Diet Journal

Keeping a journal will help you monitor your food consumption accurately.  We often forget what we eat throughout the day or do not realize how much we consume in small snacks or tastes of food throughout the day.  Keeping a written tab will ensure that we are counting for all our calorie consumption.

WHAT TO LOG IN YOUR FOOD JOURNAL:

• The day
• The time of day - morning, afternoon, evening
• What you ate and drank - include everything
• Where you ate - Sometimes we eat in places where we barely notice that we're eating, or how much -- in front of the T.V., in the car, sampling everything in the fridge...
• Why you ate - Were you hungry or did you eat for other reasons such as to be social, because it was time, or because you were upset or nervous/ Don't judge; just notice and write it down.
• How you felt - Notice how you felt immediately after eating, as well as a few hours later. Did you feel good or sluggish? Did your energy hold up until the next meal time?
• Calories - This is a critical part for those who are dieting by calorie counting. It can also be very helpful in training your awareness of the calories in food and how they accumulate in the diet. However, calorie counting is extra work that you might not need to do if you are using your food journal to be more aware of your intake in general.