The Food Diary: The “Write” Way to Lose Weight

When you were a child, maybe you had a diary to keep track of your days, and their details. Writing in it every day, it seemed as if the diary was an extension of you that was very close, like a good friend. As you grew older you would write many things into it.

Believe it or not, many dieticians suggest keeping a diary if you are trying to lose weight. If you aren't a writer, it can seem hard at first. Without writing much else, it's hard to start recording detailed information.

The reason to keep a food diary is keeping track and motivation. You will need to want to keep track of the foods you eat. A good way is to place one of your heaviest pictures on the cover of a diary. Make sure you keep the diary in full view, next to your bed or on the table in your kitchen. This should give you the motivation to make note of what you eat. Another motivator will be to log your daily weight in the day's entries. This way you will be able to tell if your dietary choices are having an effect on your weight. You can see if you are losing weight, and even note joy in that next to the real good days. Some suggest gold stars for this.
          
You should write down a running list of foods and how much within the day. You might even be surprised to find out not just what you are eating but how much.  Categorize each food. Is it fruit, veggie, whole grain, or fat?  This information can be very necessary to see where your extra pounds are coming from.

You may also use your food diary for better food planning. When you think about what you need to eat in advance, you will be more likely to stick with the plan. This preparation will keep you more structured and in better control. These are imperative for losing weight.
 

Even if you do fall into comfort food at times, don't panic. Occasional eating of high-calorie things can prevent the feeling of deprivation, which can lead to binging. The most important thing, eat "fat foods" sparingly. And write everything down in your food diary. Forgetting that would defeat the purpose. Don't hide from yourself or pull a guilt trip on yourself.

One more idea is to write down your goal weight in the food diary daily as well. This will help arm you in psychological warfare. Having your goal handy will take you a long way.

Write down as much about your diet and eating as you can in your food diary. Even where you last wrote in it. Make your food diary personal. It's yours, and needed for you to get along losing weight.

It will take you a while getting used to your food diary though once you have it going, it will be your record of day to day weight loss, and healthy improvements.