Lose Weight with a Food Diary
by Bronwen de Klerk

Have you ever sat in front of the TV with a large packet of chips, only to look down 10 minutes into the movie and find that they're finished already? Or how often have you snacked on a chocolate whilst rushing in the car to get somewhere and then forgotten that you've even eaten a chocolate in that day? So often we wonder why we put on weight when we 'hardly eat anything', but we forget to take note of all those 'little' things we eat in between.

A very good way to become conscious of what you eat day to day is to record a food diary. This may seem like a tedious task to have to record everything you eat, but it is important if you really want to see just how much you are eating every day and where those extra kilo's are creeping up on you from.

To get the full benefit of a food diary, you need to keep it with you and record every morsel that enters your mouth - from that chip you tasted at the Woolies tester counter to the tub of yoghurt you ate just before dinner. You need to be honest with yourself if you really want to start making changes to your health. It is also important that you don't try to change your eating habits at this point. You want to get a true reflection of what you normally eat. If you do this for about 2 to 4 weeks you will get a good idea of what your eating trends are.

What to record in your food diary
Following is some of the information you should record in your food diary:

Location:
Where did you eat the food? In front of the TV? At the table?
Time started / time finished:
Did it take you 2 minutes to finish a plate of food or did you savour each mouthful by taking a little longer?
Position & Activity:
Were you standing or walking while you were eating?
Company:
Who were you with when you ate? Often the people you are with when eating can affect your food choices.
Type of Food:
What food did you actually eat? Steak & chips? Chicken salad?
Quantity:
Give an indication of the amount of food you ate. E.g. A palm-size piece of steak and a handful of chips.
Level of hunger:
On a scale of 1 to 10, rate how hungry you were whenever you ate.
Mood:
How were you feeling while or before you ate? Depressed? Stressed?
Wake time / sleep time:
How much sleep you get the night before can affect your eating during the day. You may eat to stay awake if you are very tired.
After thoughts:
How did you feel after eating? Satisfied? Guilty?
Number of glasses of water drank:
If you don't drink enough water in the day, you may be confusing thirst for hunger.

This may seem like a lot of information to have to record, but it is only through doing this that you will see where your weaknesses lie. Only then can you slowly start to make adjustments to your daily habits. This process can take a long time, but the changes will be lasting. If you continue to turn to a diet every time you want to lose weight, you are not learning what your personal triggers to overeating or unhealthy eating are.

Email me if you would like a preprinted food diary.