21 Mar
The Eatery
I’ve moved back into weight-loss mode full-time (it will be a glorious day when I don’t have to devote so much time to this anymore!) and I’m gearing up to start That Weight Loss Challenge 4. Last year I started it around my birthday and so I figured I’d start another one around the 15th of April again. We’ll have the Facebook group (I just removed everyone from the existing one so we can start fresh and try to limit the group to active members), and we’ll use DietBet for the prizes (I’ll explain more later), and I’ll offer up a Jenna Cole session once again. It’s going to be awesome. And I’m not going to get pregnant and drop out halfway through this time 
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For the past two weeks I’ve been using an app called The Eatery to track what I eat. It’s like someone took my food blog idea, and gamified/social-networkified it!
The idea is really simple. Take a picture of what you eat, and rate it on a scale of 1-100. 1 is fat, and 100 is fit. Then your food will be shown to other people using the app and they will say where they think it is on the scale of fit to fat. Then the app takes all of your data and creates a variety of charts/graphs to show you how you’re doing over time.
The gamification aspect has been really effective for me, as I constantly find myself thinking “Do I really want to eat this? If I do, I have to take a picture and show Eatery and then my score is going to go down.”
The company, Massive Health, has been acquired by Jawbone and I’m not sure that they’re going to keep the app going indefinitely. That’s fine with me though, as it’s doing what I need to do right now. And if they integrate the app into the Jawbone UP I’d probably consider buying one just so I can keep using it! That’s how much I love this app!
I’m writing this post in part because I hope that Jawbone will see it and think about maintaining the app (fix the ability to connect to Facebook friends please!) but also because I’m wondering if anyone else is using it, or would like to start using it? I think it would be fun to compare our weekly scores and see if we can beat each other.
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
I definitely need to get back to devoting more time to losing weight! This app looks awesome and I love the concept of the rating scale.
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1How do you find the app is with ‘unconventional’ nutritional choices i.e. things like paleo with higher fat content?
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Jenna Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 9:35 am
If you’re eating a lot of cheese (actually those on strict paleo won’t) and red meat, you’ll get dinged. But I’d like to not eat too much red meat anyway.
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HRC Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 12:25 pm
Yeah, I only eat a little goat cheese on my salads, and we eat grassfed red meat 1-2 times a week, so I am interested to see how it reacts to what I am eating. We eat a fair bit of fat which is where I feel like I’d run into issues.
It would be a good way for me to keep the paleo treats in check, though. I made amaze chocolate fudgesicles (AMAZING, if you want the recipe sometime, haha) and managed to only eat one every couple of days but it was a trial, I am sure something like this would have kept me in check, haha.
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Frankly I think the app sounds terrible at best and a tool for orthorexics at worst. The last thing I want is people judging my food choices. Food and nutrition can be a very individualized thing, not to mention the amount of food ignorance online. Considering the diversity of what is considered “healthy”, getting a rating for your personal food choices seems pointless and potentially very harmful. It certainly doesn’t sound like a good route to intuitive, healthy habits.
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Jenna Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 9:31 am
I’d be interested to hear how you think it would lead away from intuitive eating (how does it prevent me from listening to my body?) and how it would lead to unhealthy behavior?
Orthorexy sounds rather like a diagnosis that the medical community hasn’t even bothered to legitimize. I’m not sure how a simple app is going to lead me to spend “hours a day planning my meals and thinking about food” and “socially isolating myself”.
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Sarah Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 10:03 am
First I think I should clear this up, I did not intend to call YOU an orthorexic. I’m sorry if it came across that way. My comment was meant to be a general critique of the app. I think you and I are similar in that we have spent a good deal of time and research trying to figure out the right foods that work best for our particular body chemistry and our lives. That doesn’t inherently mean we have disordered thinking. And it would be impossible for me, as someone who is not a mental health professional, to determine that anyway from the little snippets you share on your blog. I apologize again if that comment came across wrong, it was not my intention.
It’s really the judging part of the app that bothers me the most. Hasn’t the Healthy Living online community spent years reiterating how everyone is very different and no one should be judged for their personal food choices? Given that is the mindset of a healthy community, I conclude that the majority of the people who would join the App’s community are those who have an unhealthy attitude toward food. “Good” foods versus “Bad” foods. Fat or Fit as they label it. This is, by definition, the opposite of lifelong, healthy, intuitive eating.
Perhaps you can use it to find a good balance and not worry about posting a few “Fat” meals as long as your overall rating is good. Personally, I would not trust that online community to correctly judge my meals. I believe it can easily lead down the path of disordered eating for those who might be predisposed.
ps My understanding is not that the mental health community hasn’t “bothered” to legitimize the term Orthorexia, but rather the idea is so new (and our mental health system so overwhelmed) that it has yet to gain an official foothold. However, it is being studied and the term is becoming more mainstream.
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Jenna Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 9:33 am
Actually, this reminds me of the Mormon definition of “addiction” to pornography. In Mormonism, any type of pornography use is an “addiction”. As well as masturbation. If you at all dare to watch some porn and masturbate, you’re an addict and need to go through the 12-step program.
If I dare to try to eat healthy and eliminate things that make me feel poorly, I must be an orthorexic.
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Kelly Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 2:16 pm
I’m sorry. Come again? What exactly does the church have to do with *food* and diet in this arguement? You’ve really hit a new low these days. We get it: you aren’t a big fan of the church anymore and think you are better than the rest of us. Got it. You’re enlightened now – whatever that means. You take any opportunity to throw the church’s name in the mud, but at least before it had to do with a pertinent issue. This time? The subject of food is being discussed and you have to get your digs in trying to subtlely express your dislike for Mormon handling of pornography/masturbation. I think I get why you brought it up, but this constant need to slam the church no matter the subject at hand only makes you look more bitter and hateful, not enlightened and progressive.
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sara Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 11:22 pm
You can leave the church, but you can’t leave it alone. Jenna is a PERFECT example of this. Ridiculous!
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M Reply:
March 23rd, 2013 at 1:07 pm
I’d be interested to know if you actually have any experience with this or are just basing your statement off of things you read. Your statement is false. I have known multiple people who have viewed porn (many many times) and a bishop did not classify it as an addiction. Also, if your statement were true most teenagers in the church would be participating in a twelve step program.
I think people take issue with your so called “enlightenment” because you are incredibly judgmental. When you weren’t “enlightened” you constantly criticized any Mormon who swore or wore a bikini or who didn’t subscribe to what you deemed as appropriate behavior. Now you judge anyone who isn’t as enlightened as you claim to be. You even blame and judge the church for not educating YOU enough on breastfeeding and you feel this is why you didn’t bond closely with your son. I think you should start taking responsibilities for your actions. You didn’t finish school earlier because you didn’t want to. You didn’t nurse your son because you had supply issues, likely from a breast reduction. Maybe you should look inward sometimes and stop blaming/judging everyone around you.
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Jenna Reply:
March 24th, 2013 at 4:02 pm
How often do you hear people outside the church talking about “pornography addiction”? I hear people talk about nymphomaniacs, actual nymphomaniacs who are clinically diagnosed. But we are a culture who uses management consultants and farmers and real estate agents to tell people (mostly men) that they are addicted after doing something that is completely normal and not an issue for anyone else (except other conservative religions).
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Kelly Reply:
March 25th, 2013 at 6:14 am
Sure, people outside of conservative religions don’t worry much about pornography or view it as anything society needs to change, etc. But you can absolutely have addiction to anything and even evening news shows have done stories here and there about pornography, anything online sex related, and the effects when it crosses over from enjoyment to an addiction that takes over their life and effects their relationships. Outside the church the standard for what’s considered ‘addiction’ is much different, but it does exist.
But wait, why are we talking about this again on a post about your newest diet idea? Oh yes. Because any time you can get your digs in and give the church a black eye about anything you will, even when it’s not warranted and not at all deserved. Those management consultants, farmers, and real estate agents are not the reason you worry about breastfeeding in public, didn’t finish school sooner, and now have to find another gimmick to help you lose weight: it’s you. Go ahead and use your blog as a platform to hand out all your beefs with life and religion, but even those outside the church realize how unfair and nonsensical it has become.
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Interesting. I track my calories online, but I have never thought of putting an app on my phone to do it before. I like Livestrong.com, I wonder if they have something too.
