“The Photo Diet”: Could Photographing Meals Be More Effective Than A Written Journal?

 

BONUS – Two iPhone Apps That Make It Easy!

Previous studies  have shown that keeping a written food diary can double your weight loss.  But, newer studies  are revealing that a photographic journal of your food consumption can be more effective and it’s becoming increasingly popular.

Researchers have found that written food diaries were often filled in hours after the meal and were not as powerful in creating an impression of how much food had been consumed.  Like traditional journaling, photographic journaling provides accountability to what you put into your mouth, however, many people respond more effectively to visual cues; it isn't surprising that seeing what you've eaten can be more impacting.  The pictures appear to have concentrated the dieter's mind at just the right time, before they were about to eat.  Therefore, the photographs also acted as a powerful reminder of any snacking binges.

Here are two iPhone Apps that make “The Photo Diet” easy.  BEWARE: neither App tracks calories; there are hundreds of other apps that have that capability.

 1.   dietSNAPS

dietSNAPS is simple. You just take a picture of everything that you eat.  dietSNAPS lets you write a note to go along with your picture or write an actual diet journal entry. Beyond the notes and pictures, dietSNAPS allows you to track all of your meals, your snacks, your drinks, your water and even your exercise.  dietSNAPS then gives you the ability to e-mail your day to a nutritionist, personal trainer or other accountability partner.

 2.   Foodish 

Rather than putting the focus on calories or math of any sort, Foodish instead focuses on the healthfulness of your diet. In Foodish, which has a striking interface, you'll hit the plus sign to add a meal, snack or drink. You'll enter in a title — usually just the food name or items on the plate — and mark the item with one of four faces, depending on how healthy you think the meal is. There's no one checking up on you, and there's no right answer — which face you choose is based on your interpretation of what you're eating. Then you'll add a photo, either taken in app or from the library, of your food or drink. That's it. If you want, you can share your meal over Facebook and Twitter.