Search Weight Loss Topics:




Aug 11

How the ‘Instagram diet’ works – fox2now.com

Diets that Work Comments Off on How the ‘Instagram diet’ works – fox2now.com

At 37 years old, Lisa Pessah-Bloom, a mother of three, was pre-diabetic, struggling with losing postpartum pounds and concerned about her health.

I had gestational diabetes for all three of my pregnancies. After my third, my A1C (blood sugar measurement) kept rising, and the doctor told me for the first time to be careful, because I was on track for diabetes.

Pessah-Bloom knew that she had to shed her pregnancy pounds and get her blood sugar under control. She did a Google search on diets for diabetes and stumbled upon the Paleo diet, which includes protein-rich foods like meat, fish, eggs and nuts, as well as vegetables and fruit, but excludes grains, dairy, legumes, sugars and salt. People said that their diabetes was reversed, she said.

She started eating more vegetables and unprocessed foods. But while following Paleo helped Pessah-Bloom eat a clean, lean diet, it wasnt enough to get her to her goal. She needed something else a support system of sorts and so she opened an account on Instagram under the handle @paleoworkingmama.

I started my Paleo page for motivation, really for myself, Pessah-Bloom said. But it wasnt long before she found people with health issues like herself who were also using the photo-driven app. I started following others who reversed Crohns and IBS too, which I also had, she said.

The more I followed people, the more I felt empowered. And then something unexpected happened. After some time, people who followed me told me that I me! empowered them. It was a chain of support, she said. I got it from others, and I gave it to others. People asked me to come to their house to perform refrigerator cleansing! They are inspired by the pictures I post of the food I make and what I keep in my kitchen, like my spices.

The community support that Instagram provides may be its most valuable asset for those hoping to achieve their health goals.

The first picture I posted was a mason jar of water with lemons, Pessah-Bloom said. I had just learned about my high blood sugar, and I wrote, Making lemonade out of lemons. The post marked the start of Pessah-Blooms new diet and exercise journey, and in her post, she encouraged others to follow and support her.

One person posted my post on her page she had over 15,000 followers, and she said, Lets give @thepalemoworkingmama our support and then all of a sudden I had 100 followers. This was someone I didnt even know someone who has plenty of her own followers, but she really wanted me to succeed on my journey.

Theres also the benefit of being part of a more intimate community. With Instagram, you can have a separate part of your profile dedicated to food journaling, and you dont have to be worried that your family member or neighbor who just wants to see pictures of your dogs or vacations will be turned off, said Christina Chung, a doctoral student at the University of Washington and lead author of a study that analyzed women who consistently use Instagram to record and share what they eat, in order to learn about the benefits and challenges of using the platform to achieve ones health goals.

Instagram is just pictures. There are no posts about politics. Its easy to navigate, with no chaos or clutter, Pessah-Bloom added. If you follow someone, youre following them for a specific reason and often someone with a similar goal.

Pessah-Bloom also appreciates the convenience that Instagram provides. People are so busy, and sometimes you cant go in person to a Weight Watchers meeting. With Instagram, its in your face. Youre seeing it all the time. When I eat something bad and I see someone preparing something wonderful, I say, Why did I do that?! It keeps you inspired!

Food pictures that create cravings for tasty, healthy food help, too. When you see something so mouthwatering and appetizing, youre more likely to try it, and then you get hooked on eating well, Pessah-Bloom said.

For those who use Instagram to track what they eat, the ease of snapping a picture is particularly helpful during a jam-packed day.

The benefit of photos is that its more fun to do than taking out a booklet or typing hundreds of words of description in an app, Chung said. Plus, its more socially appropriate for people who are trying to track their diets to snap a photo of their plate when theyre out with friends: Everyones doing it, and it doesnt look weird.

As one of the study participants noted, if I was out with friends or something, then a quick snapshot of the food would be easier than saying, Hold on, guys, I need to pull up MyFitnessPal and put everything down and the right serving size.

But just how accurate is Instagram as a tracker for weight loss? Can you really know the portion sizes, fat grams and calorie counts of what you ate or should eat when you swipe through photos?

When it comes to losing weight, food pics may or may not help, said Angela Lemond, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The food could be great quality, but even an excessive amount of good food will cause weight gain.

If, for example, someone spots a picture of healthy chicken parmigiana as food inspiration for weight loss, it may be difficult to figure out the correct portion size, unless it is listed.

Its not very accurate if you are looking for tracking information such as detailed nutrients, portion size and calories, since it might be difficult to assess this information from photos, Chung said.

If youre looking for a 200-calorie meal, you might search using the hashtag #200calories and find some options. But in Chungs study, participants used the platform in conjunction with other apps if they were seeking more detailed nutrition data.

Calories aside, for those who use Instagram, the visual cues that the app provides actual pictures of food may be just enough motivation to continue eating on plan, or in some cases to eat less.

Before (when using MyFitnessPal), I would have a small snack pack that was a bag of chips and be like, Oh, that doesnt really count because its just a little tiny bag. But I think with Instagram, it helped me because I was taking a picture of it: Its real, and it exists, and it does count towards what I was eating. And then putting a visual image of it up really helped me stay honest, one study participant said.

Tensions between tracking honestly and posting something perceived as more desirable were also observed in the study. That could present a dilemma, leading some to spend time on making photos look better, explained Chung. But the thought of posting something off-plan may also help people stay on track, she added.

Over a year later, Pessah-Blooms cooking skills have improved, and she is no longer pre-diabetic. Her IBS is resolved, and she weighs less than she did at her wedding about 12 years ago. Her husband, a huge Instagram fan, has lost 40 pounds with the help of the app and his wifes cooking, and her kids eat healthier now, too.

Pessah-Bloom says she could not have done it without her online community that evolved from her photo journal.

I love the people I follow on Instagram. They have become my online support group. Everyone inspires each other. I work full-time and have three kids. I couldnt have done any of this without Instagram.

Read the original:
How the 'Instagram diet' works - fox2now.com

Related Posts

    Your Full Name

    Your Email

    Your Phone Number

    Select your age (30+ only)

    Select Your US State

    Program Choice

    Confirm over 30 years old

    Yes

    Confirm that you resident in USA

    Yes

    This is a Serious Inquiry

    Yes

    Message:



    matomo tracker