What are the reasons behind a private food diary?

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  • reneeot
    reneeot Posts: 773 Member
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    For those seeking advice on how they are eating then I'm sure a person will make their diary public. If not then its not important to them to have it public. It does not automatically mean they are overindulging and want no one to see. Who's to say a person's diary that is open is actually entering everything they ate.

    Public or private is everyone's own decision.:bigsmile:
  • purplespeckle
    purplespeckle Posts: 652
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    Hmm I'm not really sure But some people think that mine is private and it's not I just don't log food I do track my food But just not online Time consuming
  • Painten
    Painten Posts: 499 Member
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    I think it's quite typical of this site for people to assume everything is about cheating. I don't understand it. People can be quite harsh on this site, not always as supportive as you'd hope.

    My dairy isn't public, it is viewable by friends though. I'm doing this for me and i'm not interested in critism from some people on this site.
  • SortaBadass
    SortaBadass Posts: 46 Member
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    How do I make it viewable to everyone??? I have asked this before and have gotten no results. Thanks And you are right, that's probalby why I'm not losing is because i over eat and noone sees it...

    On your upper toolbar, go to "My Home" > "Settings" > "Diary Settings" and it's at the bottom of the page.
  • swiftgirls2
    swiftgirls2 Posts: 59
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    Well, I started this site and my new "way of life" (i.e. not a diet) on January 3rd. I have consistantly lost and have NEVER really overindulged. I consistently stay under my 1,200 calories per day and have also lost consistently. However, my diet journal is private because there is no reason why I need to have someone else "keep me in check", as I do a perfect job of it myself. Actually, it was a little offensive that you assume people are doing something they should not be doing or "not being honest" with themselves just because they do not make their journal available for others to see and comment on.
  • grumpyswife123
    grumpyswife123 Posts: 42
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    Maybe some people aren't aware that it is set to private?

    I was not aware until recently that it could be public or private. I guess MFP sets it to private by default
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    I don't know why but I would assume it's the same as a private blog entry or a private section of Facebook. Sometimes people just don't feel comfortable sharing all that with the world, only themselves and a few select people.

    Ditto!

    Mine is private. But for the most part, everything about me online I maintain is fairly private. I only disclose the part of the country I live, not the city or town, photos of myself are not posted online, or other personal information about me. I'm very accountable to myself and log EVERYTHING in my diary, but it's for me and my use only. I work in the legal field, and you'd be amazed what I can do with information about people I find online in the middle of civil, domestic, or criminal trials.

    The funny thing about it is, I think the same way about people that are so open, I can't believe people have photos of their kids, what cities they live in, where they work. I've seen public facebook pages with personal phone numbers and email addresses. I work with registered sex offenders, murderers, and other people that don't fit into societies norm, I don't want anyone knowing I eat at a certain restaurant every Tuesday, or that I'm out of town because I can figure that out by someone's food diary.

    Not for me, but it's not because I cheated on what I ate, ate badly, or lied to myself on what is on there. Its simply a means of keeping me accountable to me - and knowing what I'm doing to maintain the 35lbs I've lost and to keep it off.

    Example: Yesterday there was a post on here, where a "friend" had posted someone's food diary for the past few weeks and wanted a call to action to help this "Friend" not be in starvation mode - it broke my heart this woman's information was no so public and the means of a cyberbullying by a "friend" on MFP. It was not appropriate and had her diary been private it never would have occurred.
  • tea76
    tea76 Posts: 35
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    totally agree! if i have foods i shouldnt and put it out there to make myself accountable!
    and its been working and i have nothing to hide! we all have are bad days
  • swiftgirls2
    swiftgirls2 Posts: 59
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    I feel the same way. Well said and well done!
  • FitRodr
    FitRodr Posts: 353 Member
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    Viewable to friends only. I do my best but it really does help when someone else can give constructive opinions. I have the best circle of friends and they have taught me a lot. I don't stalk their diaries... but sometimes I get great ideas.
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
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    Mine is set to private a) because it is the default b) because I can't think of a single reason why people I have never met would care what I eat and c) because it is nobody's business

    If someone asked me what I had eaten on a given day/week/month, and I felt they were asking for a legitimate reason, I would have no problem letting them see, but that hasn't happened yet, and until it does, I will keep it to myself.
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
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    some people just feel the need to be private.

