Tracking Your Food

When you start a diet just about the most often heard pieces of advice is to keep a food record in which you write down every thing you eat during the day. Tracking all of the foods you consume may help you figure out which foods you will be eating as well as which foods you are not eating enough of. One example is that, after following your meals for a few days you could realize that you are consuming far too many sugars and unhealthy fats without nearly enough organic nutrients. Writing all of it down will help you see exactly which parts of your diet plan really need to change as well as how much exercise you are going to need to do to make sure that you keep your caloric intake in check.

But what if you've been writing every thing down and still aren't losing weight? There is a proper way and a completely wrong way to observe your food. A food log is a lot more than just a straightforward list of the foods you eat during a day. You need to record various other very important information. Here are a number of the suggestions that can make it easier to become a lot more successful at food tracking.

Be as specific as possible when you write down what you eat. It just isn't enough to just record "salad" on a list. You need to record every one of the materials within that salad as well as the type of dressing on it. You also need to include the quantities of the foods you consume. "Cereal" is not good, however "one cup Shredded Wheat" can be. Remember the more you consume of something the more calories you consume so it is very 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.

Write down the time you're consuming things. This will allow you to figure out precisely what times of day you feel the most hungry, when you usually reach for snacks and then you can figure out how to deal with those times. After several days you'll see that even if you might be eating lunch at the same time every day, you are still hungry an hour later. This may also make it easier to identify the occasions when you start to eat simply to give yourself something to do. This is extremely helpful because realizing when you're vulnerable to snacking will help you fill those times with other activities that will keep you away from the candy aisle.

Write down your emotions when you eat. This really helps to show you whether or not you turn to food as a reaction to emotional issues. It will even identify the meals you choose when you are in certain moods. There are lots of people who seek junk food when they feel angry or depressed and are equally likely to select healthy things when they feel happy and content. When you look closely at how you eat in the course of your different moods and psychological states, you will be able to keep similar but healthier choices around for when you need those snacks--you might also start talking to someone who can help you figure out why you try to cure your moods with food.