Tips for Keeping a Food Journal

 Recording what you eat is one of the best ways to monitor intake and have more control over your weight. Recording intake, or food journaling, is great for several reasons. First it helps you manage your portions. If you are having cereal for breakfast, you may have to measure your portion. How much you are actually eating, is it one cup, or two? Food journaling can also make you more accountable for what you’re putting in your mouth. Knowing that you will have to write down that extra cupcake is a powerful tool, and many people find it brings the level of awareness they need to manage their eating.

Tips for keeping a Food Journal:
1. There is no right or wrong way to record intake. The best method is one you will use most often; whether recording in a notebook, or entering information into an online resource, it doesn’t matter as long as you are recording consistently. 

2. You don’t have to record every day of the week. Of course, the best results come from consistent and repeated recording but even recording two days can affect what you eat for the rest of the week. 

3. Don’t leave it all for the end of the day; record intake as you go so you don’t forget things or allow time to warp your sense of portion.

4. Record other things that are going on: mood, time of day, reason for eating (boredom, procrastination…), physical activity, anything!

5. Don’t cheat! You are recording for yourself only. There will be no one checking if you recorded accurately so there is no reason to put in all that effort if you know that you are not being honest. 

6. Don’t forget to record beverages. This will help ensure that you’re staying hydrated. It will also allow you to see whether a large portion of the calories you consume are in liquid form e.g. juices, soda or milk. 

7. Re-focus on portions. After several weeks, take a day to re-measure your portions. You may think that serving of brown rice on your plate is one cup, but we often over, or underestimate, our serving sizes so it helps to measure every now and then.