WHY keep your food diary hidden?

I had mine open but actually just closed it (even to friends) because I found it was stressing me out to worry about being judged for my food choices.

I grew up in an overweight family (though I was always thin) and people were ALWAYS commenting on what I ate. I have found that having people commenting on what I eat now is a bit trigger-y for me and I am hoping it will lessen my stress when it comes to logging my food.

It's a personal choice - I'm pretty careful about anything I post online, but I do have my diary and my weight visible, somethat that I never imagined I would do.
Everyone is in a different situation, and for some people having that private information publically available is not helpful.

Mine's open, and I really don't care what anyone thinks of how I eat. I like what I'm eating. I'm getting the results I want. That's all that matters. It doesn't make me any more or less accountable. If I didn't want to be accountable, I'd just omit things, or out and out lie about what I ate. There's some days, some weeks even, when I don't log at all. I'm at my goal and pretty much know how to much eat.... I know when I exercise my butt off, I can eat pretty much whatever I want. Unfortunately, I have a stress fracture right now, so my exercising is a bit limited.

I like checking my friends' diaries, and have gotten some great ideas from them. But I'd never question someone on why they choose to not have it public, unless they were asking for help on what they're eating. I've used the analogy before, that MFP is like a Swiss Army Knife. There's many different tools and not everyone is going to use the site the same way. Someone using it differently than you'd use it isn't doing it wrong. Just differently.

I used to have it just for friends, but now it is 100% private. In my case I am not 100% on what I eat if I know others can see it. I understand how people can turn that into a sort of motivation but I just lie, and don't put everything I eat on there because I know that people can see it. So now I am private, and then I will see what I actually eat.

I don't look at anyone else's diary and I don't care to have anyone critique mine. What works for me works for me. If I were looking for help or advice, I would open it. But I'm not.

Mine was newbie issues.....didnt realize it was until about two or three days ago. Set to public now, and don't really care if people see it or not, as long as the input is given as helpful instead of judgemental.

I'm not "accountable" to anyone and I've not asked for help with my food/eating, so no need for it to be public.

Because I have weird eating habits and consume a lot of junk on a regular basis (cookies, chocolate, alcohol, etc.).

This is a health site, so odds are I would get a few wags of the finger and judgmental words so I just save myself the embarrassment by keeping it to myself :laugh:

I think some people don't like the idea of disclosing something so personal; it's a way to avoid judgement (which of course wouldn't happen here, but it's a valid concern).

This, I personally don't keep mine private (I don't think) but I know some who do for this very reason. I SHOULDN'T be an issue but the sad truth is that is does happen here.

I don't need to be held accountable on the internet, I know when I've had a bad day or a good day when it comes to eating. I don't really see a need to show everyone what I put in my mouth. I never read other food diaries as well, just a preference. If I was struggling to lose weight or something, I'd open it and ask for help I suppose. For the time being, I simply don't feel comfortable sharing to that extent with people I don't know outside of this website.

I never see anyone's food diary that is not hidden. Just curious, where are the ones that are not hidden at. They are not in the home page.

I have mine set to private and I don't worry about accountability to others. I am accountable to myself. It is important to me that I can make smart choices (at least most of the time), without the approval of all who know me. This is a change I am making for life and I don't think any food is off limits - logging food helps me to see the numbers in what I eat. I love fruits and vegetables, meat, grains, chocolate, marzipan...one of my greatest challenges has been appropriate portions. What really helps me is the big green or red number at the top of my home page. Looking and that and being hungry inspires me to exercise. The weight I am losing and increasing energy I am feeling also inspire me to exercise, it's a win-win for me. Should I hit a plateau or have trouble, I may well open it to solicit opinions. Until then, I value my privacy.

I do find it somewhat amusing that some people figure I am likely lying or hiding something by virtue of being private. I wonder if that is because so much of people's lives are exposed to the masses. Fame (even infamy) seems to be increasingly important these days.

Edited to add: I suppose I figured those that have their diaries open welcome/expect commentary. I do this occasionally, but not all the time. I feel more comfortable supporting their activities.

I've earned the right to do whatever I please.

This.

I have mine set to private and I don't worry about accountability to others. I am accountable to myself. [ . . . ] Should I hit a plateau or have trouble, I may well open it to solicit opinions. Until then, I value my privacy.

I do find it somewhat amusing that some people figure I am likely lying or hiding something by virtue of being private. I wonder if that is because so much of people's lives are exposed to the masses. Fame (even infamy) seems to be increasingly important these days.

My thoughts exactly. In this Facebook/Twitter, etc, world, I think people actually share too much. Granted, your food intake is directly related to what we are all here for (regardless of whether we are losing, maintaining, or gaining), but unless someone asks for help, others shouldn't be concerned about whether one's diary is public or private.

Mine was friends only; now it's public. My friends are a huge support, and I love getting advice! If I ever get any I disagree with, I ignore it... but it's usually super constructive and helpful