Sep 24, 2011
Tracking Your Food: The Right Way To Do It
When you go on a diet one of the primary things that you will learn is that it is important to keep an eye on what you eat during the day. Keeping a food journal helps you determine the foods you are eating as well as the foods you are not eating. For example, after you keep a food log for a few days you could notice that even though you eat lots of fruit, you almost never eat any vegetables. Writing all of it down will help you see specifically which parts of your diet program 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 slimming down? There is a right way and a completely wrong way to monitor your food. A food journal isn’t merely a list of the items you’ve eaten during the day. You need to account for various other very important information. Here are some of the hints that can make it easier to become a lot more successful at food tracking.
Be as specific as possible while you write down what you take in. It is not sufficient to list ‘salad’ in your food log. You need to record every one of the components within that salad as well as the type of dressing on it. You should also include the amounts of the foods you consume. “Cereal” is not beneficial, however “one cup Shredded Wheat” will be. Remember the more you eat of something the more calories you eat so it is vital that you list quantities so that you know exactly how much of everything you’re eating and how many calories you need to burn.
Record the time of day that you consume things. This helps you figure out when you feel the most hungry, when you are vulnerable to snack and what you can do about it. After a few days you’ll see that while you might be eating lunch at the same time every day, you are still hungry an hour later. You could also be able to identify when you are eating in order to have something to do. This is important because those are situations that you can choose other things to fill your time with than food.
Record your mood when you eat. This will show you whether or not you use foods to solve emotional issues. It will also identify the foods you decide on when you are in certain moods. Many of us will reach for junk foods when we are disappointed, angry or depressed and will be more likely to choose healthier options when we are happy or content. Paying attention to what you reach for when you are upset just might help you stock similar but more healthy items in your house for when you need a snack’you could also begin talking to someone to figure out why you cure moods with food (if that is something that you actually do).
Tempting Tidbits: Find a Divorce Attorney - Tips to Get a Good Divorce Lawyer