Open Diaries

curvymegan89
curvymegan89 Posts: 98 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
Do you find having an open diary keeps you more accountable? I'm thinking about opening mine up, but I don't want to be judged when I make poor choices.
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Replies

  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    Ask yourself: Will I be tempted to lie in my diary if it is open?

    If so, keep it closed. That's your data to use so that you can go back through and evaluate what's working for you and what isn't. It's usefulness depends on being as accurate as possible.

    If your diary is open, it's likely that someone will eventually comment negatively on it. Some may be honestly trying to help, some may be trying to convert you to their way of eating, some may just be doing it to try to stir you up for their personal entertainment. For some, being judgemental is their favorite hobby.
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,412 Member
    There is a 3rd option. You can set a "key" to enter your diary and give that to anyone you want. Especially helpful if your doctor is interested in your food intake.
  • st476
    st476 Posts: 357 Member
    I don't think it keeps me more accountable because it's not like my MFP friends are going to get disappointed if I go over my calories or anything like that. I've never felt any type of way when I see that any of my friends overate a lot. It happens. Plus, usually I forget that I even have it open and that other people might be looking at it haha. I have it open just so people can see because I like seeing other peoples diaries. At the end of the day, it's my body so if I want to overeat or undereat some days, I can :smile: If someone judges you for making poor choices sometimes, maybe they shouldn't be your friend on MFP. Nobody makes perfect choices all the time. I haven't seen one person with an open diary with no bad days. Don't worry about it!
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
    Mine is open, and no one has ever given me a hard time (and I'm no "clean" eater)
  • tracykreczmer
    tracykreczmer Posts: 88 Member
    People defriend you over YOUR choices of food good or bad..wow..that is awful..its your choice mine wasn't open at first because I didn't know how..it was hard to hear wow maybe you shouldnt eat that..but yeah I shouldn't but food is my coping mechanism. ..but NO one should feel bad because they eat nor be shamed..didnt we get enough of that from others? If u do great if you do not that's ok too..this is FOR you..no one else..do what's good for you.
  • bele2009
    bele2009 Posts: 137 Member
    I leave mine open, in case it may be relevant to a question or support in the forum. I log everything, good or bad. I like looking at others for food/meal ideas.
  • ItsyBitsy246
    ItsyBitsy246 Posts: 307 Member
    jennifer_417 wrote: »
    I never have felt that keeping it open keeps me accountable, and have had people defriend me over the contents of my diary. Having said that, I still keep it open, because I have no bothers to give, and I think it might help people to look at a real diary.

    Wait, what? How weird is that??
  • sharondjs
    sharondjs Posts: 676 Member
    I don't log to be accountable to anyone else only myself , my dairy is open & i eat ok to good a lot but still have chocolate whenever i want etc i just plan better now & don't totally pig out , I never stop & think about what others will think of my food day when i'm eating or later ..
    What keeps me accountable is myself & getting to where i want to be :smiley:
  • d4_54
    d4_54 Posts: 62 Member
    Open diary in uk. Feel free to add me everyone.
  • jennjune2014
    jennjune2014 Posts: 23 Member
    Mine has been open for 2.5 years. I dont think many people have looked at mine. Most people are focused on their own goals.
  • JullzGood
    JullzGood Posts: 62 Member
    jennjune2014 wrote: »
    Mine has been open for 2.5 years. I dont think many people have looked at mine. Most people are focused on their own goals.

    Completely agree. Only time I look at other people's diary are when I I want to add something new to my meal plan. But I don't think people really check other than that. I eat the same exact thing every day so mine is boring af lol
  • KosmosKitten
    KosmosKitten Posts: 10,476 Member
    I'm new here, but I'm keeping mine open so I can get input from others from time to time. I know I don't make the best food choices, but I like that the log lets me make little notes about my day, new recipes I've tried, etc. I don't feel that anyone needs to keep theirs open, but I do it because I feel that most days (not all), I tend to make better food choices for myself because others can see what I do eat. So far though, no one has commented negatively about the things I eat or drink (oh soda, why can't I quit you?) and I've definitely never seen someone defriend another over it.. even when I was a member of CC (different logging site). Yikes.
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    Mines open , i eat what i eat , if it helps anyone great ,, if not ?????????

