Keeping a food diary is one of the smartest and pain-free ways to losing weight successfully. It doesn’t cost anything to do and it is pretty easy to incorporate into even a busy lifestyle. It sounds like an odd thing to do but when you actually consider what you put into your body on a daily basis it can sometimes shock you enough to make a change as well as identify times of day or activities where you are slipping up e.g. having a tea or cake with your cup of tea.
What should you record in your food diary?
In order to get the most out of keeping a food diary it is essential that you include some of the more crucial information.
The main thing you need to include is a daily menu i.e. exactly what you have eaten on any given day. This will prove instrumental in picking out patterns of unhealthy eating that you probably hadn’t noticed before.
A good idea would also be to record the calories, protein, fibre, fat etc as well as the portion sizes to help you understand where weight-loss efficiencies can be sought.
Some people prefer to take the diary aspect of a food diary very seriously so will record reasons for eating other than hunger, any cravings you might have, and just your general feelings about your diet on that day.
Remember that your diary doesn’t have to be traditional in the sense that you keep it by your bed or locked away in a draw. Do what works for you so you can keep a record on your smartphone, computer, laptop or iPad.
Software like Microsoft Excel can really help you keep a food diary because it makes tasks like auto-calculating calorie intake and inputting lots of data really very easy. For many, a plain and simple notebook is perfect for keeping a food diary – just pop in in your bag before you leave for work and refer back to it throughout the day. The idea, similar to weight-loss in general, is about finding something that fits with your lifestyle because it increases your chances of sticking at it and achieving the best results.
Try to be strict with yourself though and commit to completing your food diary on a daily basis. If you don’t, then any time you do fill in the diary will just be wasted time because it won’t give you a bigger picture but rather an occasional look at your diet.
Review your progress on a weekly basis so you can make a judgement about what went well and went hasn’t gone so well over that week. It will also help you to identify areas and times of day which perhaps destroy your hard-work.
It can also be helpful to make a note in your food diary when you hit certain weight loss goals or when you gain weight in order to look for causes.
