Open Diaries vs Closed Diaries

I think it all depends on what works best for you to stay honest. If you are the kind of person that believes that having an open diary can keep you accountable then go for it. But if having it open means you won't be logging accurately in order to not be judged by others, then closed is the way to go.

Although my diary was public for a few months, I have decided to close it because I noticed there were ppl on my friend list that started preaching about how many, and what kind of, calories everyone else should be eating.

I am the kind of person that calorie cycles throughout the week. So sometimes I can eat as little as 1100 cals and go as high as 1700. Another thing is that I haven't been restricting any foods. That means you'll occasionally see some pizza + breadsticks or a burger and fries. I am all for advice and suggestions when I am going thru a rough patch but I find it a little annoying when others start commenting on what they think I should be eating when I haven't asked for their opinions.

Mayra_121 wrote: »

I think it all depends on what works best for you to stay honest. If you are the kind of person that believes that having an open diary can keep you accountable then go for it. But if having it open means you won't be logging accurately in order to not be judged by others, then closed is the way to go.

Although my diary was public for a few months, I have decided to close it because I noticed there were ppl on my friend list that started preaching about how many, and what kind of, calories everyone else should be eating.

I am the kind of person that calorie cycles throughout the week. So sometimes I can eat as little as 1100 cals and go as high as 1700. Another thing is that I haven't been restricting any foods. That means you'll occasionally see some pizza + breadsticks or a burger and fries. I am all for advice and suggestions when I am going thru a rough patch but I find it a little annoying when others start commenting on what they think I should be eating when I haven't asked for their opinions.

Another option is to leave you diary open and eliminate friends who give advice you didn't ask for. That is how I would proceed.

mmapags wrote: »

Mayra_121 wrote: »

I think it all depends on what works best for you to stay honest. If you are the kind of person that believes that having an open diary can keep you accountable then go for it. But if having it open means you won't be logging accurately in order to not be judged by others, then closed is the way to go.

Although my diary was public for a few months, I have decided to close it because I noticed there were ppl on my friend list that started preaching about how many, and what kind of, calories everyone else should be eating.

I am the kind of person that calorie cycles throughout the week. So sometimes I can eat as little as 1100 cals and go as high as 1700. Another thing is that I haven't been restricting any foods. That means you'll occasionally see some pizza + breadsticks or a burger and fries. I am all for advice and suggestions when I am going thru a rough patch but I find it a little annoying when others start commenting on what they think I should be eating when I haven't asked for their opinions.

Another option is to leave you diary open and eliminate friends who give advice you didn't ask for. That is how I would proceed.

My approach too.

Along with a healthy dose of MYOB.

CSARdiver wrote: »

I keep mine open for accountability/transparency. Judge away.

Only 10 jellybeans for today so far? Amateur...

My food diary is firmly closed. I have problems dealing with salicylates and histamine, probably oxalates too along with dairy, bovine dairy, type 1, casein. A consequence of untreated Hashimoto's (which in me and many others causes food sensitivities. These drive a coach and horses through what would be considered a normal diet, its very, very restrictive, the sort of thing which comes under the title of unsustainable). What salicylates intolerance leaves open, histamine intolerance messes with. My early, on here, dietary habits would expose me to well intentioned criticism, unknowing, if you, nor someone close to you experienced this you understandably don't know. (confirmed through immunology, I and others like me are described as being at the cutting edge of science by this UK Professor)

With deep relief I've found digestive enzymes for phenols, diary x2 and many more issues, as well as digestive microbes. With a BANT registered nutritionist, we've taken the edge off my Hashimoto's, if not eliminated it. (this involved recognising through blood tests the cause of my molecule mimicry) Now I'm able to enjoy normal foods, generally home made using nuts, beans, cheese's and so many vegies and fruit, I've not eaten for years. It has brought a slight additional weight problem but I'm not ready to address that one just yet.

The good news is, I walked a path not walked for over 30 years and I was astounded, it was so very easy.

Before anyone designates my comment as woo.

Its not woo when there is medical, immunological, nutritional information out there on pub med and other medical teaching hospital sites, particularly relating to autoimmunity and the shared digestive symptoms caused by Hashimoto's and other autoimmune issues like IBS and others, their ability to slow the digestion which makes life problematic for digestive microbes so they become restricted in numbers/species and often makes them out of balance, resulting in nutritional deficiencies which then deplete a bodies ability to make the necessary enzymes. Over use of antibiotics as well as over the counter pain relief also has a bearing on the state of the digestive tract too. It was an Australian Hospital who's research department identified salicylate as an issue. (many plants use salicylate as their protection from moulds and mildews, which are also microbes and closely related.) I can't remember the authority for Histamine Intolerance but it is considered to underpin many cases of IBS and similar digestive problems.

The enzymes I use are made by a company who support Autistic children. The Microbes by another company which has several mixes which do not increase histamine. There is so much we do not know about ourselves medically and a startling relationship between digestive microbes, transit duration and so much more. Its frightening for how ill it all made me, for how very long too compared to how well I'm now.

Be open if you like and private if you need to.

Mine was open for the first few months. I felt it held me accountable.

Then I had a very stressful period with a car wreck and work stuff, and found myself embarrassed to log the food I was stress-eating. So I just wouldn't log it.

It didn't take long for me to figure out that this was helping nobody, so I locked my diary and went back to honest logging. Right now it's still locked but a couple people have the key so they can copy recipes I've logged.

I might open it back up at some point, but locked is still good for me for now.

EDIT: Actually, I've been pretty consistent with logging for a while now, maybe I'll test the waters. Opening my diary now.