(Click here for blank food journal entry food_journal1).
Studies show that a journal doesn’t just aid weight loss – it turbo-charges it. When researchers from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research followed more than 2,000 dieters who were encouraged to record meals and snacks, they found that the single best predictor of whether a participant would drop weight was whether the person kept a food diary. It trumped exercise habits, age, and body mass index. The number of pounds people lost was directly related to the number of days they wrote in their log. I have attached a blank food journal entry
How your food journal is an essential tool to achieving your fitness goals:
1. Awareness: Instead of mindlessly consuming meals, your diet journal will help you become conscious of what you are eating, how much, and how often
2. Reality: Once you realize where the majority of calories are coming from, you can make healthier, low calorie changes and eliminate excess foods with little nutritional value.
3. Accountability: By writing down all of the foods you eat and calculating the daily calorie and nutritional value for all your meals, you are forced to consider how an extra serving of pasta or a dessert will factor into
your diet.
4. Routine: When you start a diet journal, you establish a routine. This routine helps you to maintain a stable, steady progression towards your goals even if you have a bad day.
How to use your food journal:
Begin by writing down all of the foods and beverages you eat on a daily basis broken down in to Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, & Snacks. It might be a little annoying as you measure out your food for the first few days, but make sure you are paying close attention to portion size (Click here to measure proper portions portion_distortion1 ). Record the time you eat each meal as well as all the items in your meal, including dressing, condiments, and beverages.
Calculate your nutritional totals for calories, fat , carbohydrates, protein, and fiber (calories are the most important). You can find the values for the most popular food items located online (www.calorieking.com), nutrition facts label on the container, or a calorie counting book. To find out exactly how many calories you need to eat visit www.CherryHillBodyIQ.com to find out more info. If weight loss is your primary goal, deduct 300-400 calories per day for 3-4 weeks. Deduct another 300-400 calories the following month if further weight loss is desired. Never go below 1200-1300 calories per day.
Be as accurate as possible and try not to miss a day for the first 3-4 weeks, but don’t beat yourself up over it if you forget a day or two. The more accurate your food journal the better your results will be it’s that simple. You need to see the good and the bad, everything in moderation. You will not need to keep a food journal indefinitely , but it is an invaluable tool to reaching your initial goals.
Committed to your success,
Kevin Hensel
Cherry Hill Personal Training Trainer, Just Minutes from Voorhees, NJ
