Recently my gurning ginger mug appeared in the Washington Post, along with Deborah of Drop The Fork and Gerry of Disease Proof. Gerry contacted us afterwards asked if we’d fancy tracking our food and exercise for a week, to show what three different weight loss maintainers put away.
I hesitated before accepting his invitation. "What do you eat on a typical day?" is one of my most frequent of FAQs but it’s always made me feel a little uncomfortable, because I don’t really have a typical day and I’d hate for anyone to think it was any sort of blueprint for health. It all depends on what’s in the cupboard, cravings du jour, level of fatigue/crankiness, etc.
I also know what I used to be like – trawling blogs and old copies of Slimming magazine for What Successful Losers Eat, seeking patterns and clues; as if searching for the Da Vinci Menu Plan that would unlock all the diet secrets of the universe. I can imagine me analysing my journal:
ME OF 2001: She ate all that food?! And salmon two nights in a row? Chinese takeaway!? White basmati rice?
ME OF 2008: [defensive screech] We’d run out of brown rice! I was desperate! The takeaway was Gareth’s idea!*
[Cat fight]
(* Last Thursday night after measuring a couch at Steve’s house [long story] Gareth said unto me, "You know how you wrote that blog entry about being tired and hungry and convincing each other to eat dodgy dinners?" then I said, "Chinese takeaway. Woohoo!")
I’d hoped to be healthy and holy all week long, especially knowing there’s at least two nutritionists reading this blog. But the end result was more realistic, honest and typical of how I eat — mostly because I kept forgetting I’d be broadcasting my food intake until after I’d wedged the spring roll/carrot cake into my mouth.
(I also kept forgetting to photograph my meals until it was too late. My sole contribution was a plate of lentil and tomato goo. Sorry for letting the team down, Gerry!)
So what can you tell from a week’s worth of food? It’s a snapshot in time. You can’t see that the day before we started journaling, I walked up a big hill then scoffed fish, chips and mushy peas afterwards. You can’t see that the day after we finished, I was lazy and ate a dozen shriveled almonds for brekkie.
However, it’s a reasonable picture of how eat so I can feel:
- satisfied
- not enslaved to the stove
- fueled for exercise
- confident that I’ll keep fitting into my clothes
- Balanced and SANE!
Other highly scientific conclusions from this experiment:
- There is tea running through my veins instead of blood
- If not tea, then plain yogurt
- Some days I am a beacon of virtue, some days I’m the opposite
- I eat a helluva lot of beans and lentils
- I am not bothered by repetition in my diet
- I am not bothered by repetition in my diet
- I! Love! Chocolate!
You can check out all three food journals on Disease Proof.
Just a wee update on the email situation after the 
The German translation of Dietgirl is 
Do you think it’s easier to stick with healthy eating when you’re on your own, or with a partner? 
Another Case for the Time-Traveling Fat Detective