Why?

It’s a trick … one of a few small habits helping me stay on track with my new health and fitness plan.

I’ve always liked the idea of an accountability partner — someone who keeps you honest when working toward a goal. Taking photos of my meals is my way of being my own accountability partner.

Which is ironic, considering I used to find the whole ‘food photo’ trend a bit strange.

The Goal: 100 Healthy Meals

I’m aiming to collect 100 consecutive healthy meal photos. This simple challenge keeps me motivated because:

• I don’t want to ‘spoil’ my collection with unhealthy meals, so I stay committed to good choices.
• The ‘consecutive’ part matters—slipping up could lead to more slip-ups. Forgetting a photo is okay (it’s happened twice), but only if the meal was healthy.
• Each meal photo is something I want to be proud of – these are just for me but if anyone else were to look I’d want to show them something healthy.
• Tracking meals (whether with photos or another method) increases mindfulness and helps refine eating habits.
• What gets measured gets improved. Taking meal photos also highlights the importance of variety—more colors generally mean a healthier meal (greens, reds, yellows, nuts, mushrooms). A beige plate? Usually not a good sign.

This is part of a broader approach I’m taking to health and fitness — one that’s sustainable, enjoyable, and effective. Over the years, I’ve experimented with different diets and fitness routines, and I’m finally settling into a mix of small, manageable changes that work.

Other Accountability Measures

In addition to meal photos, I track my progress in two other ways:

1. A Spreadsheet – Monitoring key health stats.
2. Weekly YouTube Clips – Recording check-ins to stay aware of my progress.

 
These three tools help keep me on track.

Note: I eat muesli most mornings for breakfast and eat fruits, nuts and the occasional rice cake as snacks but have not included these as I don’t count snacks as meals and otherwise every other meal would be a bowl of muesli. So I guess that is 200 healthy meals 😉

Final Thought

With any diet or fitness approach, consistency, sustainability, enjoyment, and feedback are key. More than results, these factors keep you progressing. Results will come naturally if you stay consistent and adjust as needed.

Beyond that, the learning experience itself is invaluable. Tracking meals and experimenting with habits teaches you so much about your body and what truly works.

I’ve collected 20 meal photos so far – I think they’ve been pretty healthy meals – and will continue adding until I reach my goal of 100: 100 Healthy Meals.