Commenting on people's food diaries

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  • jenhowse1
    jenhowse1 Posts: 49
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    I'm happy for people to comment on my diary - interesting to know if anyone has suggestions of what I could do differently!

    With regards to exercise calories - I use whats in teh MFP database as I usually find it is less than my heart rate monitor says (but then my idea of moderate exercise on the rowing machine may be very vigourous to everyone else!.)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    I save myself the drama. With my eating out at fast food 2 times a week (and NO HEALTH ISSUES) I don't need the "health police" chastising me on my choice of foods. As long as I get in my essentials in macros and micros, drink enough water, get enough rest and workout hard, if I have calories available to eat "crap" that I like, I'm going to eat it.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    My diary is private. I know what I should be eating and don't require help. Should that change, I would ask my friends for their opinions, though.
  • Shanta1983
    Shanta1983 Posts: 1,228 Member
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    This I totally agree...I dont need a diary police...I know Im not perfect...Im not gone deprive myself either.Ive been down this road before..I know what it takes I have my days...but overall really I know what it takes.If I didnt ask for your advice dont give it to me ummm kay thanks
  • taramaureen
    taramaureen Posts: 569 Member
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    I don't mind if people comment on my food diary. I take it in stride as I know I'm not a perfect eater.
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
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    Those kind of comments are ones I don't appreciate, particularly.

    I'm not a salad person. I eat sandwiches, a lot of potatoes and sugary cereal because they work for me and are the best way for me to be healthy.

    I've opened my diary for people to see if they want to spark discussion, and I wouldn't mind questions along the lines of 'Why are you eating Coco Pops and not Bran Flakes?' or 'You do know that meal would be better without the potatoes?', but I don't want anyone TELLING me how to eat.
  • yesiwillbeloosingit
    yesiwillbeloosingit Posts: 64
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    I want people to critique my diary... if I didn't I would keep it private.

    Soooo... lay it on me!


    This...

    Edit to say that I don't want anyone's opinion unless they actually know what they are talking about.. There are alot of ppl commenting on ppls eat - exercises and so on - who say the most random things..

    So that - as long as it's valid :)
  • angela475
    angela475 Posts: 6
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    I was just thinking this yesterday - one of my very new MFP friends is consistently recording lower than their calorie goal but they're hardly eating any vegetables, fruit or whole grains; they're mainly eating white rice, lamb, chocolate and bread.
    I feel like if people have constructive feedback on my diary then I'd love to hear it, but I don't know if people will think that I'm being rude by pointing out where they could have improved.

    I suppose like everything else to do with weight loss, it becomes such an emotional thing - my aim this past week has been trying to make it more about maths and less about emotion (see my blog for more explanation), but there's no guarantee that what I think is helpful advice will be received in a constructive way - if my MFP friend is having a bad day and sees my advice as as a personal attack then this doesn't help anyone!

    Such a fine line, and I find myself just chickening out of giving advice to people because I don't know whether it will be taken constructively (which seems like a waste of all that I have learnt over the past 18 months)

    I'll just have to wait and comment when the time seems right (like when friends are specifically asking for advice or commenting on why they're not getting the results expected)

    Good luck everyone!!
  • elysia81
    elysia81 Posts: 21
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    Well, nobody is perfect and the whole point of keeping the diary is so you can see where you go over the mark. I know that I have good days and bad days and keep the diary honest (or, what's the point?). It's pretty easy to work out for yourself where you go wrong and unless someone has specifically asked for advice then I wouldn't ever comment on their diary.

