Sunday, February 05, 2006

the Diets of Food Bloggers



I've been chewing on the concept of food blog identities and dieting. I've loved watching blogs come out from the dieting closet and disclose their issues and processes in their posts.

Its a good reminder of food loving realities, a revealation of quandries that many of us may already silently be going through.

I'm a bit ashamed to admit I've been holding back such revelations myself. While my blog name ironically gives room for weight watching connotations ( I love how many times this search phrase has popped up in my blog stats: how many points in a brownie? Thanks to the 'points' system for some of my traffic!) I'm afraid of turning away non dieting readers: kind of like the friend who is now a Mom and can't stop talking about her kids to her decidely non-breeding friends.

I like how Sam has handled this with her minute bottom of the post footnotes... a style I've love to copy.

Who else have you noticed is out of the diet closet?
Are you inspired
- to grab that salad
- or the chips instead?


-McAuliflower of Brownie Points Blog

20 comments:

Jennifer said...

I'm a bottom of the post kind of gal.

Last time around I kept the data in my sidebar but found it too public. Once a week is good enough for me.

Sam said...

Superbowl parties are the devil!

I am proud to be a weightwatcher because they do not deny you anything and this fits in with my food blogging ethic of trying to experience food in its entirety.

Thank you for appreciating my approach. Its working for me - though somedays I dont want to write about it, but having kind of promised to keeps me kind of on track and that helps.

I dont want to cram it down every ones' throats, but there is still a little space for it to be there - and if helps just one other person as much as it helps me it will have been worth it.

plum said...

I have to admit I really hesitated before choosing to blog about my diet. But in the end, I decided that it was more about me than the food and that if anyone didn't like that, then that was fine.

And I felt that if I didn't (and cunningly posted old drafts and photos of cakes over this time) that I would just be perpetuating the myth that you can have this obsessive interest in eating and not feel any tightening around the waistband. Some can, and they're very lucky. But I'm not one of them. And every time I read about another food blogger who fesses up to the struggle between loving to eat and hating to be overweight, I am heartened, that it's not just me.

Anonymous said...

All veggie eating Indira of Mahanandi also does the 'yogi diet', it seems. Very interesting, I mean the diet name.

Alanna Kellogg said...

Here's an interesting way to "show progress" -- http://sudzgirl.blogspot.com/

Alanna Kellogg said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Kalyn Denny said...

Well, I am about as "out of the closet" about my diet as you can get. Even though I consider my blog to be a food blog, not a diet blog, I write about eating the lower carb way all the time. (Notice I said lower carb. I'm not a fan of Atkins and haven't ever tried that diet.) When I first started my blog I felt like there was a fair amount of prejudice against me by folks who had their mind made up about low carb diets in general. But as I have gained readers (and a little respect too I hope), now I think that only about 25% of the people who read my blog are low carb dieters. The others are just interested in finding good food.

I choose the South Beach Diet because one of my main goals was to reduce cholesterol. After reading the book I knew this was the diet for me, but I wasn't sure I could do it. I had never successfully stayed on a diet before. I was surprised by how not eating the "white carbs" completely eliminated the craving for that kind of food, and also by how many great food choices I had after the initial phase. South Beach focuses on "good carbs" and "good fats" and allows whole grains, beans, brown or converted rice, low carb pasta, fruit, and lots of other foods that more radical low carb diets don't allow.

I lost my weight within 6 months on South Beach (42 pounds - 4 sizes on my small frame) and now have eaten this way for over 18 months with no weight gain (despite a fair bit of cheating at times). The best part is that my energy level has increased at least 100% and I have not only been able to eliminate cholesterol medication, but my cholesterol is now lower than it ever was with medication. I know this is a permanent change to a healthier way of eating for me, not a "diet".

Having said all that, my goal is not to convert people to South Beach. I am completely a believer that everyone should choose a diet based on their own food preferences. I'm cheering for Sam and others who are brave enough to talk about dieting on their blogs. As the "weight loss" contributing editor for Blogher, I want to spotlight recipes that are good for all types of weight loss plans, and I'll be looking for those on other blogs. Feel free to e-mail me if you post something about weight loss or a recipe that might be of interest (kalynskitchen AT comcast DOT net.)

Sorry for rambling on for so long!

Jocelyn:McAuliflower said...

I see- the scale at the bottom. Cute.

Thanks for chiming in on this everyone.

My mom's picking up the pursuit of losing weight and I'm wanting to join her. And yeah, posting old pictures of cakes and what-nots during the process would be silly :)

MizD said...

Perfect timing on this post -- I've been debating writing a little about this very topic this week, and now I'm inspired to do so. Though, I can't say that our efforts to re-svelte ourselves for the summer would be considered remotely conventional or helpful to others. Hell, they may not even work!

I think these comments speak to something more broad than dieting, too: Keeping honest with ourselves and with our readers.

FJKramer said...

I've made comments on Blog Appetit about wanting to avoid becoming BLOB Appetit and have made casual mentions about being a Weight Watchers member. I do also stress low fat options in recipes. I wouldn't say I am in the closet about wanting to lose some weight but I haven't really stressed it, either. My focus is moderation and sensibility. (Sounds like an Austen novel or Merchant Ivory film doesn't it -- Moderation and Sensibility)

As a blogger, I am continually sharing parts of my life on my site and include this part when it is appropriate.

I applaud Sam and the others who have been upfront about this and would feel comfortable doing something similar if that is where my muse took me.

I hope the influence and honesty of Sam, Kayln, Jennifer, Plum and other bloggers help others examine their diets and look for healthy ways to indulge their love of food and their need for good health.

Jocelyn:McAuliflower said...

lex- what's your method for calculating this info? Do you have a favorite (free?) program?

I've used the usda database in the past to total info for a whole recipe... the serving size figuring is a pain though.

Jennifer said...

McAuliflower,

I really like Fitday for this. Enter all your ingredients and quantities and divide by portion side for the nutritional information.

Jocelyn:McAuliflower said...

for a trial... *cough* bug me not *cough*

Jocelyn:McAuliflower said...

doh! Never mind about the bug me not... fitday accounts online are free.

It's the software for off-line use that isn't.

Interesting program to plod through!

Anonymous said...

My diet is a strict regimen of the recipes shown on these cards.

Rachael Narins said...

My diet is the only way to go:

Work out while tipsy - it's so much more enjoyable that way.

Jocelyn:McAuliflower said...

Work out while tipsy - it's so much more enjoyable that way.

doh! that's a sure-fire way for me to work myself down a set of stairs or something!

I've always liked the stripper aerobics trend. I actually have a copy of one of Carmen Elektra's dvds (boy this feel awefully confessional now!). :) Maybe that fits in the category of tipsy workouts too ;)

Alanna Kellogg said...

Speaking of tipsy ... ;-) ... it's www.alexnolan.NET for calorie counting vs .COM for an aspiring rocker girl.

William Conway said...

Man, I'm all over the map. I wouldn't consider my blog a "WW Blog", although I've been on the program for 4 years now and all my light recipes take a WW bent. I've managed to lose a little over 100 lbs. now (which is a secret just for you S'coolers).

I've been struggling with publishing interesting recipes and stories and not gaining weight. Truth be told, I've been sluggish in writing for the last few months because I'm more than a little embarrassed at how I've done.

Glad it's not just me.

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