Public Humiliation Diet

I came across an interesting thing on Twitter yesterday - the Public Humiliation Diet. I initially thought this was some widespread, Twitter phenomenon, but upon further investigation, it seems like it's a small handful of people. But still, I am intrigued. Does holding oneself accountable in a public forum, to your friends and possibly many strangers, actually work?

Or is it less about holding oneself accountable, and more about having everyone on the internet be privy to your victories and failures. A lot of people struggle with weight (how many people have you ever met who are truly happy with their weight) and body image, but most of us do this privately, with some whining and griping to our close, real life friends.

I've tried a lot of different things to lose weight, including diets and exercise. I haven't stumbled upon the right combination yet, and to be honest, I haven't really been trying that hard. But, we're more than halfway through the year, so I'd like to try a little harder.

I trained hard all spring for the half marathon in May, but I wasn't eating right due to being at school a few nights a week lazy. Once school was over, I still didn't try very hard to eat better, and even worse, I started slacking off in my exercise routine. I also just finished an unprecedented 5 weekends in a row of social drinking, which is about equal to the total amount of alcohol I typically consume in a year.

So, I committed myself to running again this week. It helps that I also committed myself to the Boston Half Marathon, which is less than 3 months away, so it's a good motivator. It helps even more that the Boston Half caps the course open time at 2:30, meaning that I've got to bust my butt to beat my Mini (Indy Half) time. But what helps the most is that after taking 2+ weeks off, I was somehow able to run faster the past two days than I have previously. I'm taking this as a good sign.

And because I completely and utterly suck at keeping a food diary and counting calories and all that jazz, I set up this posterous to serve as a daily picture food diary. Hopefully I can keep up with this one, as it's a little easier for me than diligently writing or typing everything I eat, and I always have my phone with me anyway.

So check it out! I'll post my exercise for the day and whatever I'm eating, and maybe, just maybe, you can help keep myself accountable, too. :)