public diary?

I keep it open to friends and log whatever I eat. 3 reasons~ accountability, support, knowledge.

My food diary is public. It helps me remain accountable and even if I have a bad day, the support of my MFP friends keeps me going. It also helps if I need advice on what to eat or how to change what I eat.

Thanks for the motivation.. I have now made my diary public for friends. I never knew that was an option (just joined). I was a WW person and liked the accountability, hated the new program and the $$$.

so..if someone wants to friend me.. I am open, but like someone said. do not judge me for my choices ;~)

I track food for myself, to see trends and to let me know when I am in excess, cause my personal filters are not always accurate. I might be hungry after eating 1600 calories at the end of the day because of stress.. and other days, I may find I have 100 calories left over. yeah.. I head for an ounce of cognac.

I have mine public. I'm not that embarrassed about what I put in. I find it entertaining and hilarious looking at my diary on days I do bad.

I had my diary private for a long time up until recently. Mine was private due to issues I have with food and people judging me, as my dad used to make me keep and show him my food diary and would criticize me as a teenager. I didn't open mine for accountability, I opened it to overcome the fear of other people judging me for what I put in my mouth. I don't cheat with my diary and log everything the best I can.

I say, make it public and be honest if you think it will help you. If you find you can't handle it later and want to lie, then close it again. Always worth trying.

Mine is public!! i like to be able to see wht people are doing that are successful with their weight loss. as well as let people see mine.


you do what is better for you! if you dont want everyeone to see it, keep it private. i will friend you weither its public or private. that means nothing to me.

Mine was private at first, but now that I make only good food choices I have nothing to worry about so it's public. In the beginning I felt the same way... I had it public for a couple of days and noticed I wasn't being as honest so I went private again. Now I know exactly what I'm doing and I know I'm doing it right so no worries

Public. I don't really give a flying fart what other people think about what I eat. However, since I like to give advice on here when people ask for it, I made it public so they can judge for themselves whether or not they should head my advice.

Public... people see me eat right ? Or do you hide in a corner and eat ?

I had the same concerns as you. I really wanted to do it but I was afraid I would not log everything if I messed up. Honestly, since I've made mine public (to my friends only), once I got used to it I never really thought twice about it. I think that making it public has really helped me stay accountable. And none of my friends have EVER said anything negative in regards to my diary on an "off" day (I have great mfp friends!!) If anything, they tell me encouraging things so that I can start the next day on a positive note. And if I have a REALLY off day, I just quit logging for that day so i don't get super discouraged and just start fresh the next day. It's kind of cheating, but it keeps me sane

I'd say try it for a week and see how you feel! I think it's a big step in making mfp really work for you, at least it has been for me!

I keep mine open for others to see, to give ideas. I like looking at other diaries to get ideas for different foods.

I do the same for the same reason. It never occurred to me to be snarky to other people about what they put in theirs. At the end of the day, it all comes down to you and I think we all know how we got here. Do what works best for you! It is helpful to see what others are putting together for meals.

Choose whichever option that will ensure you are being honest. I've heard of people leaving things out of their diary because it's public, but on the flip-side, some people tend to make better choices knowing that their diary is public. Just be honest with yourself and you'll make the right choice. me personally, I just started a 30 day challenge I made for myself for this month, and to go along with it, I decided to make my diary open to my MFP friends starting today. If you want to see the challenge it's in my blog.

Good luck!!

This. Everyone is different, and it takes what ever works for you. Mine is private. I'm a boring, very picky eater. Sometimes I drink. I log it all, but I don't need anyone lecturing me (which did happen when it was public and I was here before) I log for myself, to keep track of what I am doing and how it's working. I don't ask for advice so I don't feel the need to open my log for anyone else. Some people like the accountability, and I think that's wonderful - for them.

Mine is open to "friends" for accountability and advice but I prefer not to share much with the "public".

The locked with a Key is an awesome compromise on this. lock it with a key, then share that key with only a few select people that you know will motivate you, and not judge. It helps you to be accountable, but also have some control over who gets a chance to peek into your life. IMHO

Mine is public. Not just to my friends, but to all. I changed it a while back when I was asking for feedback so I could get 'unstuck'. I have bad days, I have high calorie days, and I recently had a 5 day long cake splurge! No one has judged me for it. But I have received honest and constructive feedback from people, such as, 'wow, do you realize how much sodium you consume?' Or "You might try to get a bit more protein." It all helps. It helps me to see other people's diary's too, because I get ideas for new things to eat or try.

It is really each person's choice, but I personally prefer if my friends have open diaries, as I prefer to have similar goals.