Friday, December 27, 2013

By Debbie Stone


When you decide to go on a diet one of the very first things that you will learn is that it is important to record what you eat during the day. Keeping your foods log not only helps you see clearly what you are having, it helps you see what you are not eating. For example, after you keep a food journal for a few days you could notice that even if you eat lots of fruit, you almost never eat any vegetables. When you write everything down you are able to see which parts of your diet must change as well as have an easier time figuring out what kind and how long of a workout you need to do to shrink your waist line and burn the most calories.

But what happens if you write almost everything down but no pounds drop off of you? There is a right way and a incorrect way to track your food. There is much more to food journaling than creating an index of what you eat during the day. You have to record other vital pieces of information too. Here are a number of the suggestions that can make it easier to become much more successful at food tracking.

You should be very specific whenever you write down the things that you are eating. You should do more than merely write down "salad" into your food log. You should record every one of the ingredients within that salad as well as the type of dressing on it. You should also include the quantities of the foods you consume. "Cereal" will not be adequate but "one cup Fiber One cereal" is acceptable. Remember the more you eat of something the more calories you consume so it is very important that you list quantities so that you know exactly how much of everything you're eating and how many calories you need to burn.

Record the time of day time that you take in things. This helps you see what times of day you feel the hungriest, when you find yourself likely to reach for a snack and the right way to work around those times. After several days you'll observe that even if you might be eating lunch at the same time every day, you are still hungry an hour later. You may also be able to determine when you are eating simply to have something to do. This is important because, once they are recognized, you can find various other ways to fill those moments than with unhealthy foods.



Record your mood whenever you eat. This can help you determine when you use meals to help soothe emotional issues. This will also show you whether or not you gravitate in the direction of certain foods based on your mood. There a wide range of people who seek junk food when they feel angry or depressed and are equally likely to choose healthy things when they feel happy and content. When you pay attention to how you eat in the course of your different moods and mental states, you will be able to keep similar but healthier choices around for when you need those snacks--you might also start talking to someone who can help you figure out why you try to cure your moods with food.




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