Food Journals

Studies show that dieters who keep a food journal lose more weight. They lose as much as twice as much weight and are more likely to keep that weight off. A journal may also help you ensure you’re eating a balanced diet, pinpoint foods which may be causing symptoms of allergies or insensitivities or show how what you eat is affecting your mood.

A journal can be as simple as just writing down what you eat during the day. It can be more complex including time of day, how you are feeling, what you are doing, and if you are with anyone at the time.

Write down everything you eat. Don’t forget condiments, the oil you add to the pan when cooking, the small handful of a snack, or things you may be just “tasting”. If eating out at a chain restaurant you may be able to find nutritional information on their website for your meal. When you first get started you may wish to measure to make sure you are accurate in your report of what you’re eating.

There are many websites and programs available to help you if you decide you’d like something more high tech than a pen and pad of paper. A couple of free sites are sparkpeople.com and fitday.com. Just enter what you’ve eaten during the day to be able to analyze different factors such as amount of carbohydrates or whether or not you’re getting enough calcium. You can also track your exercise, weight, or other measurements.

Does this sound like a lot of work? It’s not once you get used to it and you can even set a drop down list of your favorites or things you eat often. I don’t expect most people will want to do this every day but it is a good way now and then to check in and see what you are really consuming. You might be surprised.