Why hide your food diary from your "Friends".

Trinikesha
Trinikesha Posts: 14
edited October 3 in Motivation and Support
I really don't understand why some people feel the need to hide their food diary. What is there to hide? Are you eating the right foods? Are you skipping meals? Are you taking in too much protein? Are you drinking enough water? Nobody but you knows so how can you post things asking for help? That whole process defeats the purpose for being on MFP. If you want motivation and support you need to be 100% honest with yourself and everyone else. We are all basically on a similar journey and we understand better than most what goes into the food diary. I personally look to other people's food diaries to get meal ideas so I don't get bored with my choices. I also check out my friend's diaries to see if I can suggest a more nutritional food option for them.

I will say I have noticed a difference in weight loss between the people who have an open diary and those that have a hidden diary. I believe the people with the open diaries receive more feedback from friends and take that into consideration. Which would explain why they lose more weight than people with hidden diaries. I know I can't do this alone and I welcome the advice, criticism and feedback that will help me accomplish my goal so my diary is always open to my friends.
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Replies

  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    Some people just don't think what they eat is anyone's business. I don't have a problem with it. They are held accountable to themselves no matter who else knows it.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    My diary is private, not hidden. I'm glad that having yours open is working for you, but having mine closed works for me. If I need help, I will open it, but I am accountable to myself and am probably even more honest in my private diary than I would be if I felt I was being critiqued.

    I have not noticed that people lose more with open diaries.
  • kiwianjel
    kiwianjel Posts: 80 Member
    Im not even sure how to share or hide my diary or if it is either ??? I dont mind if people look at it .. in fact I assumed that they could and it helps keep me honest :) Please let me now if you can see it .. if you can be bothered looking :)
  • tnic86
    tnic86 Posts: 134 Member
    I agree. I find that having mine open helps me stay motivated to make the right choices.
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
    People are in different places emotionally and psychologically. Some people may be uncomfortable at the idea of being critiqued, others may just be private in nature or feel that they will have to defend what they're doing. It's perfectly okay if people don't want to open up their diaries - it's a personal choice. I admit that I also look over people's menus for ideas. I love it when I've had a really healthy day and people notice. It's just a tiny bit of recognition, but I like the encouragement and feedback.
  • oldy76
    oldy76 Posts: 185 Member
    I like to keep my diary open to friends too but don't feel like it should be expected. On a personal level I feel like if I don't want anyone to see something I've logged then I probably shouldn't be eating it!
  • fat2fab4life
    fat2fab4life Posts: 253 Member
    I use mine as an actual diary and use the notes section to write about my day. Its personal to me so I keep It private. Seems like its called a diary for a reason. ;)
  • shelbym87
    shelbym87 Posts: 122 Member
    Kindly disagree. I see no correlation between diary privacy and weight loss. The reason I have mine private is I don't want people commenting on healthier food options, like what was said. I'm fine with my food choices. What I've done so far has worked for me.
  • tbisca1
    tbisca1 Posts: 142
    I've lost 110 lbs and 54 lbs since on here with my diary private. You can't rely on people to hold you accountable you gotta do that on your own. I gladly tell people how I've lost all my weight and will tell them what I eat. But that doesn't mean everything has to be open to view.
  • chefchazz
    chefchazz Posts: 427 Member
    My diary is private, not hidden. I'm glad that having yours open is working for you, but having mine closed works for me. If I need help, I will open it, but I am accountable to myself and am probably even more honest in my private diary than I would be if I felt I was being critiqued.

    I have not noticed that people lose more with open diaries.

    im glad you saved me the time of saying the exact same thing. one has NADDA to do w/ the other. my diary is open but so what. who really gives a *kitten* that you cant read someone elses?? do what you need and let other people do what they need. and since WE dont know what they need, lets stop speaking on it. eyerolls....:grumble:
  • Jennyisbusy
    Jennyisbusy Posts: 1,294 Member
    Im not even sure how to share or hide my diary or if it is either ??? I dont mind if people look at it .. in fact I assumed that they could and it helps keep me honest :) Please let me now if you can see it .. if you can be bothered looking :)

    Yours seems to be closed. I think you have to go under settings to change it :)
  • Bluestar083
    Bluestar083 Posts: 146
    My diary is private, not hidden. I'm glad that having yours open is working for you, but having mine closed works for me. If I need help, I will open it, but I am accountable to myself and am probably even more honest in my private diary than I would be if I felt I was being critiqued.

    I have not noticed that people lose more with open diaries.

    Yup I am more honest with a private diary than open diary. which is why i switched back to private. Its not that i wasnt being honest I was just not logging days rather than write down i'd eaten 8 tim tams in one day!
    If I needed help it would be open. However I know how to eat healthy, have been doing it my whole life-don't need help to eat healthier! I know 8 tim tams isn't good for me. But yeah I ate them. And skipped logging that day.
    Why do you care anyway? Why not just not friend people who have private diaries?
  • twiztedgrl69
    twiztedgrl69 Posts: 191 Member
    like they said some people aren't in that position yet to open it up to people...they have either just started their journey and want to take a step at a time or are shy about what they eat and want to keep it private
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    I agree with you 100% and I just opened my food diary (again) - even though I was like 2,000 calories over today from Pizza Hut and Buffalo Wild Wings. rawr, lol. but it happens..move on.. :)

    except, I don't think people *need* to have their diaries open to see weight loss, it works for some people/doesn't work for others.


    The reason I closed my food diary in the first place... was for a couple of reasons...

    1. because I was getting a lot of messages that kind of offended me. (even though I know people are just trying to help - it was me that was in a bad mood) Just things like.. "you know you shouldn't eat that.." or "change this to this.." and although those are great suggestions.. It was hard for me because I wanted to say - "well this food was from my work party and i couldn't change the mayo to light mayo", etc. but in the end, i know they are just trying to help but it got annoying to me.
    2. I got really freaked out about privacy stuff. I have like 600 'friends' on here and I just really don't want to take the time to delete all the people I never talk to - but it just made me paranoid for a while as I thought - "weird, all these people could be looking at my profile every day and know what I eat !! " But I got over that pretty quickly.

    :) but it's open now. I prefer it to be open because then I'll be less likely to "cheat" :)
  • Jennyisbusy
    Jennyisbusy Posts: 1,294 Member
    I really don't understand why some people feel the need to hide their food diary. What is there to hide? Are you eating the right foods? Are you skipping meals? Are you taking in too much protein? Are you drinking enough water? Nobody but you knows so how can you post things asking for help? That whole process defeats the purpose for being on MFP. If you want motivation and support you need to be 100% honest with yourself and everyone else. We are all basically on a similar journey and we understand better than most what goes into the food diary. I personally look to other people's food diaries to get meal ideas so I don't get bored with my choices. I also check out my friend's diaries to see if I can suggest a more nutritional food option for them.

    I will say I have noticed a difference in weight loss between the people who have an open diary and those that have a hidden diary. I believe the people with the open diaries receive more feedback from friends and take that into consideration. Which would explain why they lose more weight than people with hidden diaries. I know I can't do this alone and I welcome the advice, criticism and feedback that will help me accomplish my goal so my diary is always open to my friends.

    Is your diary open?
  • cheeksv
    cheeksv Posts: 521 Member
    Some people are on low calorie diets and do not want to hear the same " you are not eating enough food" especially when they are already working with a doctor. I have mine open becasue it keeps me from going over but, it really does not make a difference to me if s someone has it private. There is no right way or wrong way to go about this , it is whatever works on an individual level. You seem in your reasoning that you like seeing open diaries for you. YOU like to get food ideas and YOU like to offer advice even when it is not asked of you. I know many people who have private diaries and ask questions and open them for advice before closing them again.
  • Jesung
    Jesung Posts: 236 Member
    You can never have too much protein :o
  • brandenocs
    brandenocs Posts: 146 Member
    ^Actually you can. Unused protein can turn to fat. Lets say I take in 300 grams of protein and NEVER workout. It would turn to fat whereas if I take in the same amount and workout regularly, I'd see huge gains in muscle...

