Monday, June 15, 2009

The New Diary Days

When I was a little girl I had this beautiful pink diary with flowers all over it. I was so proud of that thing and kept the key hidden under the mattress of my bed so that no one would know my innermost thoughts. After all, I was a pretty shy kid and the thought of my mom finding out that I had a crush on Ricky (he was sooo cute) or that I secretly wanted to torture my evil fourth grade teacher would be more embarrassment than I could bear. So what has changed? Why are we now handing over the keys to our diaries and letting the world read our personal blogs as if we had some ultimate wisdom to share with everyone and by sharing this knowledge, the world will be a better place. The amount of blogs on the internet is mind boggling. And most of the writers aren’t anonymous either. They put their face right out there in essence begging the reader to make a comment, validate their point of view, or just hoping to find other people that can relate to their ideas. No, the diary is not private anymore. Big Brother is all-knowing. I know because I look up my name all the time on the internet (try PIPL) and I’m shocked to see how much about me actually exists. Yet I’ve come not to fear Big Brother but to embrace him. Somehow the connections that I have formed blogging, chatting, or commenting on forums are as real to me as my day to day encounters. As a child I would have been embarrassed to share my secrets. Today, I enjoy the release of a tell all (well not tell everything) world. You come to realize that other than opinions on a few hot topics, we really aren’t that different after all.

How Facebook Helped Me to Lose Weight

There is nothing like having to see old classmates to get some people motivated to lose weight. So at the beginning of March, I made a note on my facebook page that I update every day with what I eat. All my old classmates and current friends could check my progress and give me encouragement or scold me if I get off my plan. When I first started this the weight was just falling off. I thought that the following month I would add a "public" exercise journal as the next step but I didn't. I was just lazy about it but I still think it would have been a good idea. However I am exercising regularly so that's all good. As of today I am now down 26 pounds although I am no longer putting my food log on facebook. The amount and type of food I eat is pretty much ingrained in my brain now that I used facebook for two months as a starting point. My husband is working on himself too and he's lost about 54 so far. Men, they always have to top you but he's really looking good. It's difficult to start this journey because you don't want people to see you fail but at the same time, you think twice about what you put in your mouth because you know it's going to go on display. It's worked better than any other plan I've ever tried, that's for sure. Public humiliation is a great motivator.