Keep A Food Diary

One of the most effective tools I use with my clients is a food diary. Keeping a food diary can often mean the difference between success and failure on a fitness program. And it is an absolute must if you want to drop fat.

A food diary is just like what it sounds, a notebook in which you record your daily food intake. You can track of a number of things in it, such as how you felt when you were eating, to uncover any emotional triggers, as well as any personal observations. Or you can keep it simple and just write down what you ate. In either case, it’s a great way to examine your eating habits.

Here are some basic suggestions:
1. Carry your notebook with you and write down what you eat when you eat it, rather than relying on memory.
2. Be aware of portion size. One way is to measure. Another is to use relative sizes such as “two palm-sized slices” or a scoop “the size of a fist.”
3. Track the date and time of day.
4. Jot down any exercise you did that day.
5. Make a note of how you felt when you were eating and any personal observations. (optional)

Remember to update your diary every day and review it on a regular basis. It’s important to note when you hit certain fat loss or fitness goals as well as when you gain weight and to look at the causes.

To help you analyze your daily intake, I recommend The Complete Book of Food Counts by Corrine T. Netzer. It contains the nutritional value of just about every food, including some ethnic foods.