Why do people keep their food or exercise diary private?

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petecastelli5
petecastelli5 Posts: 4 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I thought the point what to see what other people do to be successful. I mean what is so private about the food diary?

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  • KyleGrace8
    KyleGrace8 Posts: 2,205 Member
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    So other people don't judge you and you just showed up for the calculator and not the community? Some people just like the feeling of secure information, yes even food diaries. :p
  • DeficitDuchess
    DeficitDuchess Posts: 3,099 Member
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    I don't use them because I found that it's easier just to track, via Google Sheets; with the exception of having to calculate everything myself! The database isn't accurate enough & I don't round my totals, to the nearest whatever but I kept my account & paid for the premium version, to easily figure my macro nutrients by gram, to socialize, glean information, offer it & I like having the day streak!
  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
    edited November 2016
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    My food diary used to be open to friends, but then I got tired of explaining/justifying my food intake. For example, during a particularly active time in life, I was logging 2500-3000 calories worth of food. Friends ended up commenting if I was okay, if I was eating properly, etc. Indeed, I am a petite female, but I've been maintaining for a while now, and with what I'd learned from my FitBit, personal judgement, and real world results and data, yes, I needed that much energy to maintain my weight.
    I'm very thankful that people on my friends list care that I'm staying on track, but I'd rather just log my intake without explanation.
  • petecastelli5
    petecastelli5 Posts: 4 Member
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    Great answers, now I know. I can't imagine giving anyone a hard time here about it. I just wanted to see to gain knowledge and insight, get food ideas from people actually participating. nothing more.Thanks for the replies.
  • DeficitDuchess
    DeficitDuchess Posts: 3,099 Member
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    petecastelli5 wrote: »
    Great answers, now I know. I can't imagine giving anyone a hard time here about it. I just wanted to see to gain knowledge and insight, get food ideas from people actually participating. nothing more.Thanks for the replies.

    You're welcome & thank you also!
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    I've been defriended over the contents of my diary. I still keep it open, because I have no bothers to give, but I can see why people wouldn't prefer that.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
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    Some find no need to record anything because they tend to eat from a pool of maybe 100 foods and have long since memorized and track mentally. I do all of my counting and food weighing by just using my bathroom scales each morning to compute my net CICO daily. If I drop out of my +/- 5 pound range I track for a day to see how my WOE has changed without me knowing it. Some people may experience peer pressure too.
  • Edel2479
    Edel2479 Posts: 25 Member
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    I didn't know how to make it public lol but a friend on here taught me!! Thank goodness for friends ☺!!
  • kayte56789
    kayte56789 Posts: 19 Member
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    How do you put your account on private sorry I'm new
  • thehexenbiest
    thehexenbiest Posts: 114 Member
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    I'm with the 'Don't judge me' crowd. I mostly count calories and while I try not to let things get out of hand, there are days where I'm just stressed at work and forget to eat all day, then have a 1,500 cals meal from Burger King for dinner. Or days when I substitute a meal with candy just 'cause I can. And the last thing I need is people projecting their own standards onto me.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I have no need to look at anyone else's diary, and disagree that the point of MFP is to do that. You can be perfectly successful without ever seeing someone else's diary.

    The default is private. I feel that by changing the default, I'd be implying I'd welcome comments on my food intake, and I don't. I'm happy with what I eat, and I don't need any advice. I don't need the accountability of other people seeing my diary, nor do I need any positive feedback.

    Quite frankly, I'm here to track my food and look after my own food intake, first and foremost. What I eat really isn't any one else's business.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,051 Member
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    petecastelli5 wrote: »
    I thought the point what to see what other people do to be successful. I mean what is so private about the food diary?

    That isnt the point for everybody though.

    Personally I have no interest in other peoples diaries and I have no interest in what other people think of my diary.

    Some people like accountability or advice/feedback/encouragement from others, that's good for them.

    and when people ask for help, it is useful to see their diary - but there are some of us who dont want help, accountability or advice/feedback/encouragement.

  • VeganRaptor
    VeganRaptor Posts: 164 Member
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    Because being judged on what you eat sucks.
    I used to have mine open, then I closed it because people were saying comments about my intake that were really upsetting me. I opened it again in the end though!
  • faith_suzzette
    faith_suzzette Posts: 10 Member
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    I was wondering the same! I thought the point of having a calculator and having friends/community is to learn from and motivate each other. Good to know how those with private diaries feel! :)

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