You don’t even need to be trying to lose weight to do this, even if you are maintaining or trying to put on weight, I think this is essential. It keeps you accountable for everything you have eaten.
When I first started trying to lose weight, I thought I was doing everything right, eating the right things and the right portions. It was only when I started writing down EVERYTHING I ate that I realised all those little snacks of nuts, or hummus or porridge, that although they are healthy, they still add up. I was writing down the measurements of things as well and soon realised that when I was making pasta dishes, I was eating too much. In the beginning, I did this all manually and worked out all the individual calories for everything – what a bore! Luckily, now, I have discovered My Fitness Pal. This amazing little tool works out everything for you, you just have to enter in what you have eaten that day. The one thing I don’t agree with though, is that it sets your calorie intake a little low, at 1200 a day, so don’t worry too much about going over that.
Writing down all of your main meals is helpful enough, but when you look at it and see all those snacks, or those alcoholic drinks you had, it really makes you reassess your diet. When I don’t log my foods for a few days, I can guarantee you that I will not have been eating as well as I should have. It’s almost like I am too guilty to log that piece of cake, in case it tells me off. Well, it won’t, and everyone should have some cake every now and then. But seeing it there, logged, will help you make better choices to compensate for that cake.
You should also write down any exercise you do. Seeing it written down is a great motivator and it will give you a sense of achievement. As if your aching muscles are not enough to remind you that you have been in the gym today!
It’s so easy to overeat and forget that it ever happened, because it is inside your stomach now, and you don’t have to think about it. But if you have to see it written down, I guarantee you will make better food choices.
Another thing that is good to do (although My Fitness Pal does not have this option), is keep a separate food mood journal. If I get a craving to eat something, even though I shouldn’t be hungry, I write down what was happening at the time I had the craving. Was I angry, upset, bored? This way, I can track my emotional eating. With this, you can write down how you felt after you ate (physically and mentally), it is a good tool for figuring out if you have a food intolerance. Say you ate some dairy and you feel bloated – you may be lactose intolerant.
If this is your first time keeping a food diary, review it every couple of weeks. Look back at everything you have eaten and you can assess your problem areas. Maybe you are having all your daily sugar allowance at breakfast on sugary cereal, or you are having a 3pm chocolate snack a little too often.
Whether you use My Fitness Pal, or just a scrap of paper, keep track of what you are eating and you will be much healthier for it.
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