A picture is worth

Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to offer you a quick and easy way to help you meet your dieting goals by making a last minute adjustment to your meal.  All you need to do is have your phone and its camera ready when you sit down to eat.  Simply take a picture of your meal before you have it, and see if what in the picture looks like a healthy meal to you.  If it doesn’t, ask yourself what last minute changes can you make to it, to help you reach your nutritional goals.

While at lunch the other day, I was looking across the room and noticed my co-worker’s lunch.  My co-worker has been very consciously watching what she eats over the last couple of months as she will be part of an upcoming wedding party.  I was impressed, and even envious, of how healthy her lunch looked.  She had a tall bottle of water, fresh fruit, some baked whole grain snacks, and a freshly made wrap.  Everything about it, the colors, the arrangement, and the contents made it look like a meal that would be the focus of an “eat this” article.  Then, I looked down at my own lunch and noticed that it wasn’t quite as appealing or healthy.  I had a late start that day so on my way to work I quickly picked up a deli sandwich on a white bread, and had a cup of coffee from the lunch room’s coffee machine.  I have to admit, I was a bit depressed, and not quite as hungry any more as I looked down at it.  I thought, this would be the “don’t eat this” picture in that same nutrition article.  But just as we shouldn’t let a little discouragement hold us back in life, I spilled the coffee out in the sink, and filled up a cup with water.  And although it was a little too late to change my sandwich, I did discard a significant portion of the bread.  Even though I couldn’t change the entire meal, I did make some small, yet significant changes to make my meal healthier.  I only made the changes after “seeing” that “picture” of my meal and thought about which side of that nutrition article it would fall on.  If you make enough small changes in your life, whether it is within your diet and / or exercise routines, they often add up. 

Taking a picture of your meal just as it is might not seem too helpful at first glance (pun intended.)  But seeing its picture and making it healthier with some simple yet significant changes will be beneficial.  Furthermore, taking a picture of what you are eating often enough will help you to recognize what shouldn’t be on your plate in the first place.  You will pick up on patterns of the unhealthy items that you keep removing.  Done often enough and you will start avoiding them before they even get there.

It is said “a picture is worth a thousand words.”  Here, a picture can be worth a few hundred calories each meal, and in turn, many pounds of fat loss.  Seeing a picture of what you are about to eat will help you focus on whether or not it can be improved.  Small changes to individual meals will help you recognize poor food choice patterns as well.  Taking a look at what you are eating will help you make better nutritional choices and help you achieve a fit new you!