Tracking Your Foods: The Proper Way To Do It

By Andrea McGowan


When you first start your diet one of many things you will learn right away is that maintaining a food journal is very helpful. Tracking all of the meals you consume may help you figure out which foods you will be eating as well as which foods you are not eating enough of. For example, after maintaining a food log for a few days, you might see that you are not taking in very many vegetables but that you are consuming lots of sugar and bad carbohydrates. When you write every little thing down you can see which parts of your diet must change as well as have a lot easier time figuring out what kind and how long of a workout you need to do to shrink your waist line and burn the most calories.

But what happens if you write each and every thing down but still are unable to figure out how to lose fat? You can track your food the right way or the incorrect way. A food log isn't only a list of the things you've eaten during the day. You have to keep track of various other very important information. Here are a few of the things you need to do to be more successful at food tracking.

You should be very specific when you write down the things that you are eating. It is not enough to only record "salad" on a list. The correct way to do it is always to record all of the ingredients in the salad as well as the kind of dressing that is used. You should include the volume of the food you take in. "Cereal" is just not good, although "one cup Shredded Wheat" is. It is vital to understand 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 the time that you are eating items. This helps you determine when you feel the most hungry, when you are susceptible to snack and what you can do about it. After a short time you'll note that even if you might be eating lunch at the same time every day, you are still hungry an hour later. This may also make it easier to identify the occasions when you start to eat simply to give yourself something to do. This is very important simply because, once they are identified, you can find alternative ways to fill those moments than with unhealthy foods.



What sort of spirits are you in when you eat? Write it down! This really helps to show you whether or not you turn to food as a reaction to emotional issues. It will even identify the meals you decide on when you are in certain moods. Lots of us will reach naturally for unhealthy foods when we feel upset or angry and we are more likely to select healthy options when we feel happy or content. When you focus on how you eat during your different moods and emotional states, you will be able to keep similar but healthier options around for when you need those snacks--you might also start talking to someone who can help you figure out why you try to cure your moods with food.




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