How to Keep a Food Diary for Weight Loss: Techniques That Work

Posted by Horizon Clinics on January 15th, 2021

Writing a food diary every day is a good habit.

But it lacks the information on every food item that you eat on that day. Isn’t it?

Just writing about your work and feelings in the diary is a matter of past days.

Now, people also record what they eat during the entire day to track their caloric intake along with nutrition. Plus, the Benefits of Starting a Food Journal are specifically apparent when it comes to weight loss.

All in all, Starting a Food Journal is in trend.

It helps you record and keep track of every food item that you eat and drink on that particular day along with the time.

If you bite, just write!

Overweight?

Just need to write about your food habit in the diary so that you can take control of your eating habits.

But be honest to yourself while maintaining your food diary as it only affects you.

It is the best way to track what you eat and drink on any day or time.

It’s a kind of self-monitoring that allows you to manage your diet and nutrition.

Suppose if you ate an apple every day in the morning, you have to write it in your diary with the time and the result indicating how you feel.

Just as you have to write about those cookies and chocolates that you favored in the evening or even in the middle of the night.

Dieticians suggest maintaining your food journal so that they can judge your food habits.

So, be the first to judge yourself in your eating habits by maintaining your food diary.

It shows your eating pattern and the things that need to be changed.

Amy Gorin, M.S., R.D., owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition explains it as “the simple act of writing down what you eat can help increase self-awareness, which may lead you to make healthier choices”.

Keeping a Food Diary for Weight Loss

Millions of people are overweight and confused about their eating patterns.

Food Journaling for Weight Loss is important as it allows you to keep track of the ingredients you eat.

Let’s check out what should be the process and techniques to maintain a food diary.

#1. Look at the Technique That Works for You

There are a lot of ways to track your eating habits.

Many health apps are on market to track the food items that you consume and their effects on your body.

Writing food habits is handy and is an easily assessable record.

That diary shows every aspect of food that you consume, i.e., nutrition, time, food categories, etc.

#2. Follow Meals, Times, and Emotions

If you are writing a food diary, you have to follow the writing pattern.

Kroplin explains "the key elements for documentation are spaces for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus two to three spaces for snacks, a space for exercise, and a space for behavior or feeling,".

Every food gives you a feeling when consumed!

For example, Lindsey Pine, M.S., R.D., owner of Tasty Balance Nutrition said “you jot down that you felt angry when you ate 10 cookies at 4 P.M.”

A week later, you read your diary and find that you ate those same 10 cookies every time you felt mad.

By identifying that habit, you can correct it and start a new, healthier habit."

#3. Just Write When You Eat

It is important to write at the same time you eat.

If failed, you may forget about it which leads you to off-record tracking.

#4. Be Honest with Yourself

Honesty is the best policy! 

And when it comes to you, be alert!

You have to write down even a single bite of any food you take or beverages you drink. 

#5. Calories, Just Think Over It!

A 1,500-calorie diet full of processed food is much different than a 1,500-calorie diet full of vegetables, fresh fruits, and whole grains.

Keep in mind! Counting calories cannot make sense and is often tough.

More important is to count in the types of food you eat. 

#6. Food Diary, a Mirror to Show Your Eating Habits

You may find it uneasy, but it’s a truth that you can know whether the kind of food taken is beneficial to your health or not after watching your food diary.

If you’re not happy, you can change the eating pattern or just take in more nutrition.

Well, The Importance of Keeping a Food Journal is enormous.

Takeaway

Taking a note of your eating schedule is really important as it gives you a picture of your health.

You may be thinking of it as extra work, but remember to give priority to your health. And take writing a food diary as an essential part of it.

It gives significant results, and if you follow it honestly, you can lose weight in less time with discipline.