Keeping Track Of What You Eat: How To Do It Correctly

By Melinda Cheng


When you first start your diet one of the things you will learn right away is that keeping a food journal is very helpful. Keeping your meal log not only helps you see clearly what you are eating, it helps you see what 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 but not nearly enough organic nutrients. Writing all of it down can help you see precisely which parts of your diet program really need to change as well as how much exercise you are going to need to do to make sure that you keep your caloric intake in check.

But let's say you've been writing every thing down and still aren't losing weight? There is a good way and a lazy way to track the food you eat. A food journal is a lot more than just a basic list of the foods you eat during a day. You must keep track of various other very important information. Here are a few of the things you need to do to be more successful at food tracking.

Be as particular as possible while you write down what you take in. It just isn't enough to only record "salad" on a list. Write down all of the ingredients in the salad and also the type of dressing you used. You should also include the quantities of the foods you eat. "Cereal" is not as beneficial an entry as "one cup Honey Nut Cheerios." Remember the more you take in of something the more calories you take in so it is important that you list quantities so you know exactly how much of everything you're eating and how many calories you need to burn.

Write down exactly what time it is when you eat. This allows you to see what times of day you feel the hungriest, when you're likely to reach for a snack and the right way to work around those times. After several days you'll observe that while you might be eating lunch at the same time every day, you are still hungry an hour later. You may possibly also be able to recognize when you are eating only to have something to do. This is essential because those are situations that you can select other things to fill your time with than food.



Record your feelings whenever you eat. This really helps to demonstrate whether or not you turn to food as a response to emotional issues. It may also identify the foodstuffs you select when you are in certain moods. Many individuals 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 precise foods based on your mood, it will help you find ways to keep healthier (but similar) selections 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.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment