WHY keep your food diary hidden?

Being new to MFP, I had no idea that it was an option to make it anything other than for me only. I noticed someone else had theirs showing so I looked around at my settings and there it was!

I prefer to have it viewed by my friends only but I actually think it's a great idea to see what other people are eating. My own menu gets boring after a while and I love to learn new snacks or meals to make.

Yes, we're all here for the same reason. But, not everyone takes criticism well. And some people aren't good at putting things nicely which in turn causes hurt feelings. (And stress eating LOL). In the end, we're all here to help one another. At least that's what I'm here for. To support others and learn from others.

I agree.. i think its because they don't want to be held accountable...or to me are they being completely honest?

lol no

I hold myself accountable by logging everything - like a big girl.

Some people just view it as a personal thing, hence "diary."

Open it, hide it - I won't bother to look at it anyway.

I guess I don't find it anyone else's business honestly. I found I was more honest in logging when my diary was set to private.

Frankly - I could care less what anyone thinks about what I've eaten. Mine is open - and open to anyone on MFP. I hide nothing. I think people don't want others to see what they've eaten for several reasons - they're hiding stuff, not "really" working to lose weight, eat junk, and dont' want comments.
Why do I look at other people's diaries? For one reason - I'm curious. I want to know what people are eating. Give me ideas on things I'm not eating - and could try something new. Especially desserts/late night stuff that's healthy. Vege's, too - love new ideas.
It's pretty much a given that when your actions and words are heard and seen by others - they're different than if you were alone or with close/personal friends. When you know others see what you're doing and eating - it helps keep you on track.
We're all here to lose/maintain or get in better shape. Having others watch and see us in our progress - encourages and supports, and occasionally gets us back on track and out of the mud.
Accountability is a good thing for a lot of people - which is why the most successful programs have group meetings, group weigh ins. Another way of accountability. You may not like it, but it is successful enough that programs use it.
If you don't like that aspect - then why bother posting anthing on this site? Close your diary, keep your info private.
Oh - and someone commented about nasty or hurtful comments - this site shouldn't be for INTENTIONAL comments designed to hurt someone. That being said - when you're NOT eating right, when you're SLACKING and making EXCUSES - you will hear about it. Tough nuts - get over it. If you don't want to hear about it - then stop posting stuff, keep your info closed. We're also here to encourage and get all of us on the right track. Sometimes you need a head thump to get back on track.
I offer head thumps at a very reasonable rate. Free. lol

I log everything i eat and feel ok ( most of the time ) with what i eat but if i had to share it - i'm afraid i wouldn't log EVERYTHING! I'm just not comfortable sharing that info xx

I can absolutely see that point. Mine is open to my friends, but I know that the if someone were to criticize what I ate without being asked for advice, I'm going to close it. I think it's nice to have it there for ideas, if people need them, but if I had 5 beers last night and went way over my calorie goal (and I do have days like that tracked in here) that was my decision for that night. It is much more important that we track and stay accountable to ourselves. If we might play the clean tracker game because someone else is looking at it, then it does us no good. Logging your food only helps weight loss if it's accurate.

To each their own!

I just opened mine up to public viewing.... talk about anxiety. LOL

Its a personal choice. Some people have medical conditions have to eat an amount of calories that others wouldn't agree with. Mine was set to private because I had wls and at the time could only eat around 1000 calories or less. I didn't want the naysayers. Now that I can eat more its open. Some people are new and just logging and seeing the calories of what they eat and are just becoming aware of what they are consuming and don't want the critizism yet. Tons of reasons. Personally I don't care. I have friends who have theirs open and closed. At least they are logging something!

for some they dont want you to know their total cal intake because you can figure out (sot of) their wt...this is what I have been told...others jsut never noticed to change it to public or friends...

I had mine open and was doing amazing, then I fell off the wagon and wasnt logging everything because I thought my mfp buds would be ashamed of me. I closed it so I could start to be honest with myself again. I will be reopening it again when I feel ready.

Didn't read the other posts, but that's the original setting and some don't take the time to figure out how to change things:) I accidentally came across it but didn't see the need to change it

I have mine open to friends only. I have no desire for someone to push their ideas of what a diet means on me. I have seen too many others criticized (without asking for opinions mind you) for their choices. If I ask for help, then I will open it up and expect criticism. But unwanted, unsolicited advice pisses me off, so I keep it locked except to those I have grown to know and trust. My two cents.

I agree with this. I dislike the notion that people who keep their food diary private do not want accountability. If I can't be accountable to myself, why would I be accountable to strangers? Having the courage to tell *myself* that I consumed 1,500 calories in one meal is accountability to me. I know it's horrible; I don't need to hear it from others.

People have success logging the foods they eat not only from sharing it but from just doing it. Before MFP and other calorie-counting websites and apps, nutritionists have encouraged writing down what you eat to make weight loss attempts more successful. Sure, sharing it with others helps, but accountability starts with the individual.

I have my diary open to friends.

I guess the pros and cons include the following:

PROS:
- Keeps you accountable
- Positive comments from others (when warranted) keep you going!
- Negative comments from others (when warranted) keep you going!
- Allows you to encourage others in different ways (e.g. they can see that you can be disciplined sometimes, falter other times - its what you do most of the time that counts - and how this impacts your results)
- Encourages others (particularly friends) to open their diaries (which is very helpful as you too can see what they do to get results)

CONS:
- Some loss of privacy (particularly in relation to "comment" type entries) - this is particularly an issue for some who post sensitive comments.
- Negative comments from others (which are not warranted)
- Temptation to "cheat" by not properly logging calories if you are having a bad day/week etc (personally I like logging cheat days and "bad" days as once again, it keeps me accountable)

All in all, I believe that the Pros outweigh the Cons. However due to some loss of privacy, I have chosen to make my diary available open to mfp friends only.

Having said all of the above, I don't judge friends who have a closed diary (although appreciate all those with an open diary).

When making "comments" in my diary, I always remember that others may be reading and therefore don't include overly sensitive details

Also imho information stored in "the cloud" is never 100% guaranteed safe irrespective of settings. Therefore I would still not store overly sensitive information in comments even if my diary was kept "private".