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5 Reasons To Use A Food Diary

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How many times have you tried to lose weight only to wind back up from the starting point (or worse)? We focus so much on the diet but what you may have been missing is a food diary. A food diary is the #1 most important tool in behavior modification weight control. Study after study shows that a food diary will substantially improve your success.

In order to modify behavior it is essential that all behaviors which are involved in the intake of food be carefully recorded and analyzed. The more detailed the recording, the more likely it will be that successful methods for altering YOUR behavior can be found. You must record in your diary immediately upon eating, even if it’s just a snack. And be honest. You’re more likely to neglect using the diary at the times that it’s most important.

1. Your food diary will show you what you are truly eating. We are sometimes in denial about our eating habits. It may show you that you regularly skip meals, don't drink enough water or that you grab way to many handfuls of snacks off your colleagues desk. The words won't lie.

2. It may help you plan your eating better. Even if you are only accountable to yourself, you are more likely to make good choices when you know that it has to be recorded. If you share your food diary (such as on an app like Fitness Pal or Lose It), then you will want to do well in front of your shared friends.

3. It can help you identify problem times. You might realize that you are good all day but tend to make poor choices when the kids get home or late at night. If you are aware of this, you can make a plan to make better choices in the future.

4. A food diary can help you if you are looking to find food intolerances. For those who want to see if they are gluten or dairy intolerant for empale you can see how you feel after eating and when you track eliminating those foods.

5. A food diary can show you why you eat. For instance, you may realize how much you eat when you aren't hungry and instead choose to eat because you are bored, stressed, celebrating, etc.

Research shows that your success will increase the more days / week you use your food diary. Keep it with you at all times. Write your foods down as soon as you eat. It's the times that you don't want to record that you need most!

As a mom, keep a food journal for a week on your kids eating. You may be astounded at the imbalance of foods that they eat!