Something to chew on

Day 7: 1/2 Pound Down

Well, I'm seven days into my self-assigned challenge of taking a picture of everything I eat for (at least) 30 days. I'm liking what's going on!

First, I stepped on the scale this morning and am down half a pound. Yay! That might not seem like much, but I'm looking at it this way: If I lost half a pound every week for a year, I'd be 26 pounds down overall. That's fun to think about!

Secondly, it's forcing me to make better choices. It feels great to be honest and accountable to myself, but I also know there are a handful of people out there watching and offering their support, and I'm proud to tell them -- through my pictures -- Hey, look, I chose tomato soup instead of a bag of potato chips today.

Finally, I'm starting to see my diet through a rainbow lens. After having a completely beige day a few weeks ago, I'm been challenging myself to work more color (and I don't mean M&Ms) into my day. This morning, that meant a handful of blueberries mixed into my oatmeal. Delicious! And, a serving of fruit before I even got dressed!

What would you learn about your diet if you photographed everything you ate for 30 days?

Labels: challenge, diet, food, photography

30 Days and Five Pounds

A Twitter conversation yesterday inspired and motivated me. Talk of money-saving tips at the grocery store turned into eating healthy, being accountable, and supporting a new friend as she does the same.

I haven't been very good about keeping up with my photos of everything I eat for the past week -- spraining the heck out of my ankle and having a bad reaction to the pain meds had me a bit out of commission. But I want to do better. And I want to keep track for 30 days. How hard can 30 days be?

So, today is March 12. I've taken a picture of everything I've eaten today, and I'm ready to commit to 29 more. Join me. It's simple: Take a picture of everything you eat and keep a photo journal of it for 30 days. I have two goals as I do my 30 days: Make sure there is something colorful and fresh every day, avoiding all-beige days, and lose 5 pounds.

I love it when inspiration and motivation strike unexpectedly!

Labels: food, healthy eating, photography

Taste the Rainbow

We've hear it all the time: We should fill our plates with color to get the best variety of nutrients. Filling a plate with all beige food just doesn't cut it.

I've been taking a picture of everything I have eaten for the past week -- and I mean everything -- and I see a trend. My rainbow isn't there. I eat a lot of beige, including shades of white, eggshell, cream, brown, yellow and tan. Looking at all of the pictures back-to-back-to-back just isn't very appetizing, so I can only imagine that it's not very good for me either.

So for now, I'm not going to make some drastic goal about reducing calories or anything like that. For now, for the next week or so, my goal is simple: Eat more colorfully!

Labels: food, journaling, photography

A New Way to Journal

I take lots of food pictures. Whether we're eating when we travel, visiting local restaurants or even cooking at home, I always have a camera within quick grabbing distance.

Couple that with the fact that I'm ready to start trying to get healthier again, and I had an idea: I'll journal, but in photographs only. So, yesterday at lunch, it began. I took a picture of everything that I ate yesterday and my photo food journal was up and running!

My goal is simple: to be honest with myself and more thoughtful about what I eat.

Our brains can do so odd things, like when we're driving late at night and your brain says, "Sure, rest your eyes for 10 seconds. It'll be fine." When it comes to food, my crazy brain often tells me, "If no one else sees you eat it, it doesn't count." Well, with this need photo food journal, it doesn't matter if anyone else sees me eat it. I'm taking a quick photo to force myself to see it.

It's about accountability and honesty. And if I can lose a pound or two along the way, I'll be thrilled!

Labels: blogging, food, journaling, photography