    It defaults to private. And I didn't come here really to make friends. Just to have something to do the math for me so I didn't have to. I'm too lazy and don't care to change it. If I had a problem losing weight and wanted help, MAYBE I'd care to open it... But I'm stubborn as hell and don't fall off the bandwagon. And I'm doing better than most. So yeah... What I'm doing works.
  • MrsTHolmes
    MrsTHolmes Posts: 10 Member
    I don't know if mine is hidden or not, but I'd love to get more food choices from others. How can I check if its hidden or not?
  • lackie09
    lackie09 Posts: 123 Member
    When I first started MFP I had mine hid because well just getting down to the nitty gritty i was not very good at keeping up with my intake. My second trip (now) with MFP i have everything open and love getting feedback. but I believe many people have theirs closed because they may fear being judged. I know I was! I like when people have their diary open because it gives me ideas about good choices... and not so good ones too... but I dnt know many people on my friends list other than on here and i am sure many people are the same and just dnt want strangers whether helpful or not looking at their business.
  • cazzincali
    cazzincali Posts: 337 Member
    It seems to me that people post some crazy *kitten* just to get comments back...

    just sayin'.
  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
    I keep mine private to annoy the people who think that everyone should do the same as them..
  • NZGeekGirl
    NZGeekGirl Posts: 87
    I hid mine for a while because I was working with a personal trainer, she asked me not to share the eating plan I was given so people wouldn't get a "freebie" so I hid it.
  • jmhII
    jmhII Posts: 11
    I don't know if mine is hidden or not, but I'd love to get more food choices from others. How can I check if its hidden or not?

    I believe that it is hidden by default

    My Home > Settings > Diary Settings
  • kennethmgreen
    kennethmgreen Posts: 1,759 Member
    1. Why would anyone care if someone ELSE has THEIR OWN diary private?
    2. Why do those that CHOOSE to keep their diaries private need to explain why they make that choice?

    I understand that #1 may influence #2, but I still can't come up with a very good answer for either question.
  • troy_n
    troy_n Posts: 66
    My diary is private, not hidden. I'm glad that having yours open is working for you, but having mine closed works for me. If I need help, I will open it, but I am accountable to myself and am probably even more honest in my private diary than I would be if I felt I was being critiqued.

    I have not noticed that people lose more with open diaries.

    I wonder miss "contrarian" is what you say say true or just the opposite!
  • Jay0hwhy
    Jay0hwhy Posts: 63
    How is this motivating or supportive?
  • ╰☆╮PilatesPOPster╰☆╮
    ╰☆╮PilatesPOPster╰☆╮ Posts: 198
    Some people on here, while supportive, are too pushy.
    I've had people nick pick the types of salad I ate (when I was on here in the past). I was eating pretty healthy (no processed foods, not too much sugar, etc) and they would STILL find something to throw in my face and let me know I wasnt doing it "right".
  • Jesung
    Jesung Posts: 236 Member
    Some people on here, while supportive, are too pushy.
    I've had people nick pick the types of salad I ate (when I was on here in the past). I was eating pretty healthy (no processed foods, not too much sugar, etc) and they would STILL find something to throw in my face and let me know I wasnt doing it "right".
    What the heck, if someone criticized what I ate, I would probably defriend them immediately. Although I think 95% of MFP members eat too much carbs on a regular basis, I don't try to tell all my friends to eat less carbs unless they ask for my advice. It's a bit of a lost cause anyway haha
  • ╰☆╮PilatesPOPster╰☆╮
    ╰☆╮PilatesPOPster╰☆╮ Posts: 198
    Some people on here, while supportive, are too pushy.
    I've had people nick pick the types of salad I ate (when I was on here in the past). I was eating pretty healthy (no processed foods, not too much sugar, etc) and they would STILL find something to throw in my face and let me know I wasnt doing it "right".
    What the heck, if someone criticized what I ate, I would probably defriend them immediately. Although I think 95% of MFP members eat too much carbs on a regular basis, I don't try to tell all my friends to eat less carbs unless they ask for my advice. It's a bit of a lost cause anyway haha
    There was so many of them that I just got down on myself and gave up. Then I talked to a friend (from real life) who said she had the same problems. after comparing notes i realized that it was the "beach body coaches" or whatever they are that are on here, that are the problem (at least for me). they seem to be very pushy and "im better because i spend hundreds of $$ on protein powders" type of people. i've learned to stay away from them....
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