    Mine is public, but just saying everyone has their own preference.
  • zarala233
    zarala233 Posts: 33
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    Well I keep mine private for the reason that what I eat is my own business. I'm totally honest about recording what I have eaten during the day but there are some people who will give their opinion whether it is asked for or not.

    For me: the food diary is a bit like a kitchen. I don't walk into somebody else's house and start looking in their presses and refrigerator to see what food they eat and I wouldn't like anyone else to walk into my house and start peeking around to see what food I have to eat.

    (I'm staring to sound like I'm having a rant) :laugh: :blushing:


    LMAO!! I love it! I'm a 100% honest with myself & I'm proud of my choices. I zig-zag my calorie intake & keep info. on the ""Today's food notes" box that is for my eyes only. That's why mine is private.


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  • newuser111
    newuser111 Posts: 40
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    I just count calories, so there is no need for anyone to see just a bunch of quick added numbers.

    Me too. I'm not using iphone / android / blackberry so I can only log it at the end of the day when I get home. It really is pointless for anyone to see a bunch of quick added numbers. :smile:
  • ksloop00
    ksloop00 Posts: 144
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    I didn't know mine was private. It's fixed now, lol.
  • CalorieNinja
    CalorieNinja Posts: 645 Member
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    I have mine private because a person decided to take my diary and post it all over the bulletins saying I had an eating disorder. I just hadn't logged all my food, my friends that have been around a while know this but a new friend may not. So, it will be kept private and certain people have the key so that crazy people don't have access to it.
  • nmfisher
    nmfisher Posts: 1 Member
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    I will vouch for the "didn't know mine was set to private" crowd. But I think this tool is all about enabling people and if they need to keep their diary private to keep themselves honest, then that is more important than owning it publicly.
  • jacolyncoker123
    jacolyncoker123 Posts: 55
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    I am wondering why some people choose to keep their food diaries private? The only reason I can think of is that when you have a day you "overindulged" it may feel embarrassing to tell the whole world, yes, I ate 5 pieces of pizza and went over my calorie goal. We are all human and have "bad eating days" but aren't we here to support each other? If you can't be honest and open with those who are in the same boat and trying to help you achieve your goals, I highly doubt you are being honest with yourself. I love having mine to share with my friends so that I can get advice or just to keep me thinking during the day, "do I really want to put that I ate a huge bag of M&M's for dinner?". I also enjoy reading others for ideas to help my own meals and ways to keep my calories down. So, maybe it comes down to each individual person, and I respect that, I just feel it would do more good to make the food diaries public to keep you in check but maybe I'm missing something!? :)

    Because the only reason I'm on this website is a tool to count my OWN calories. If I don't eat enough, I don't need to people lecturing me, and if I eat too much I don't want anyone to judge me.
    I obviously already have self confidence issues, so why add to it by stressing myself out thinking "I wonder what they think of my food diary!?"

    Why do you care anyways?
  • rharris86dc
    rharris86dc Posts: 635 Member
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    When I first started, I was unsure about letting other people in, especially a bunch of strangers. I joined this site for myself, and losing weight or maintaining is a really person thing to many people.
    Slowly, as I started taking advantage of the community tools, I have decided to open my diary to the friends I have made on here. They help to keep me accountable when my judgment falters. But it definitely took me a few weeks to get comfortable with the idea of letting other people see everything that goes in my mouth, and what type of exercise I am doing.
  • elizwelshman
    elizwelshman Posts: 136
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    Well, I started this site and my new "way of life" (i.e. not a diet) on January 3rd. I have consistantly lost and have NEVER really overindulged. I consistently stay under my 1,200 calories per day and have also lost consistently. However, my diet journal is private because there is no reason why I need to have someone else "keep me in check", as I do a perfect job of it myself. Actually, it was a little offensive that you assume people are doing something they should not be doing or "not being honest" with themselves just because they do not make their journal available for others to see and comment on.

    I agree.

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