Can your camera phone help you to lose weight?
The Facebook C Diet is a social media experiment in mindful eating using a cell phone camera and Facebook. It was created to see if food craving compulsions could be controlled through community-based, online coaching.
Twenty participants signed up in January 2012, to find out if their food choices are based on convenience, calories, cost or a combination of all three.
Unlike a written food journal, the act of imminently photographing what we are about to eat — upon preparation (or ordering at a restaurant) — puts one in a more responsible — sensible — frame of mind. Questions like, “am I really going to eat this?” have now become “I know I will feel great after I eat this.”
It isn’t for everyone; we just wrapped up Week 5 (Month 2) and down to 14 participants; two were disqualified for cheating, two are on honorable leave, and two simply stopped sending photos. The remaining 14 participants not only lost considerable weight, they have succeeded in creating new behaviors surrounding their relationship with food.
So far, there are almost 2,000 photos in the Facebook C Diet weekly albums.
Participants email their photos — as they are about to eat — and must indiciate why they *chose* the specific meal based on one of the three C’s mentioned: calories, cost, convenience or perhaps all three. Participants also include a description of how they feel now (affects their food choice) and how they felt after their last meal. The commentary is quite revelatory:
"Before I started the C-diet I would eat 1/2 a bagel with ham and cheese every morning... but that is not what I am posting now! My goal weight is 130 pounds. I don't know if you think that is right for me, but that is what I have in mind. I am 53 years old and 5',6" tall. The C Diet idea is awesome! I am soooo happy that I "got in" and can be a part of this!!! It makes me THINK before I eat something...because I am held accountable for my choices." - Marlene (on the Facebook C Diet since January 2012).
"The best part of yesterday and having to send photos of what I was eating was it made me take a hard look at what I ate and how much I ate. That's huge for me. I thought to myself, "other people are going to see this!" Typically, I'm a late night eater. Not because I'm hungry; I would eat just for the sake of eating and filling some sort of void - boredom, depression, whatever... It was great only eating what I posted. The process of sending in photos added a completely different level of accountability I haven't been a part of before. Thank you for that." - Susan (on the Facebook C Diet since January 2012).
"Taking a picture versus writing down what you eat - it makes a HUGE difference. For example if you go back and look at a journal of food and it has something bad on it, you say to yourself "I probably shouldn't eat that". But if you go back and look at a picture of it you say to yourself "that is f-ing GROSS." - Tammi (on the Facebook C Diet since January 2012).
A community has subsequently developed among the participants — each of whom have a secret, fun name. The “avatars” so to speak allow the participants to freely comment on their own photos, and others’ without feeling judged or otherwise. It turns eating into a game — sort of.
Since the Facebook C Diet was started, the participants have created a Facebook Group to support, motivate, vent or to just gather and discuss their lives, struggles and triumps on their weight loss goals and successes.
The Facebook C Diet runs for three months at a time and is supported by these household brands: Chobani, Pacific Foods, Tilvee, Earth Balance, Manitoba Harvest, Nordic Naturals, Oxylent. Each brand sends the participant an incentive to support their weight loss goals.
Brands also participate in the weekly Food Angel contest which promotes a “new,” miracle food in which the participants must guess in order to win additional incentives. Food Angels are randomly selected and each participant gets a chance at being chosen.
Next enrollment begins March 2012. Sign up information on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stefan.pinto
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