According to a recent article in the New York Times there are a ton of people who take pictures and blog about what they eat. Some have become so obsessive, they cannot eat anything without first photographing it.
I don’t know about the must-have picture or obsessive behaviour (have I ever told you my husband refers to me as being ‘high-maintenance’?) but this sounded like it could be a good idea. ‘People in the know’, whomever they are, always say it helps to write down everything you eat as most people tend to minimize or not realize what they actually consume in a day. They also say when trying to reach a goal one of the ways to keep on-track is to tell someone. So you’re held accountable.
I figure taking a picture of what I eat is just as easy as writing it down. Baring my eating habits in the public domain, may provide motivation for eating healthier and not going for the quick, easy-way-out, junk food that can sometimes take over in busy lives.
I’m not grossly overweight. However, I do obsess just a little about my gut hanging over my trousers. I’m cognizant of the fact that every time I sit down, I have to kind of lift the tops of my trousers, up and out….over this bulge, before I can feel comfortable. Then, there’s my flabby upper arms. Two farily typical signs for women around my age, I know, but crap – I don’t like it!
Over the past week I started snapping photos before I ate anything. Not only did it keep me busy (who has time to eat anymore – ha!) but I also thought more about what I was going to eat and perhaps more importantly, what I shouldn’t be caught eating (see blog post Almost caught at the lights).
I’ve only set a goal of recording this for three weeks as that’s hopefully an achievable target. At least to start with. Who knows what the results will be, or if I get hugely tired or annoyed doing it, or if it proves not at all worthwhile.
So here goes.
Sunday, 11 April
bkfst: pb toast
lunch: carrots, tom, basil, olive oil & lemon, parmesan ch, bread
dinner: I think we had pasta, grated parmesan and olive oil
snacks: I forget!
Monday, 12 April
bkfst: granola w/raisins
lunch: vegetarian beans and norlander bread
dinner: rice, stir fry - carrots, celery, green beans, ginger, soya, lemon juice
snacks: glass red wine with dinner, popcorn w/butter and diet coke (popcorn being my favorite evening treat!!!)
exercise: about 30 to 40 laps in the pool
Tuesday, 13 April
bkfst: pb toast
lunch: avocado, tom, cuke, basil, lemon & olive oil, M & S olive flat bread, parm cheese, cantaloupe & blueberries
that is a lot of lunch!
dinner: red pepper and fennel soup, bread, cheese
soup fixins: red pepper, fennel, onion, chili pepper
snacks: handful of almonds, glass red wine with dinner, 2 After Eight’s with coffee after dinner
Wednesday, 14 April
bkfst: pb toast
lunch: ramen noodles, carrots, cantaloupe, walnuts, almonds
dinner: homemade baked mac & cheese, bread
snacks: watermelon, glass of red wine with dinner, ……almost ate a small bag of Lays S & V chips just before bedtime, but resisted the temptation!
exercise: 40 laps in the pool
Thursday, 15 April
bkfst: granola w/raisins
lunch: cantaloupe, bread, omelette - gr pepper, onion, cheese
salad fixins: savoy cabbage, apple, walnuts, cider vinegar, olive oil, sour cream
steak, salad, white & wild rice
snacks: cantaloupe, handful of mixed nuts, mango. Didn’t resist tonight and ate not one,but 2 bags of chips !!! With a diet coke. Also, 2 glasses of red wine with dinner. Must have been livin’ it up with it being the weekend and all (excuse). Chips, small bags so 25gr, or 130 cal each (justifcation).
exercise: one lap around the compound walking the dog, one walk to the compound grocery store and back (well, every little bit helps).
Friday, 16 April
breakfast: Ric’s Country Kitchen – turkey ham, 2 eggs, texas toast, hashbrowns… plus a bite of dear daughter’s breakfast burrito and about 3 bites of dear husband’s pancakes w/syrup.
popcorn & Lipton green iced tea w/mint at the cinema
dinner: Jamie Oliver's asparagus risotto & garlic crunchie chicken, leftover salad
snacks: I seem to have deleted whatever it was I snacked on today…..
exercise: none what-so-ever!
Saturday, 17 April
bkfst at PQ: ch, onion & gr pepper omelette, bread basket and coffee
lunch: 2 mandarin oranges, snack: granola bar
dinner: roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots, gr beans
snacks: handful mixed nuts, 2 glasses red wine, 2 Lindt chocolates w/coffee after dinner
We shall see how week 2 goes….. Feel free to offer any advice, comments. Criticisms….. gentle okay?
I will also make a quick mention something else. As I started writing this blog post on Thursday, I needed to refer back to the article in the NY Times regarding the ‘photography of food’ article. When I went to the food section what appeared in front of me was an article, called my life in food. In it, the writer detailed what he’d eaten and how much he’d exercised for the week, calculating calories in vs. calories out. Similar to what I had just been writing. I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me all week, in all kinds of circumstances, having to do with all kinds of different topics. Synchronicity – I like it!
barelynoticeable 
You just made me laugh out loud and think that yes, you do need to go back to work !!! Too much time on your hands. But when I thought about it, its probably a good idea to actually see what you’ve eaten. And, I think you may have a new career as a food photographer as your pictures are really good and from what I understand it is very difficult toget good food photographs – they paint them and shine them and all manner of things. Anyway — good luck with it all – its fun to read. Love, Mom xx
you look to be eating extremely healthy!!
I would say so, for the most part. Keeping track does give you a quick glance at where you can improve or what you might be missing. For instance, I know I don’t eat enough fruit.