Today I’m linking up with Jenn & friends for What I Ate Wednesday, where I share a day’s worth of meals & snacks.
One of the myriad reasons I enjoy WIAW is because it’s a great way to document what you’re eating at a particular point in your life. While I think it would be difficult, stressful and unnecessary to photograph everything you ate all day every day, making a habit of one day a week to stop and document what you’re consuming can be really beneficial and fun to look back at. Whether you’re inclined to share those posts is 100% your personal decision, but I enjoy looking back to see what I was eating a couple months ago, versus a year ago. Whenever I look back I’m like “aww #tbt to that week I ate tons of avocado… oh wait that’s literally every day” or “damn, I was on a squash kick that fall.”
For me, occasional food-photo journaling is a better alternative to calorie counting. Again, this was my personal experience, but for me, calorie counting became an obsession that didn’t benefit my long-term health, like it may for some.
Want to know a secret? I opened up my old MyNetDiary app last week because I wanted to do an experiment and track calories for a day just to remember what that was like. It’s like going to an old bar you know you hated, but needed to revisit just for that reminder. The three days I kept up with it were pretty awful. Suddenly I felt like my eating became a game. I quickly began ignoring hunger cues and instead paid attention to the numbers. A lot of old disordered feelings rushed back so I promptly stopped my experiment. For now, WIAW and photo food journaling is a nice way to stay accountable, for me anywhoo.
Breakfast:
Before gym – a medjol date & energy bite // Post Gym: Vega Protein & Molokai Coconut Bai 5
Snack: Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Kind Bar
Lunch: Greens, Sweet Potato Tuna Burger & Hemp Seeds
Snack: Guava Kombucha & 2 Nut Butter Dates (not. over. how. good. these. are.)
Dinner: Zoodles, Arugula, Red Cabbage & 1/2 Sweet Potato with Tahini & Seeds
Dessert: Siggi’s Vanilla topped with my homemade Grain Free Granola
Let’s be Insta(nt) friends
Like pictures of food? Yeah, of course you do – you’re reading this. Let’s be friends on Instagram.
Your Turn:
- Bloggers: Do you ever look back at old blog post to see what you were eatin’ & thinkin’?
- Have your eating habits or favorite foods changed over time?
Isn’t that Kind bar to die for? I sometimes look back at my archives and am shocked at how my food looked (mostly unpalatable haha). But I was just getting started cooking and I feel like my meals now taste and look better! If I had a blog 2 years ago you wouldn’t see a sweet potato ever. Now? They’re happily eaten every single day.
It was perfect because it cured the sweet tooth with only 5g of sugar (cray?!) Haha I feel the same way. Some old pictures are just so baaaad, but Hey makin’ progress in the kitchen and on the camera 😀 A sweet potato a day keeps the hanger away <3
I just tried Siggis for the first time and I loved it! It wasn’t super sweet, which was so great, because I find most Greek yogurts to be realllyyyyy sweet unless I mix plain Greek yogurt in, too.
Right?! Siggis for the win! The berry flavors and vanilla are probably my favs – plus I just am not a big fan of fruit at the bottom yogurt – If I’m gonna all the sugar I’d rather do it myself using jam or maple syrup or something.
Kind bars are so good, love them!
Right? Great flavors and textures. I love the spiced ones and the ones that are only 5g of sugar. Do you have a favorite flavor?
Haha that’s one of the fun things about having a blog- I can go back to 4 years ago and be like WHAT was I thinking?! haha. I used to be pretty into the whole calorie counting thing too, but over the past few years I’ve focused on hunger cues and I feel so much better!
Sometimes I think I was crazy and sometimes I’m surprised how similar I still feel.
Yeah, it was a slow evolution of letting those obsessive habits go, but I feel so much better mentally and physically now.
I love looking back to see what my food craze was way back when. I definitely do that on Instagram! lol
Same! Some days I just scroll waaaay down for a blast from the past.
Oooooh everything looks soooo good! And it’s funny – I had kombucha, zoodles and granola on my WIAW this week too! Yum!
