Tracking Your Meals: The Way To Do It

By Melanie Fox


When you begin a diet probably 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 your meal log not only helps you see clearly what you are eating, it helps you see what you are not eating. 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 but not nearly enough organic nutrients. Having it all written down will help uou determine the elements of your diet that need to change as well as how much exercise you need to get to make sure that you burn enough calories to keep your waistline in check.

But what happens if you write almost everything down but no pounds drop off of you? There is a right way and a completely wrong way to track your food. A food log is more than just a straightforward list of the foods you eat during a day. You must note down other crucial pieces of information too. Here are a number of the things you need to do to be more effective at food tracking.

Be as distinct as possible get whenever you note down the things you eat. It isn't adequate to list "salad" in your food record. The right way to do it is to note down all of the ingredients in the salad as well as the kind of dressing that is used. You must also record how much of the foods you are eating. "Cereal" is just not beneficial, although "one cup Shredded Wheat" is. Remember the more you take in of something the more calories you take in so it is important that you list quantities so you know exactly how much of everything you're eating and how many calories you need to burn.

Write down the time that you're feeding on items. This allows you to see what times of day you feel the hungriest, when you're likely to reach for a snack and the right way to work around those times. After a day or two you might notice that, although 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 determine when you are eating simply to have something to do. This is important because all those are times that you can select other things to fill your time with than food.



Write down your emotions while you eat. This can show you if you use foods to solve emotional issues. It also makes it possible to see clearly which foods you tend to choose when you are in certain moods. There a wide range of people who look for junk food when they feel angry or depressed and are just as likely to select healthy things when they feel happy and content. When you pay attention to how you eat during your different moods and mental states, you will be able to keep similar but healthier alternatives 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.




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