Keeping Track Of What You Take In: How To Do It Correctly

By Lois Klein


When you start a diet one of the most often heard pieces of advice is to keep a food log in which you write down every thing you eat during the day. Keeping a food log helps you recognize the foods you are eating as well as the foods you are not eating. For example, once you keep a food record for a few days you might notice that even if you eat lots of fruit, you almost never eat any vegetables. When you write every little thing down you are able to see which parts of your diet must change as well as have a simpler time figuring out what kind and how long of a workout you need to do to shrink your waist line and burn the most calories.

But let's say you've been writing everything down and still aren't reducing your weight? There is a right way and a completely wrong way to observe your food. A food log isn't only a list of what exactly you've eaten during the day. You have to record various other very important information. Here are a number of the hints that can help you become much more successful at food tracking.

Be as precise as you can whenever you write down what you take in. It isn't enough to only jot down "salad" on a list. Write down every one of the ingredients in the salad as well as the type of dressing you used. You should also include the quantities of the foods you consume. "Cereal" is just not very good, although "one cup Shredded Wheat" will be. Remember the more you consume of something the more calories you take in so it is important that you list quantities so that you know exactly how much of everything you're eating and how many calories you need to burn.

Record the time of day that you take in things. This will help you find out what times of day you feel the most hungry, when you usually reach for snacks and then you can learn how to deal with those times. After a day or two you may notice that, though you eat lunch at the same time every single day, you still feel hungry an hour or so later. You may possibly also be able to recognize when you are eating simply to have something to do. This is important because those are times that you can select other things to fill your time with than food.



Record your feelings whenever you eat. This really helps to show you whether or not you turn to food as a reaction to emotional issues. This will likely show you whether or not you gravitate toward particular foods based on your mood. Lots of us will reach instinctively for junk food when we feel upset or angry and we are more likely to pick out healthy options when we feel happy or content. Not only will this allow you to notice when you reach for precise foods based on your mood, it will help you find ways to keep healthier (but similar) options on hand for those same moods and help you figure out whether or not someone professional can help you deal with the issues that are sending you towards certain foods in the first place.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment