The Importance of Keeping a Food Diary

By Cameron Abel – BestFitnessChoices.com

In this article I would like to talk about the importance of keeping a food diary, especially if you are just starting out or have had a long history of battling weight loss.

There are some medical and body exemptions of course however the theory of weight loss really is quite simple. You would almost certainly have heard the two quotes “Eat less and move more” and the most popular “Calories in vs calories out.”

Both quotes are extremely simple and right to the point and I have to agree that apart from the medical exceptions mentioned above, the theory of weight loss really is that easy – in theory of course.

Our body is always burning calories. All throughout the day, every single second while we are at work, play, driving the car, watching TV on the couch and even while we are asleep! What differs of course is the rate at which our boy burns these calories and this is solely dependent on our activity levels at the time.

To lose weight you must consistently burn off more calories than you are taking in. Now this is not the time and place to go all in about total daily calorie expenditures and how many calories are burned off by a sedentary office worker vs a tradesman etc but a big area where we misjudge our calories is simply in the food and drink we consume in a day. This is where a food diary can pay big dividends.

By keeping a food diary you can establish and work out exactly how many calories you are actually eating at each meal, how much you are eating overall and clearly identify problem areas and also foods or times of the day that are sabotaging you! It may surprise you to learn that 99% of people significantly under estimate their calorie intake, some by as much as 50%!

Also if you are true to yourself and recording every little morsel that goes into your mouth, you will more than likely notice a trend appearing where you are negatively contributing to a higher than needed calorie intake.

Believe it or not, most of us do not even realise how many additional calories we ingest each and every day just in a biscuit here, a lolly there or an afternoon can of soda. These calories sure do add up and if you are fond of an alcoholic beverage or two after your meal or at the end of the day’s work, just watch the calories start to stack up!

The best way to do it is be really strict on yourself and keep a record of absolutely everything that goes in your mouth for two full weeks. You can use whatever recording method you like such as a notepad, book or enter it all into a document on your pc or laptop.

The key is just ensuring you take note of ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. Quite often it is the little things like one biscuit or one muffin, a glass of cola or slice of cake that we don’t include yet these are calorie rich foods!

You can then analyse this data and make the necessary adjustments to your lifestyle and nutrition. There are also some great free services out there on the World Wide Web where you can enter in your food and everything from the calories to salt, fat and mineral ratios can all be neatly graphed for you!

One of my favourite sites for recording this info is http://www.calorieking.com/

Lastly, another great method (and my favourite way of keeping a food diary) to take advantage of especially in this mobile world is simply to use the camera in your mobile phone and take a snapshot of every drink, meal or morsel you consume in a day. Before you go to bed, scroll through your pics and ask yourself if it was a good day or a bad day and what can you learn from it.

The key message here is to keep a food diary and be strict about it for a full two weeks. Don’t short change yourself by leaving bits and pieces out and also try to eat as normally as possible so you get a real feel of your ‘normal’ food intake and not just a 2 week sample where you are actually being good!

After the 2 weeks is up, review and make the necessary adjustments as they are revealed to you and you will start to see some great results in your weight loss efforts!

Best of luck to you!

Cameron Abel