "was under her calorie goal" mean? 500 out of 1200?? I've not deleted anybody for this, though. I just don't acknowledge the diary completion message

Mine's open.

I'm not sure under what circumstances I would keep it private.

The whole idea seems odd to me - why be ashamed of what you're eating?

Just because someone keeps their diary private doesn't mean they're ashamed. LOL
I just don't feel it's necessary to publish to strangers on the internet what I eat throughout the day.
I use this site primarily to log calories. First and foremost. For ME, not you or anyone else.
The forums and interacting with people here is secondary.

I agree! It is interesting that people thinks that because a food diary is not open or because somebody doesn't put a personal picture in their profile, they must be ashamed of their eating habits or their looks, or they must have something so hide.

What a bout privacy, is that word not longer understood?

To me the whole point of friending somebody is sharing and supporting. If you're then gonna keep your diary to yourself, why even bother? Also I wonder if a friend has a closed diary, what does "was under her calorie goal" mean? 500 out of 1200?? I've not deleted anybody for this, though. I just don't acknowledge the diary completion message

My diary is open to my friends, and I wrote that in another page, not to the rest of the people in MFP. But I do have some friends that keep their diaries private, and that is OK and it doesn't hinder our friendship. It s their choice and I respect that. When they close their diaries I comment them for logging. That is all!

My point is that some people thinks that because diaries are not open to the public, members have something to hide or are ashamed of their eating habits. I am proud of what and how I eat, I just don't care to show it to the whole community, just like my profile is private, I have no personal pictures posted in this website, and I am not in Facebook or any other social media. My choice.

Like I say, I don't get it.

Perhaps you can explain it to me, since you appear to have a better handle on it than me?

Don't feel like explaining my food choices. I don't understand the need to read and comment on other people's diaries. Or care that some of us keep them closed. Why does anyone care? Maybe you can explain that to me.

I don't care. The question was "do you leave your diary open?" My answer was: "yes". But I didn't understand why anyone would close theirs. It really is that simple. Someone ****ed in your corn flakes this morning?