What did you eat on Sunday?

You probably don’t remember. Do you really know what you eat every day? You probably do not, unless you keep a food log. Keeping a food log is simple. Every day, use a new page, and write down everything you put in your mouth. By writing everything down, you will limit calorie intake, because, at some point, you will connect what you have eaten with extra calories, and the extra calories with your weight.

You can get more benefit from your food log with minimal extra effort. At the end of the day, jot down some ideas on how you felt that day-were you hungry, full, or just right? Was your breakfast adequate, but not your lunch? Writing down notes about ways your food choices corresponded to your hunger signals during the day will help you plan future days and meals during your weight-loss journey. You will see patterns develop-eating a whole apple fills you up more than drinking apple juice. You can eat ten potato chips, or an entire bag of Smart Pop popcorn, and the fiber from the popcorn will keep you satisfied longer.

Every weight-loss plan available will tell you what to eat and when, or at least give hints and tips. By keeping your own food diary, you will be able to “research” food and your body in a way that is tailored exactly to you. No matter what books and plans tell people, the best way to learn is by doing and observing yourself. Keeping a food diary will help you unlock your own secrets to weight-loss and nutritional success.

The benefits of keeping a food log outweigh the time and effort of recording every little morsel of food and sip of liquid that passes your lips?
Benefits are;

Makes you more conscious of when and what you consume on a daily basis. It’s easy to account for the big stuff – that piece of cheese cake, or that big turkey dinner. But it’s often the little things that get you, like…
The cream and sugar in your daily coffee.
The butter on your morning bagel.
The handful of peanuts you mindlessly grabbed while sitting in front of the T.V..

Allows you to gain an understanding of just how much food you need to consume to reach your weight loss goals. If you keep track of your weight or waist measurement along with your food intake, you’ll soon notice whether your weight/waist size is trending up, down or staying the same. If you keep an accurate food log, you can make small adjustments to your caloric intake to help you achieve your goals.

Allows you to accurately calculate how many calories you eat. When you combine your food log with a nutrition software, you can quickly and easily find out how many calories you consume…on a meal-to-meal, day-to-day basis. Doing this is perhaps the quickest way to reach your weight loss goals.

Reveals patterns in your eating habits. Do you eat more at night than during the day? Do you eat when more or less when stressed? Do most of your calories come from carbohydrates? From protein? Or from fat? Are you eating at regular intervals throughout the day or do you eat fewer but bigger meals? Keeping a food log can help you answer these questions. Just being more conscious about what you eat, when you eat, why you eat and how much you eat can make all the difference in the world.

Keeps you focused on your goal. What you focus on becomes your reality. If you are focused on eating balanced, healthy meals you will tend to eat that way more often than not.

Most people mindlessly go through their day, grabbing food whenever they feel hungry. They give very little thought to what goes in their body.

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of keeping a food log is what happens when you use it as a planning tool. Sit down with your food log at the beginning of every week and plan what you want to eat at each meal and snack. Doing this will help you control the amount of calories you consume and stay focused on healthy eating.

Your Action: Begin to log everything that goes in your mouth and when you eat it.
Log your food intake for a week. Review it after that week. Send a comment tell me what you learned,