Some Snapshots Blog
Jess
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4Sweet heavens that sounds like the most depressing app EVER! Haha! I feel like sorority girls must have engineered this! Yikes, I can’t even imagine. Do people really fess up to eating ice cream and stuff if they know the internet is going to call them fat? I would just google image “lettuce leaves” or something and post it. Yeesh.
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Jenna Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 9:26 am
I’ve never even thought that someone was calling *me* fat. I guess I think that we’re rating whether this is a food choice that will lead to fit or fat. There is actually some good research indicating that peer pressure drives us to make better choices. One reason why weight watchers is an effective program when the meetings are attended.
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I think I would join your challenge as I am seven weeks postpartum
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6You might like HealthMonth.com if you’re looking for something to “gamify” healthy habits. It’s a great site! I’m with Sarah. This app sounds counterproductive!
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Jenna Reply:
March 21st, 2013 at 8:53 pm
Ohhh it works with the Fitbit. I’ll have to check it out!
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If you want a good app then I suggest myfitnesspal. It also has a website. You can add friends and track your progress and encourage your friends. It tracks calories, fat, carbs exc. You set your calorie intake limit based on your weekly weight loss goal. You also track your exercise in it. My favorite things is the fact that I can scan a barcode and the app usually already has the item in their food diary. I use this almost daily. It also calculates calories per serving if you input a recipe. This takes time when you first start using it. But if you are like me then you will cook the same thing more then once so it saves time in the long run.
The app can also work with other apps. I use fitbit to track my movement throught the day. Fitbit and myfitnesspal sync so I dont have to go back and forth between platforms.
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Jenna Reply:
March 21st, 2013 at 8:52 pm
I’ve used it in the past, but I don’t want to count calories. I want to eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m satisfied and worry about quality, not quantity. But I do have a lot of friends that really like it!
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I’d also be pretty cautious about having the general public rate my food choices. Lots of studies have shown people are poor at identifying the calorie content or nutritional value of food. It’s probably even worse with just a photo, where portion size and details about sauces etc would be hard to come by. Not to say don’t use it, just be mindful of the fact that getting a “good” score won’t necessarily correlate with good food choices.
All the best with your weightloss!
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Jenna Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 9:21 am
Massive Health has an awesome graph that talks about ratings. You know who does the worst job of rating what you eat? YOU. http://data.massivehealth.com/#infographic/perception
And when I rate, I don’t think about portion sizes or calories. I just think “If this was eaten consistently (not exclusively) on a regular basis, would this put the person in the fit or fat range” and go from there.
The nice thing is, not everyone considers the same things to be good, but most everyone considers the same things to be bad. So your score will go down if you eat out a lot and have lots of sweets. Which is something we can all agree should be curbed.
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Kat Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 12:41 pm
In a way, that last paragraph was my point. A “good” score does not necessarily mean you made “good” choices. (As you point out below with the spinach salad with sugary dressing). I wasn’t saying don’t use the app, and it sounds like it can be great at motivating someone to avoid choices they know are poor (as you mention in your original post), but use caution when chasing a “good” score. Since a photo doesn’t give a lot of information about the food it probably isn’t enough for someone to give an informed rating on food. The infographic points out that where your chicken caesar salad is from makes a big difference, and I think that’s the issue, you can’t necessarily tell how “fit” or “fat” something is by looking.
(Also, while I’m sure there are plenty of studies that people generally overestimate the healthiness of what they eat, I’d rather you didn’t use that to assume that I am poor at evaluating what I eat. Phrasing that first statement more generally would have come across better).
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Jenna Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 1:30 pm
I’m not sure how we can have an Informed productive Discussion about this since you have not even used the app. You’re criticizing something you know next to nothing about. Use it and then we can actually go somewhere with this conversation.
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Kat Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 10:41 pm
I’m sorry if I’ve offended you, that was in no way my intention. I was really only expressing my personal opinion people wouldn’t be able to make a accurate estimation of the “fitness” of food from a photo (as others have expressed similar personal opinions above). Reading over your other comments about the app it seems for some foods you’ve found the same thing, and I felt even your reply to me expressed that in some measure, so I’m not sure why this is a problem.
As I said above I’m not saying I don’t think you should use it and since it’s working for you that’s great.
