Comments on: Photo Journaling: Helpful or Harmful?

By: Oh She Glows » Blog Archive » Raising Money for NEDIC + Top Posts in 2009

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:19:34 +0000

[...] Photo Journaling: Helpful or Harmful? [...]

By: Caroline

Caroline — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:49:54 +0000

I’ve been without a computer for a few weeks and I definitely notice myself indulging more when eating than I would if I were taking pictures of my food for the world to see. I haven’t been food blogging that long, but knowing that someone (my mother at least!) reads regularly makes me think more of what other people would think, how they’d judge. Something I usually try to avoid thinking about, but in this case it helps me!

By: Ashley

Ashley — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:49:25 +0000

ange, this post really hit home. I actually semi hit on it in my post yesterday. I started out taking pics of most everything that I ate. Slowly it has started eating at me and i felt obligated to, and in turn i think compared myself to other bloggers and always wanted to make sure the meal was perfectly well rounded and “blogworthy”. It actually ended up with me gaining some weight unknowingly. I didn’t understand? I am eating all the “right” things but have gained some weight? Turns out I was eating the right things but too much of them. I have decided to stop taking pics and posting every meal and focus on meals that i find interesting. This way, I realized that now I enjoy my meal more without having to think about grabbing my camera and has helped me be a little less obsessive about my meals. I think I was thinking about everything way too in depth and way too much. Now i feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and now I am going to add in different aspects to my blog that i’ve always been interested in. Beauty products, lifestyle posts, etc. I”m excited! You are such an inspiration, thanks for all you do for your readers! :)

By: Whitney

Whitney — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:45:54 +0000

•Do you take pictures of what you eat? Why or why not?
I do take pictures of what I can, but I don’t usually get everything. It helps hold me accountable and cut back on binges. I don’t want to have to post a big eating binge!

•Has taking pictures of what you eat ever caused problems for you?
Not so far, but I’ll get back on that later if it does!

•Do you think it is a helpful tool for weight loss?
VERY much so. It’s easier to see what you ate rather than just writing it down. Plus you go to such lengths to make it interesting for the blog. I lurve it!

By: ari

ari — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:20:43 +0000

i don’t have a food blog or take pictures of what i eat. i think that because of my struggles with disordered eating and being obsessed about counting calories and food, taking pictures of my food would create lotsss of problems for me.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:46:05 +0000

I’ve attempted to take pictures of everything I eat, with the idea that I’d post it on my blog, but then it starts to drive me crazy and I over think everything I’m eating. So I’ve just stopped attempting it, at least as an everyday thing.

By: Tammy (Defining Wellness)

Tammy (Defining Wellness) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:34:01 +0000

Hey Angela,

I learned about your blog from Caitlin over at Healthy Tipping Point, and I’m so glad I found it! This is such a great post! I, too, have suffered from disordered eating, and in fact, am newly recovered (the blog world helped me tremendously). I started a blog called Defining Wellness because I am a health educator and I’m very passionate about all things health and wellness. But, like you, I DO NOT think taking photos of everything I eat would be a good idea. I usually pick one or two meals or snacks to post each day (and sometimes none). I think that wellness is so much more than what we put in our mouths!! However, I love reading food blogs and think that, like you said, some people have it down to a science. If you’ve never suffered from disordered eating, it’s probably no big deal at all. In fact, if you’re a foodie, you probably love it! I’m really glad you brought up this topic, though, because I have wondered if the idea of posting everything you eat seemed too time-consuming and potentially problematic to others. Thanks for bringing up the subject!

By: Faith

Faith — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:30:54 +0000

I agree with you, Angela — sometimes I just want to eat without the photographing formalities! Generally, the only times I take pics is when I make a special meal, or when I’m posting a recipe.

By: Meghan

Meghan — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:22:41 +0000

When I started blogging I decided I definitely would not be taking photos of all of my meals. I enjoy looking at photos of food, but I think it would make me crazy to photograph everything. I think people should choose what is best for them, and for me I could see this as becoming a problem.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:22:36 +0000

Ever since I’ve been reading food blogs I’ve been taking pictures of what I eat. After a while, it has become cumbersome and annoying. And now that I’m on a vacation, I feel awkward pulling out my camera to take a photo of my food at a restaurant or a party. How do other people deal with public use of photographing their food?