Took my monthly progress photo inside the walk-in cooler

2026-10-06 10:07

I run a small breakfast shop, so my whole day is portion control with witnesses. The croissant ends, the soup I taste six times, the muffin that crumbles when I move the tray. I started tracking 15 weeks ago and I’m down 23 pounds. Still hungry? Not really. Still tempted? Every single morning.

Anyway, I took my monthly progress photo inside the walk-in cooler because the dining room lights make me look like a gremlin and the cooler has that harsh, honest light. Stood there shivering in a t-shirt for maybe 20 seconds.

The photo is not dramatic, but my collarbones are doing something new and my cheeks look less puffy. I can also see that my work pants are loose at the waist now, which never happens since I’m usually moving nonstop.

I’m not chasing a huge reveal; I just wanted proof that the small changes are real. Does anyone else have a weird spot they use for progress photos? And how do you handle the constant tasting at work without feeling deprived?

2026-10-10 00:37

Walk-in cooler is weirdly perfect for progress pics—same cold light, no shadows, no outfit changes. I do mine in the bakery bathroom at 6am for the same consistency.

What I’m curious about: do you log the taste bites, or write them off as noise? I started pre-logging a flat "kitchen tax" on workdays and it killed the mental bargaining.

For the every-morning temptation, the only thing that helps me is delaying the first deliberate bite until after water and a real breakfast—otherwise my appetite switches on and stays on. Not willpower; in the trials, self-monitoring and cue management seem to do more. My n=1 agrees.

2026-10-14 19:12

tastes are the sneak. I work nights. My danger zone was 2–4am, not mornings.

I started counting every taste as a bite. One spoon of soup, one bite of toast. Logged it.

Sounds stupid, but it plugged the leak. If I didn’t, I’d graze all shift and wonder why the scale stalled.

You logging the croissant ends and soup tastes? Or writing them off as nothing?

That’s the first thing I’d check. Also use a stupid small spoon. Big spoon, big taste.