I admit I did feel a bit defensive about how your phrased your first paragraph of your reply and I tried to express that as politely as possible, especially as I know tone can get lost online. I’m sorry if my intended tone came across wrong.
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Is it sad that I’ve been waiting for TWLC4 so I can try again (for like the 50th time). I also would like to not devote so much time to trying to lose weight!
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10I was intrigued by the app after reading your post and downloaded it. I took a picture of my lunch which was a homemade, paleo approved soup chuck full of vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fat. Not a single empty calorie in it. After only 5 minutes I had 12 people rate it several of them giving me a very low score. I realized instantly that this app would be waaaaaay to aggravating for me so I removed it. Keep us posted on how you like it though and good luck with your weight loss efforts. You’ve inspired me and I’ve lost 38 pounds this past year with my greatest success being these last few weeks when I started the Whole30 challenge (version of paleo).
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Jenna Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 9:17 am
If you get caught up in caring what every single person things, it will be frustrating. I’ve had people give a fat score to water! There are jerks all over the internet, haha. And the other day I ate a spinach salad with a sweet dressing that got a great score (even though it had lots of sugar) and also some kale chips, which got a really mediocre score. I imagine this is because the people rating don’t know what kale chips are, and so they
I give people who are eating white rice a lower score, which probably aggravates everyone in Asia (and there are lots of Asians who use the app). It’s not meant to be a diagnosis, just a way to track and get some light feedback. For me, I consistently see high scores when I eat fruits and vegetables, the two things I want to be eating the most of. I’m down 4 pounds since I started using it consistently, so it’s definitely helping me!
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Katie Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 4:32 pm
“If you get caught up in caring what every single person things, it will be frustrating.”
But what’s the point of doing it if not to gain others’ opinions?
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Several others have left questions about this, so I’ll make it more general. How are you doing with the paleo/primal eating? Hopefully limiting dairy/cheese isn’t making you too crazy
I’m excited to participate in TWLC4 – I haven’t participated in one yet due to pregnancy/breastfeeding/finishing-my-master’s-craziness, but I’m all in for this one! Training for a Tough Mudder has definitely prompted me to focus on losing some weight!
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Jenna Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 9:42 am
I’ve been working on easing back into things. First the focus was sugar (check!), then I noticed I was relying on bread/potatoes/popcorn too much, so this week I focused on avoiding those. I have about an ounce of goat/cow cheese on my daily salad and I don’t have any intention of cutting that out and the dressing I use sometimes has parmesan in it.
I’m really intrigued by the research on the Mediterranean diet that just came out, and would like to move toward a low-carb/Mediterranean/Paleo style diet that is my own invention
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Brittany Reply:
March 22nd, 2013 at 10:00 am
Good for you on cutting out the refined carbs! Sugar is still a major nemesis of mine, even after several months after cutting them out entirely. And I eat cheese occasionally (usually a raw goat cheese) and know several people do, so I would say that the best idea is to do what works for you, like you mentioned
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There is no app for personal accountabilty. An Internet Stranger’s “rating” will not change the effect a food choice has on your weight.
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13honestly, I don’t think it is what you eat so much as how much you eat + exercise. I lost 25 lbs (and I was thin to begin with) eating M&Ms and Chinese food…because I was not eating much at all, in general. Whenever I want to lose weight, I just cut back on how much I eat. For some ppl, I think they just need to exercise more instead of cutting back on food. I exercise a lot already and eat pretty healthy so food qty is really the only variable I have left to adjust.
I think if you just get busy, have lots going on and make a point to move around the house, you’ll drop the weight without even noticing–the key is being busy so you don’t have time to snack. Or you could plan a complicated diet and obsess over every bite…and probably realize less success. Just my two cents from my own experience (which obviously doesn’t apply to everyone).
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Crissy Reply:
March 25th, 2013 at 4:18 pm
Totally agree with this. I am an afternoon snacker, so I always try to plan activities for the afternoon so I’m out of the house. Bonus points if they’re something active. I’ve lost 10 pounds in about 6 weeks by doing this – and I only have 5 more to go until my goal. Don’t have crap in your house, keep busy, and be mindful of how much you’re moving. No complicated hybrid diet needed, and no phone app to justify your food choices either.
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