The conversations that Tracey and I have with one another are definitely true to our blog title. We spend a great deal of time talking about photography and food and laughing with each other. Yes, admittedly sometimes the laughing is at our own photo and kitchen mishaps. One of the best things about having a really good friend is that you can share stories about how an entire photo shoot went bad because you forgot to reset your camera settings from the previous day; or, about a recipe flop that you can’t even begin to explain but makes you wonder why you think that you have any credibility with which to write a food blog. You can also talk with one another about the tough things, like the bright red number staring up at you from the ruthless bathroom scale.
Lately our food conversations have turned more serious because we have both gotten to a place where we are unhappy with our respective weights. We have talked about how we got to this place of dissatisfaction, as well as about past weight loss successes, weight loss obstacles, and our shared genuine desire to get serious and remedy the situation.
I have been a member of Weight Watchers for many years and when I am faithful to the program, it has worked for me. Before Tracey and I shared our similar plight of the pounds with one another, I had decided that I would once again start counting and logging those Weight Watchers points. As I did this, I realized that the whole program has changed since I last was “serious” about it and I found it less inspiring and more difficult to follow. Tracey shared that she is using an app called Spark People that has you count calories instead of points, gives you more concrete nutritional information, and is free! So, I have cancelled my Weight Watchers membership and have switched my food logging to the Spark People app. It is not, however, a program or an app that will most help me on this journey to shed the pounds. The key to success is having a supportive and empathetic friend by my side. A friend who understands when I say my jeans are too tight, but I refuse to buy a bigger size. A friend with whom I am not embarrassed to share my actual weight or waist measurement. A friend who will be there to share the small but meaningful milestones along the way and will also be there for encouragement when I encounter those inevitable setbacks.
We are sharing our journey with all of you here because our recipes over the next few months will reflect our efforts to make healthy lower calorie, but still tasty, food choices.
In some ways it seems kind of strange for us to share such a personal struggle with someone we have never met face to face, yet it feels perfectly natural and comfortable. We have been talking about setting realistic goals, knowing full well that it is going to take time to achieve our ultimate weight loss goals. Yet we keep coming back to the fact that neither of us wants to buy new jeans unless we are buying them a size or two smaller! That was the carrot that we were dangling in front of ourselves. Then I thought, that perhaps a better carrot might be that once we both achieve our personal goals, we should plan an actual face to face meeting and go shopping for those new jeans together!
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