And I should look back on old posts- i hardly ever do but it may inspire me to get out of this food rut I’m in right now!
‘Buch and zoodles baby! 2 of my favorite things <3
I rarely look back at old blog posts. I kind of just like to leave them in the past, but that’s just me. I 100% agree with your thoughts on counting calories. I am still trying to get rid of the number game. It can become so time consuming and obsessive, which is not healthy obviously and I honestly don’t want to be wasting time worrying about counting calories. There are other bigger and better things to be thinking about ! 🙂
Time consuming is right! So much mental (and emotional) energy too – I’d rather be thinking about my next big project or adventure (whatever that may be)
I looked back at some of my super old photos in instagram and was like WOW….how was I not starving!? It’s weird to see the progression of our ever changing diets and what not!
Haha yup! I’ve been there too – thinking “gosh I’m hungry just looking at this”
Not counting calories=my jam. I do think counting calories works for those looking to lose a lot (or a little) bit of weight, but it was too stressful for me. Now, I listen to hunger cues and if I have a craving for sayyyyyy…chocolate covered pretzels… I eat them! No biggie.
Totally – I think it’s important to know what x amount of calories look like and be aware of their value and role in nutrition, but in the long term I like being able to follow my gut (literally)
Counting calories has never been a good way for me to stay healthy. I have to remember that it is the quality of calories that matter more than the quantity of calories. Those energy bites look delicious, I have to try them!
Just found your blog today through WIAW, I can already tell I will be a regular reader 🙂 Nice to meet ya!
Isn’t WIAW great? I love finding new blogs through it. Thanks for stopping by! I know it can be helpful for some but I feel ya, counting stresses me out more than helps me.
I’ve always liked to look at old posts too – sometimes you can be your own inspiration. I definitely go through periods where I’ll repeat combinations I love, and then find a new combination and repeat that for a while. I think our eating habits definitely evolve over time. For me, I always like to experiment – but I always find that I always come back to my core way of eating when I look back at old photos – knowing it’s what works best for me.
P.S. The nuts and spices line from KIND is my favorite. Def a great way to kick that sweet tooth – for 5 grams of sugar!
I can totally relate 100% – I go through phases so I like to try and remind myself to mix it up a bit.
Love love love the nuts and spices!
Dark chocolate sea salt KIND bars are my FAVE.
I don’t know how there’s only 5g of sugar (but I won’t ask questions 😉 )
While I hardly actually look back I sometimes remember past blog posts – in terms of food obviously most often WIAWs – and think about the differences. For me, it’s a way to track progress in my recovery. Though it’s sad to think I’m still not ‘there’ yet I like to reflect on how deeply stuck I was two years – or even just one! – back compared to now. Baby steps day per day but leaps over time.
Calorie counting definitely sucks and takes the fun out of eating. Your zoodles remind me I haven’t had them in ages and zucchini prices are finally dropping so I might have to prepare some one of these days. With avocado sauce obviously.
Yes! Baby steps are the key to lasting success in my eyes. I’m inclined to go all or nothing but when that happens I usually do both (all then nothing) which doesn’t help me in the long run at all.
Your meals look amazing! …and I’m glad that your figuring out what works for you! sometimes I’ll count calories for a day and other times I’ll be like, “I can’t even deal with this!” Also… I really want your dinner!! 🙂 YUM!
I think it’s good to know a ball park of how much you’re eating – which is why I’ll occasionally do a check to make sure I’m on balance. Come over for zoodles any time 😉
I know what you mean by calorie counting! I stopped plugging things in to myfitnesspal, but I still find myself counting numbers/ estimating in my head. I really need to try to break that cycle. These meals look delish by the way! Is that sweet potatoe tuna burger homemade??
It is! I got the recipe from thelittlehoneybee.com < love her blog! They're so easy to make and great to have on hand. Calories are an important part of the puzzle, so it's not the worst thing to think of them when making choices as long as they don't turn into an unhealthy obsession. (which is often the case when I try to count them)