Losing it by logging it

Hey Friends!

Recently I have decided that I am going to start keeping a food journal and counting my calories. Keeping up with what I eat has been a struggle for me in the past because when I ate something unhealthy I didn’t want to write it down!! This meant that I never had an accurate record of what I was eating. Also, I am not the most disciplined person you will ever meet (surprise, surprise), so I have trouble making a new habit stick.

With that said, after considering my progress last week, I thought it would be beneficial to start tracking my food again.

There are lots of different studies about the benefits of food journaling. In fact, I read that one study found that adult dieters who kept food journals six days a week lost almost twice as much weight as other dieters who only kept records one day a week or less (http://bit.ly/8pi8CJ).

Here is another article that gives really helpful/practical advice about your food journal. I will summarize for you and discuss how I am applying this info. If you want to check out the full article, you can find it here (http://bit.ly/df818Z ).

8 Steps for Food Diary Success (according to Elaine Magee)

1. Know your reasons.

*Stated previously-I have to lose weight. This method seems to result in more success, so I am giving it my all.

2. Choose your format.

*I have two different things I am doing to track my eating. One: I have an actual journal that I carry with me in my purse. When I am out and about I will use it to keep track of everything. So here is a photo of my own food journal (please don’t pay attention to my spelling…I have trouble without a spell-checkJ). 

*Two: I have started using this App called “Lose It!” It tracks my calories and what I am allotted everyday based on my height and weight and how many pounds I would like to lose. It also has a database of restaurants and it has a barcode scanner so if I am eating an energy bar I can just scan the barcode and it will come up and input how many calories it is. This app is awesome! Aaron has also been using it and that has been so encouraging to me because having him do it with me makes it a lot easier for me to keep up with it. This is a screen shot of the Lose It! app.

3. Decide how often to update.

*I will update my journal after I eat each meal (or snack)-this way I will not “forget” to add something later.

4. Decide how detailed you want to be.

*I will write everything down. I have to write everything down. I can’t be a casual food journalist!!

5. Be accurate about portion sizes.  

*I will measure stuff. I will do math to figure this out (blah!). I will pay attention to serving size when keeping my journal.

6. Include the “extras” that add up.

*Sigh. I will write down that handful of candy, or that butter I put on something. I will realize that it all counts.

7. Beware of common obstacles.

*I will write everything down, even when I am embarrassed. I will believe that it is possible for me to lose this weight. I will do it, even if it is inconvenient. I will keep going.

8. Review what you wrote. 

*I will be looking for patterns that have resulted in success or failure. I will celebrate my victories and refocus after my mistakes.

Ok. This is my plan.

Thank you all so much for reading my blog, for encouraging me, and for praying for me through this tough journey!

It means so much to me to know that people are pulling for me to succeed!