How to Keep a Balanced Food Journal

Day 4: Accomplish your New Years resolutions

Keep a food journal

 

 

A food journal is an excellent self education tool.  This is absolutely not counting calories, macros, etc.. It is evaluating your eating habits. Its finding out your patterns are you a stress eater, a midnight muncher, a breakfast skipper these are things you may be doing to hinder yourself everyday. By figuring out these little habits you could break a plateau, see progress for the first time. All you need is a simple note pad, and a pen.

 

• Your first entry should be as soon as you wake up
• Evaluate your sleep how many hours did you get. (Aim for 7-9)
• About how long did it take you to fall asleep did you fall asleep right away? (If you toss and turn at night you may be having to much caffeine or caffeine to late. You may be eating to heavy to close to bed, or consuming to much sugar (even natural sugar) too late)
• How did you feel when you woke up. Rested, exhausted, starving, sick etc.

 

• Before each meal
• Write down how hungry you were before you eat
• Write down your stress level (1 is no stress 10 is most stress you have ever felt)
• Write down what you ate don't worry about getting into overly specific servings, weights, portions. Just a general idea.
• After you eat right down how satisfied you feel about 20mins after you eat. You can see if your should change your portion size, or how certain foods make you react.

 

• When you snack
• Write down are you truly hungry or are you bored, stressed, tired etc..
• Try to eliminate frequent snacks for more frequent balanced meals
• Write down your snacks

 

• At the end of the day
• Read your journal, make notes on what you can improve on, read past entry's and note your improvements.  
• Note anything that trigged bad eating a fight with your partner, a bad day at work etc..
• Write down healthier swaps if you had a bag of chips write down nuts as a swap etc..