Tracking Your Food: The Proper Way To Do It

By Ruben Smidt


When you go on a diet one of the first things that you will learn is that it is important to keep track of what you eat during the day. Tracking all of the meals you consume will 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 might realize that you are consuming far too many sugars and unhealthy fats without nearly enough organic nutrients. Writing all of it down can help you see exactly which parts of your diet 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 happens if you write everything down but no weight drop off of you? You can track your food the right way or the wrong way. There is more to food journaling than writing an index of what you eat during the day. You need to note down other vital pieces of information as well. Here are some of the hints that can help you become a lot more successful at food tracking.

Be as particular as you can while you write down what you consume. It isn't enough to simply jot down "salad" on a list. The correct way to do it is to record all of the ingredients in the salad as well as the kind of dressing that is used. You also need to note down how much of the foods you are eating. "Cereal" seriously isn't as good an entry as "one cup Honey Nut Cheerios." It is vital to remember that the bigger your servings, the more calories you will be eating so you need to know just how much of every thing you actually eat so that you can figure out how many calories you will need to work off.

Write down what time it is whenever you eat. This makes it possible to discover when you feel the most hungry, when you are prone to snack and what you can do about it. After a few days you'll note that even if you might be eating lunch at the same time every day, you are still hungry an hour later. You could also be able to determine when you are eating in order to have something to do. This is very important because, once they are recognized, you can find alternative ways to fill those moments than with unhealthy foods.



What sort of mood are you in while you eat? Write it down! This really helps to explain to you whether or not you turn to food as a reaction to emotional issues. It may also identify the meals you decide on when you are in certain moods. Lots of us will reach intuitively for junk food when we feel disappointed or angry and we are more likely to pick out healthy options when we feel happy or content. Not only will this allow you to notice when you reach for particular foods based on your mood, it will help you find ways to keep healthier (but similar) selections on hand for those same moods and help you figure out whether or not someone professional can help you deal with the issues that are sending you towards certain foods in the first place.




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