Camera Phone Diet

I got this little trick off RealAge.com. I would never have thought of it, but think it's an excellent idea to keep track of what you are eating without having to carry and write it all down immediately, or try and remember it till later!

Try the Camera-Phone Diet

Could your camera phone help you lose weight? One study seems to suggest so. When people in a small study snapped a picture of everything they ate for 1 week, something interesting happened. They took better stock of their meals -- and ate less or ate more healthfully because of it.

Snap Your Way to Slimmer Hips -- Just think of it as a digital version of a food diary -- but better -- because it forces you to think about what you’re eating before you put it in your mouth, instead of after. With written food diaries, it’s too late -- people log their choices after the fact. Watch this 60-second video on how to dish up just-right portions.

Worth 1000 Words (and Calories) -- In the study, the simple act of taking a picture caused people to pay closer attention to how much they were eating, how diverse their food choices were, or how healthful the food was. And that extra thought and attention actually helped them eat better. Here are some more slim-down tricks to try:

§ Pace yourself. Find out how eating slowly can help you eat less.
§ Be regular. Here’s why you don’t want to skip meals.
§ Learn to decode labels. Yep, reading is good for weight loss.
Chart your weight loss with this nifty weight loss tracker that lets you see your daily progress.

RealAge Benefit: Maintaining your weight and body mass index at a desirable level can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.