Happy belated New Year, everyone!
After an extended break to recover from the holidays and a foot injury, it’s great to be back.
It’s that time of year again–the gyms are PACKED, and everyone’s resolved to losing weight and getting healthier.
Need some help losing weight? Try keeping a food diary for a week. It’s an invaluable tool for identifying eating patterns, habits, and triggers.Â
I’m keeping one this week because I indulged way too much in refined carbs and sugar over the holidays. And I found myself frequently munching mindlessly on foods I normally don’t eat at all. As a result, I didn’t feel good for weeks afterward. I felt sluggish, tired, and foggy.Â
This week, I’m tracking when, where, what, and how much I’m eating throughout the day. I’m also noting what I’m doing while eating, and what my mood, stress level, thoughts, and physical feelings I’m having before and after eating meals and snacks. It seems like a lot to keep up with, but keeping a food diary, even for just 1 week, can help you identify ways to shed some pounds. Your diary doesn’t have to be fancy–you can draw a table on notebook paper and make columns for time, place, activity while eating, food eaten, quantity, and feelings / thoughts.
It’s important to note not just WHAT you eat, but when and where. You may be surprised to see how often or how seldom you eat throughout the day. Many people function better when they eat 4 to 6 times a day–maybe 3 small meals with a snack in between. You may discover that you’re eating less early in the day, only to gorge yourself at dinner because you’re starving and exhausted. So trying to eat a bigger breakfast and some heartier snacks may be the trick to keeping you from pigging out at dinner.
Noting where you eat and what you’re doing when you eat is also very important. Notice how often you’re eating at your desk while working, or watching TV, or in your car while driving. Â When we multitask, it’s fairly certain that we’ll end up eating way more than we intend, because we’re not paying attention to our body’s signals of satiety. We’re mindlessly munching.
The food diary also enables you to notice your portion size. Pay attention to food label serving sizes. If you’re eating 2 or 3 servings, you have to multiply the calories by 2 or 3, too. Portion size is particularly important for starchy carbs, like pasta and bread. When you order a pasta dish in a typical American restaurant, you’re likely receiving 4 to 6 portions. That’s easily 800 to 1200 calories worth of pasta!
And finally, note how you’re feeling throughout the day. Are you starving an hour after breakfast? Are you stressed out and craving a soda and candy from the vending machine to soothe and focus you? do you feel bloated after lunch? Noting how you feel before and after eating can help identify emotions that trigger eating or foods that simply don’t agree with you.Â
Keeping a food diary is a great way to become more mindful about what you put into your body. Food affects our feelings, mood, health, and performance. Becoming aware of your eating patterns is a huge step in reaching your goals of losing weight or being healthier and happier.