Why do so many people hide their food Diary?

usmcmp wrote: »

natboosh69 wrote: »

usmcmp wrote: »

I think that some people are more accurate knowing that others can't judge their choices. They can admit to themselves that they had mostly cake that day, but they don't want others knowing they ate 1000 calories worth of cake.

This is why I keep mine hidden

That's what is important! Just logging and admitting to yourself. Now you have the numbers and trends and can see what is going on. Nobody else needs to know. Sometimes we eat 1000 calories worth of cake. It's far from the end of the world and it's not a failure. Getting healthy, losing weight and improving our fitness isn't going to be a perfect process and that's okay. Progress, not perfection.

Love this.

I believe the reason why so many people are hiding their food diary because its their personal tools and they do not feel comfortable yet to share ... eventually with success it will horizon. It needs a burst of energy to get on board

Mine's private because I got tired of all the unsolicited advice I was receiving. I have numerous dietary restrictions for health reasons as well as religious reasons. I don't eat bacon for religious reasons, so I didn't care for the messages telling me to add bacon to my breakfast, and I don't eat grains for health reasons, so I didn't care for the messages from people telling me that "gluten-free is just a fad." I also have numerous allergies. I don't need messages telling me that I should be consuming milk instead of almond milk (I have a severe dairy allergy, so I don't think that would be a good idea...) or numerous messages from people telling me that I'm eating too much sodium (I have low blood pressure and am on a high sodium diet as per my doctor). I also don't need people telling me that I need to eat 2,000 calories a day since I'm only 4'11. Plus, if I want to have cake for breakfast, I'm going to do, and I don't care for the messages that will follow. Basically, my diary is private because it's none of your damn business.

PaulLester wrote: »

Now i don't want to moan about things. I don't have many friends on here and most of the friends that i do have don't share their food diary.
I believe that being able to look at someones diary and see what they eat would help many with ideas of what is working and what is not.

I personally am on a low carb diet and if anybody on a low fat diet saw what i was eating they would throw a fit. This is however working for me i have lost 10 plus lbs in the first couple of weeks and am still losing.
I am happy for people to look at what i eat. I am just amazed at the amount of secrecy others show.
If anybody wants a look at what i am eating and questions how i eat what i do and lose weight, its because my body is burning fat not sugar.

My diary is public take a look if you want.

Mine is open to my friends. I like that almost all my friends have open diaries-this way I can try to get ideas on food choices. Especially from those who do so well with consistent weight loss. Once in awhile I get quite a chuckle from the sincere honesty too; one friend's diary one day consisted of one entire box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Nothing else.

But I can see how some people like to keep their food choices private. I've yet to get comments or private messages about my food-with the exception of a couple people asking for a recipe of something I posted.

Mine is open to my friends list with full disclosure when people add me that 1) I'm in recovery for disordered eating and 2) occasionally drink quite a bit. I used to be triggered by seeing someone's diary with low numbers in it, and I don't want to inadvertently trigger someone if they see one of my bad days or that I drank a whole bottle of wine. It also lets me focus on me. And half the time I don't log - I'm at a place where I don't really need to - so what's the point of it being open for random strangers to browse through? If people want to have a conversation with me about my eating habits and how I've been successful, they can ask.

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usmcmp wrote: »

natboosh69 wrote: »

usmcmp wrote: »

I think that some people are more accurate knowing that others can't judge their choices. They can admit to themselves that they had mostly cake that day, but they don't want others knowing they ate 1000 calories worth of cake.

This is why I keep mine hidden

That's what is important! Just logging and admitting to yourself. Now you have the numbers and trends and can see what is going on. Nobody else needs to know. Sometimes we eat 1000 calories worth of cake. It's far from the end of the world and it's not a failure. Getting healthy, losing weight and improving our fitness isn't going to be a perfect process and that's okay. Progress, not perfection.

❤ Perfect answer!

I don't knows by people hide there diary. I want people to see what I'm eating (accountability) I enjoy looking at others diaries to get ideas. I like when people give me tips on what to eat etc. I'm open to suggestions. Feel free to add me! I always add users who have open diaries and eat the same amount of calories I eat (1600)

izalac wrote: »

The default setting is private, and I guess a lot of people just don't bother digging into settings and changing that.

Mine is open for my friends.

And.... Voila.
Mine's not always readable, it's a language thing.

Why would I share what I eat with a bunch of total strangers on the internet?

Not fussed about the rest of mfp and my boring little diary I find it helpful and preferable if people on your friends list have an open diary as I tend to interact with them or why are they on your list?

I occasionally look at my friends diaries if I havent heard from them as you cna get useful information as to whether they are logging etc. If they are going fine then im less fussed, but its invaluable when you are trying to give advice as you know whats going on. Other than that they are a bit zzzz and no one has the time to keep looking.

The idea of friends and the way it works on MFP is full of confusion misunderstandings and peoples differing perceptions about how it works. The news feeds or clicking like isnt sufficient if one of your friends has gone awol.