    good luck
  • kkress92
    kkress92 Posts: 118 Member
    It is my impression that having an open diary for accountability purposes is less about food choices and more about accurate logging, i.e. Choosing the right database entries and weighing all your food. Many posters successfully incorporate foods often (mis)labeled as "bad" so I'm thinking there shouldn't be too much shaming.
  • success313
    success313 Posts: 100 Member
    Shana67 wrote: »
    Mine is closed because I don't really get the purpose of leaving it open. My weight loss journey is mine alone, those notes and records are for me to view, and to remind me of where I've come from. Why does anyone else need to see that?

    So, for me this is exactly how I feel. I use the food notes section to journal my thoughts throughout the day. Like how I am feeling and how I can improve. I have even given myself pep talks in my journal. Ha! I am not sure that I would like sharing my inner thoughts with others. Having said that, I am not opposed to the keyed diary option. I have done this and I share it with those who ask.
  • Lolalikeslolagets
    Lolalikeslolagets Posts: 142 Member
    Maybe this is a dumb question but how do you see someone's open diary?
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    edited February 2017
    emilk2016 wrote: »
    Maybe this is a dumb question but how do you see someone's open diary?

    just click on my profile and then on diary if its not open it wont be there so say friends only

    good luck
  • astrocosmiczoom
    astrocosmiczoom Posts: 86 Member
    So my diary has always been open (was active 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 on and off) and I've never once had someone get in my grill about what I log. Maybe that's just me, though.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 994 Member
    I keep mine open so that if I'm giving advice, someone can look at what I'm doing for myself. Or so if I ask for advice, people can see what I'm eating.

    Looking at the diary of some people asking questions is very eye-opening sometimes.
  • DavidRocketts
    DavidRocketts Posts: 80 Member
    Always had an open diary, and friends are welcome to comment. If someone 'unfriends' you because of honest diary entries - they have a problem, not you. I once had a friend on here who lost over 300lbs. He said, for him, logging everything and sharing his diary was a great help...
  • DavidRocketts
    DavidRocketts Posts: 80 Member
    emilk2016 wrote: »
    Maybe this is a dumb question but how do you see someone's open diary?

    When a friend completes their daily record, if the diary is 'open' to friends, there will be a comment 'veiw diary' in blue next to it...
  • vikinglander
    vikinglander Posts: 1,547 Member
    My diary and profile are wide open. Nothing to hide. I am a self-confessed foodie from WAY back and the love affair I've had with great food over the years has gotten me to where I am. I am 60 pounds lighter than I was at my heaviest ever, and trending downward still, with another 60 to 80 pounds to go. I love to cook, I love to feed people, and I love to eat.

    Having said all of that, I don't give a snit about what anyone else thinks about what I eat, constructive criticism aside. And I don't give a snit about what you eat either, as long as you're getting the results you expect. I DO think it helps to see other peoples' diaries, to see what other successful people are eating.

    Just my humble opinions...
  • Reaverie
    Reaverie Posts: 405 Member
    I dont know if it keeps me more accountable and I have yet to be "defriended" even if I make mistakes.. I just thought it was polite to keep it open so others can see that they arent the only ones struggling with this. That, and if anyone WANTED to take a look and saw a pattern they could help me with or advise me on, well.. A wise man seeks council! A foolish man hates rebuke. Since I am new to this, I need advice. I may not take it.. Or I may later on down the road..(like someone suggested more protein and it took me a month to try it and to my shock, it worked!) But ultimately its up to me if I want to take expert advice from seasoned dieters who were met with success.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    I got to the point where having my diary open led to me omitting things when I started overeating again to make myself look better. It's now locked because I don't think it's anyone's business what I eat. I've been here for three years, I know what I'm doing.
  • aflane
    aflane Posts: 625 Member
    Mine is open, and no one has ever commented on my entries. I like to look at other people's diaries to generate meal ideas.
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