    Calorie counting isn't perfect science anyway, for me it's about eating foods that make you feel satisfied, healthy and happy not about sticking to a strict limit. If I know that certain snacks or foods take me over but I also know that they are healthy then I am fine with that, I think the biggest advantage of the fitnesspal is just getting familiar with the foods you eat so you know better how and what to eat to improve your balance.
  • Meggles63
    Meggles63 Posts: 916 Member
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    I save myself the drama. With my eating out at fast food 2 times a week (and NO HEALTH ISSUES) I don't need the "health police" chastising me on my choice of foods. As long as I get in my essentials in macros and micros, drink enough water, get enough rest and workout hard, if I have calories available to eat "crap" that I like, I'm going to eat it.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    This ^^ I haven't had any neg. feedback YET! I eat some "processed" food, I don't worry about Sodium and I have cheat days, and drink! So long as my friends don't get all food-nazi on me, it's fine (and to be honest, none of them have)
  • LauraSmyth28
    LauraSmyth28 Posts: 399 Member
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    I have my diary closed as my diet is a bit limited. By this I mean I'm a fussy eater and people might be surprised to see that my only real protein sources are chicken, eggs....no red meat.

    I eat a lot of veg but very little fruit. I just prefer savoury food to sweet.

    There is plenty of room for improvement in my diary and I'm not quite ready to let the www see it yet. :wink:
  • MamaDee2
    MamaDee2 Posts: 843 Member
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    I want people to be honest! That is the reason my diary is open. If I did not want hpelp, tips, suggestions I could just write it on paper to track. I do however try to be tactful when I comment on others diaries.
  • TammyLynne71
    TammyLynne71 Posts: 184 Member
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    I want the honest approach. As a newbie to this the input would be helpful and if you have the knowledge why not help someone.
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
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    if someone has asked for comments on their diary, or has posted that they are not losing and cant work out why, I will have a look and help if i can, otherwise i try to keep out i wont just randomly tell someone what they should be eating if i dont like the look of their diary! i dont agree with saying WTG, good job etc though when someone is consistently under their goal as that is not healthy, sometimes i am the only one saying 'you need to eat more' in a long list of 'good job being unders'!
    more often than not my diary is not typically 'healthy / diet' food, and i know i could eat better some days, but im usually around my cal goal and its working for me so i dont worry about it, i would think that other people know when they are making bad choices and dont need me commenting on it!
  • RadBarb
    RadBarb Posts: 19
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    Wow...well this sure is the hot button topic on here today! I left my diary open for people to comment. I am not a thinned skinned person, so if someone comments "the cold hard truth" about my diet then it is good for me to see that and take accountability for my food choices. Every day can't be perfect...I am usually too busy with work to plan for great lunches, so sometimes I falter there. I think if you chose to leave your diary open then people can comment if they want. I like to look at others food journals for IDEAS! Have a great day!!
  • Maximus0005
    Maximus0005 Posts: 85 Member
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    I think it depeneds on the person's wishes. Personally I have no issues with somone being critical of what I eat. It may either spark a friendly debate on what we think is nutritional, or be a wakeup call for one or the other. win win win (third win because we all win)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    I actually had someone "defriend" me because she saw I ate Mcdonald's once a week. No kidding. Her response was that she couldn't be friends with someone who would support a corporation like Mcdonald's by eating there! Like I said, I don't need the drama and people nitpicking through my diary and TRYING to find some negative about how I consume my calories. When people see success, they try to find a weak spot to air dirty laundry.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    My diary is public. I don't think anyone has ever commented on it but I don't really care whether people comment on it or not. I've been eating the same way for a long time and remained healthy so I can't see changing anything based on the opinion of a stranger.
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
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    My diary is open to my friends, and I don't mind if people want to comment, but I don't need it to be picked apart. Chances are, if I go out with my friends and eat say, some appetizers, or maybe a hamburger & fries one day, I already know that that wasn't the best choice without being told. I try very hard even on those "cheat" type days to stay within my calories, or at least not go over my goal by more than 1 or 200, but every now and then I do. I don't believe in denying myself everything, if every few weeks or so I crave something bad for me, and it will reasonably fit within my calories, i'm going to have it, and enjoy it, and then resume my healthier eating. I actually eat a bit of chocolate EVERY DAY. If I didn't allow myself this I would very easily fall back into bad habits. I'm aware that these aren't the healthiest choices and that there is always room for improvement, and I totally don't mind comments as long as they're not nasty picking me apart for not eating 100% perfect every day.
  • formersec
    formersec Posts: 233 Member
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    I was asked to critique a person's diary and I did. She ignored my suggestions and unfriended me. Won't do that again.

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