Tracking Your Food: The Way To Do It

By Elizabeth Wolfe


When you first start your diet one of many things you will learn right away is that keeping a food journal is very helpful. Keeping a food record helps you determine the foods you are eating as well as the foods you are not eating. One example is that, after following your meals for a few days you might realize that you are consuming far too many sugars and unhealthy fats and not nearly enough organic nutrients. When you write every little thing down you'll be able to see which parts of your diet must change as well as have a lot 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 let's say you write every little thing down but no weight drop off of you? There is a great way and a lazy approach to track the food you eat. A food log isn't just a list of the items you've eaten during the day. Other sorts of important information will certainly need to be written down too. Here are a number of points that you can make use of to help your food tracking be more successful.

Be as distinct as you can get when you write down the things you eat. It isn't enough to list "salad" in your food record. The right way to do it is usually to note down all of the ingredients in the salad as well as the kind of dressing that is used. You need to include the amount of the food you consume. "Cereal" is not beneficial, however "one cup Shredded Wheat" can be. Remember the more you eat of something the more calories you eat so it is 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.

Write down the time that you are feeding on things. This helps you figure out when you feel the most hungry, when you are vulnerable to snack and what you can do about it. After a few days you'll note that even if you might be eating lunch at the same time every day, you are still hungry an hour later. This will also make it easier to identify the times when you start to eat simply to give yourself something to do. This is important because all those are times that you can choose other things to fill your time with than food.



What type of spirits are you in whenever you eat? Write it down! This could show you whether or not you use food to solve emotional issues. It may also identify the foods you decide on when you are in certain moods. Many of us will reach for junk foods if we are worried, angry or depressed and will be more likely to choose healthier options when we are happy or content. Not only will this enable you to notice when you reach for particular foods based on your mood, it will help you find ways to keep healthier (but similar) options on hand for those same moods and help you figure out whether or not someone professional can help you deal with the issues that are sending you towards certain foods in the first place.




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