Lesson 2: Keep a Food Diary

Lesson 2: Keep a Food Diary

Keep it RealA food diary is an excellent first step in assessing how you eat. It can also help you understand why you eat the way you do, which is often just as important when it comes to long-term weight management.The most important factor in keeping an effective food diary is to make it an honest one. A study showed that women in particular tend to fudge when keeping a food record -- coming up short by close to 1,000 calories wasn't unusual.Why go to the trouble of keeping a food diary if you aren't going to be honest with yourself? Remember, no one has to see it but you, so do yourself a favor and stay truthful.What to IncludeYou can see an example of a food diary page here.Here are some ideas on what you can track with a food diary:Fat grams, calories, carbs, protein, fiber, etc.Your danger zonesYour underlying reasons for eating (aside from true hunger)Your appetite and/or cravingsYour portion sizesYour feelings after eatingIn order to track your fat and/or caloric intake, keep a nutrient guide book handy or use a food database like About.com's Calorie Count.Using your computer or just an old-fashioned notebook, simply create a column for the name of the food and the required number of columns for each nutrient you will track. Divide the columns into sections according to meal and/or time of day so you can stay organized.Do You have Portion Distortion?If you're not ready to keep tally of your fat and calories yet, try just writing down how much you eat over the course of the day. (If you can't figure out where your extra weight is coming from, it may be that you are overeating and don't know it.)You don't need to buy a scale or pull out measuring cups. Why overcomplicate it when you're just starting out? Use your own measurements (e.g. a salad bowl of popcorn, a fistful of M&Ms, a mug of hot chocolate) for now.Remember, a rough estimate as you start keeping a record is better than not keeping one at all. (Something as simple as logging how many cans of soda you drink each day may well be an eye-opening experience.)In a few weeks, when you've become accustomed to writing everything down, you'll be ready to start keeping a more in-depth record.Get to the Heart of ItIf you tend to binge due to stress, or you regularly give in to emotional eating, your food diary can help you cope.When you catch yourself eating when you're not hungry or giving into a binge, spend some time in reflection so you can figure out why it happened. Then -- as tough as this may be to admit -- write down why you ate (hunger, boredom, etc.) and how you felt afterward (guilty, deserving, etc.). You may find it helpful to record when you tend to overeat so you can plan to arrange other activities in the future that will take your mind off of food.