What are the reasons behind a private food diary?

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  • lisafrancis629
    lisafrancis629 Posts: 287
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    You know, I disagree that it keeps us more honest. I think if you know people are checking it out and judging you are more likely to "forget" that cookie you tasted. Mine is private because I don't care for random advice, which people have mentioned. Mine is also private from "friends" because I have a lot of randomly selected friends. A few people I know in real life too, but most I don't.

    Honesty with myself is exactly my reason. I had mine open to friends only for a while but I found myself "forgetting" to log that candy bar. It's the character defect I have thinking I have to be perfect and if I'm not, people will judge me. So it's for my own good that mine is private. Everybody has their own reasons but in the end, it just comes down to what works for each of us.
  • IsMollyReallyHungry
    IsMollyReallyHungry Posts: 15,370 Member
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    Not in my case. I eat relatively few calories and i don't want going on about "starvation mode". I think the "reasons" given in the opening post say more about the OPs mindset than about those who keep their food diary private.

    What is OPs mindset?
  • IsMollyReallyHungry
    IsMollyReallyHungry Posts: 15,370 Member
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    I keep mine private. For me, keeping a calorie count is something I am doing just for me. I rarely look at other peoples diaries. I know that I am eating healthy and can see what areas I need work on (sodium!!) and I feel I don't need anyones "approval". If I have a bad day, oh well.. I usually post a status saying I'm having a bad day anyway.

    Also, i have seen how rude people can be on this site to other members.. especially about their food diary. I don't feel like dealing with rude people, especially on the sensitive subject of food! I like to eat one "bad" snack a day.. that is a WW ice cream, or a fun size candy bar, or like today I have a little baggie with chocolate chips to curb my chocolate craving. I feel like people will read that and focus only on that.. rather than the 800 cals I burned exercising, the 10 glasses of water I drank, or the healthy low cal salad I ate for lunch (and dinner).

    Honestly, I think it's your choice - if you make it public, good for you! If not, good for you too! While I like the support I get from my friends on here, this is also a site I check for my own personal journey. :)

    Well said. I will add that I keep mines pass word coded because of many of reasons already mentioned and many do not know a person goals, so they make judgemental comments.

    I also have seen people asking ppl about starvation mode. Well starvation mode is something a lot of people do not believe in and if you are morbibly obese starvation mode is not even applicable. But people will ask are you eating enough food, etc.

    There are plenty of ppl on here who share their diaries so should be sufficient for those looking for helpful suggestions. When someone asks me to look at my diary I will give them access in a heartbeat if I know it is not to critque every morsel I eat. Like someone previously mentioned. No one is looking for a food police and some of the comments lend themselves to exactly that. For me if someone is struggling already and having a hard time they know it they do not need others to reinterate that they had a bad eating day. We know it already.......:-)

    Most of us know how to eat healthy already, it is a matter of implementing these good habits and if I feel I have to feel guilty about putting down exactly what I eat then it is not serving me well to have it public. If having your public is helpful to you good and having it private is helpful to you good too. I have seen some horriable comments and those ppl are no longer active either.
  • Nailrep
    Nailrep Posts: 966 Member
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    I hide it because of all the nasty remarks I've seen regarding peoples diet diaries.

    I will be the first to admit that sometimes I eat less than 1200 calories, I rarely eat my exercise calories, and I eat a skinny cow ice cream sometimes instead of a healthy snack like carrots! I'm also 44 years old and don't need anything but encouragement!

    :flowerforyou:
  • tammy200678
    tammy200678 Posts: 201 Member
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    I have mine private because I go lower than recommended and people feel it is there business to tell me that i need to eat more when i know my body better than them so i keep mine private i feel there is no reason for people to know what i eat and when u r done logging it will show if u were under or not
  • elainegsd
    elainegsd Posts: 459 Member
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    I have mine private because I am only accountable to myself. If I choose to eat something completely unhealthy, that is my choice and I live with the consequences. I know others like to learn from food diaries, and there are plenty of public ones out there for that. They don't need mine too.

    That said, my friends can see mine.
  • avenathus
    avenathus Posts: 113 Member
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    I would imagine that some people don't view this website as a social thing... it's more of a tool just for themselves and their own reference, and they don't really want to share with anyone. I was using this site that way up until recently. Sometimes I just don't feel like being social! :P
  • treetz1979
    treetz1979 Posts: 108 Member
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    I keep mine private because I need encouragement from a "get up and move your *kitten*" perspective. Not a "you ate what??" perspective. :bigsmile:

    I am honest in my diary and I really don't pay attention to what other people are eating. I joined MFP because of their fantastic tools for tracking my calories and excercise goals. I also seek encouragement from a few fellow MFPeers and feedback in the forums. Honestly, the people who are most supportive and provide the best constructive criticism are my real world family and friends.

    So my diary is just that...my diary...and I use it to help me learn about my choices. And, as many others pointed out, I also like to avoid any catty comparisons or nit picking. Point out that I haven't exercised in two days but I am not interested in hearing any input about eating a bowl of ice cream every once in awhile or that I had a few beers on the weekend.

    However, what i am struggling is posting my weight....that's where I think I am fooling myself the most. But I just have not stirred the gumption to share it yet. To each their own - that's the beauty of freedom :drinker:
  • glittersoul
    glittersoul Posts: 671
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    We're all here for our own reasons. Who cares what the next guy eats or doesn't eat. We all have different goals/values/tastes etc and in the end the only thing that matters are results. It's rude to assume that people aren't being honest w/ themselves just because they aren't being open to everyone. This is not different in my eyes than going to peep through the neighbors window to make sure they swept their floor today. When someone has a serious question about their eating habits I'm sure they will ask.
  • aschultz9
    aschultz9 Posts: 89
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    Mine's private from everyone, cuz it's really nobody's business what I eat. I'm tracking for myself. Believe me, I'm perfectly honest with myself..if I wasn't I might be more likely to share it.
    I could give a rip what anyone else on here eats either..I don't look at food diaries.
  • clarkane8
    clarkane8 Posts: 78 Member
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    I want more friends with viewable diaries. I need that support and to be held accountable. I also need new food ideas and tips. Please add me!
  • LiveLife73
    LiveLife73 Posts: 73
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    my diary is public.. havent had any negative feedback from the foods i eat.. but im not doing this for other people im doing it for me and my family... im not here to crucify what ppl eat im here to get help and help others if i can... thank u.. feel free to add me if u like..
  • glittersoul
    glittersoul Posts: 671
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    Not in my case. I eat relatively few calories and i don't want going on about "starvation mode". I think the "reasons" given in the opening post say more about the OPs mindset than about those who keep their food diary private.

    What is OPs mindset?

    Original Poster's mindset I think
  • TracieJ65
    TracieJ65 Posts: 645 Member
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    Let me just say FIRST, I am 100% honest in my food diary and TWO except for a weekend out of town and my annual vacation I have NEVER gone over in my calories and even then it was not by a lot, nothing like 5 slices of pizza. Now with that said, my food diary is private to the public but open to my friends and that is only because of some of the RUDE trolls on here. A month after I began there was someone trolling around on random peoples diaries and then would critisize their diaries! I most certainly didn't NEED that and it is not anyone's place to do that without a person asking. Heck, just last week, one of my actual friends received a private message from some RANDOM person saying "you know, you would lose more weight if you quit eating so much cheese!" First of all she has lost 59 pounds and is doing quite well, CHEESE AND ALL! Second, she is always under her calorie goal and works the cheese in just fine. Third, THAT WAS FLAT OUT RUDE! So you bet my food diary is private to the public and I would thank you to not presume something about someone that you don't even know.
  • EricInArlington
    EricInArlington Posts: 557 Member
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    I love when people you look at mine....lol :P
  • julesandrich
    julesandrich Posts: 188 Member
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    My diary is public-I have not had any negative feedback at all. I like being able to view other people's diaries to get food ideas and to learn how to incorporate healthy food into all areas of eating. I have had some REALLY bad days but that is life. I do what is best for me and want to support others on their journey to becoming a healthier person. :smile:
  • MSWDiet
    MSWDiet Posts: 399 Member
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    I'M NOT ONE FOR HAVING THE WORLD SEE MY EVERY MOVE BE IT ON A DIET SITE OR ANYTHING ELSE. SO WHAT IF FOLKS THINK I'M HIDING MY OVER EATING OR OTHER DYSFUNCTIONAL FOOD HABITS? GO AHEAD AND LET YOUR IMAGINATION RUN WITH IT.

    FOOD TRACKING IS DONE FOR MY PERSONAL USE. THE OPTION OF A LITTLE BIT OF PRIVACY STILL APPEALS TO ME EVEN IN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK DOMINATED WORLD. IF ASKED I'M WILLING TO SHARE WITH FOLKS SEEKING GUIDANCE. I ONLY READ THE FOOD DIARIES OF OTHERS IF ASKED FOR MY OPINION.


    (I'M NOT SHOUTING AT THE WORLD. CAPS ARE JUST EASIER TO SEE. :tongue: )
  • JEK717
    JEK717 Posts: 1,497
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    My diary used to be private when i first started. And then one of my friends commented on how everyone's was private, she said she just wanted to see what others were doing. After i found out how nice everyone on my friends list was and how they did not judge me i decided to open it. I think that people are embarrassed because that is how i felt but then again nobody sees things the same so there are probably other reasons as well.
  • sh0ck
    sh0ck Posts: 168 Member
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    I only just today made mine viewable. I started with the MFP app on my phone and had no real idea that this community existed or really cared about it. I started with the diary to keep an eye on what I was eating mainly just to educate myself. I go over my calories a few days every now and then but I am spending more time learning about what I am eating instead of being completely anal about following the "rules."


    It has been very helpful for ME to learn about what I have been eating and I don't necessarily need anyone else to see what all I am doing.


    I do see where you are coming from OP but there are multiple reasons why people might want to have a private food diary.
  • Monisfit4life
    Monisfit4life Posts: 228 Member
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    I think it should be private. We can share how we track our calories and workouts but as far as the food that we actually eat I do think that is a private thing. I am a picky eater and what works for me will not work for someone else. My BMR is also different from other people so that is private too. I might go over the calories as set here and still have a deficit. I would never question someone else's diary I don't even look.

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