The Secrets to Food Journaling
"Dear Diary ... Today I ate way too much."
Sound familiar?
"I don't usually snack." "I only have a few tablespoons of ice cream." "I had a couple chips." These are all words I hear often when I ask clients to recall what they ate during the course of their typical days. But when asked to record what they ate, it's a different story altogether.
More meaning is given to words and deeds when they're memorialized on paper, in black and white. These days, that "paper" may be a screen of some sorts, but nevertheless, words are inscribed somewhere. This is probably why so many people have a hard time maintaining a daily food diary -- they don't want to admit the types and amounts of food they're actually consuming.
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How many of you count the number of nuts, pretzels or grapes you eat at one sitting? And what about the slices of cheese you pop in your mouth while standing at the fridge trying to decide what you want to eat? These "air foods," as I call them -- foods that go through the air and never make it to your plate -- seem to be forgotten when attempting to recall them, but if you were writing down every morsel of food that crossed your lips, they would show up like a billboard on Broadway.
Over the many years I've been counseling clients, I've employed the use of a variety of journals to record foods and feelings. Depending on the patient and his or her particular needs, I might tweak the log accordingly, since some need a more mindful, psychological approach, while others just need to jot down the facts.
If you want to create your own daily log, here are some important checklists to include:
Are you really hungry when you eat? Include a hunger scale from one to five, with one representing "not too hungry" and five meaning "starving." This will help you uncover patterns of eating at times when you didn't really need to eat, and you'll also recognize times when you're going too long without having food.
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How were you feeling when you ate? Sometimes we eat because we're sad or bored or tired or elated. If you were angry at your boss and you ate everything in the office vending machine to get back at him, writing down your reason for eating those snacks at that time would help you discover that your intake would not change his personality. You can't swallow your problems, but journaling certainly helps you identify them.
What were you doing while you were eating? Were you watching TV, reading a book, checking emails, Tweeting or driving? Whatever else you were doing may have gotten more attention than your sandwich. When you eat, you should just eat. Focus on the taste, temperature and texture of your food, so every bite gets registered and appreciated -- especially if you're trying to lose weight.
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What is your physical position while eating? Are you sitting in a chair at a table, or are you slumped over your keyboard or behind the wheel of your car? Try to sit down to eat, and perhaps even set the table (place mat, dishes, silverware, etc.) when possible. This will help you define your intake as a meal or snack, and not just "air food." In fact, if you make a pact with yourself that you have to set the table every time you snack, you might cut back on many unnecessary between-meal breaks.
Are you being specific? Making note of the size of the food you're eating helps keep portion sizes in check. Improper portions, in my opinion, are the main reason most people are overweight. Even too much of the "good stuff" might be too much for your body to handle. If you're clueless about just how much you're eating, you may want to invest in an inexpensive food scale and a set of measuring cups and spoons. You might be shocked at what a half cup of oatmeal or tablespoon of olive oil look like. (Spoiler alert -- it's small!)
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Are you being honest? I've seen people only record days when their intake is carefully chosen, yet on other days they write words like "disaster" or "bad day" or "vacation." Ironically, that "disaster" day is the one on which people need my help the most, but this is the day that gets blocked out because it's difficult to face.
So where should you keep this diary? Some people like to log in a notebook, but some of the most effective tools I've seen are napkins, paper towels and pieces of paper table cloths. These tools become like "hot-off-the-press'" diaries with intakes literally being recorded at the table. But today, there are lots of helpful apps available where you can record your intake from your computer, smart phone or tablet, such as MyFitnessPal, LoseIt! and SuperTracker.usda.gov. Even more effective might be snapping a photo of your food. You know what they say -- a picture is worth a thousand ... calories!
Keeping a diary is one of the least expensive, most effective tools in the weight loss tool box. You just have to pick it up and use it every day.
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Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN, has been owner of BTD Nutrition Consultants, LLC, for more than three decades and she is the author of Read It Before You Eat It. As a renowned motivational speaker, author, media personality, and award-winning dietitian, Taub-Dix has found a way to communicate how to make sense of science. Her website is BetterThanDieting.com.
