How to Make a Food Log

A food log is used to keep track of your daily caloric intake by recording all the food and beverages you consume in a day. When you first start it, you consume food and beverages as you normally have been. This will allow you to analyze your daily food intake in terms of its nutritional value and caloric content. Later, if you choose to diet, you can keep track of this with your food log. Instead of buying a food log book, you can make one yourself with any blank notebook.

Things You'll Need

• Blank notebook
• Pen or pencil

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Instructions

• 1

  Take any blank notebook and label it as your food log.

• 2

  On the first page, write the day's date at the top.

• 3

  Label the following columns at the top: "food or beverage," "calories," and "type." As you go about your day, record any food or beverage you consume under the "food or beverage" column. At the end of the day, sit down and use online resources to calculate the amount of calories for each food and beverage. Under the "type" column, write down which food group on the food pyramid the food or beverage you consumed falls under.

• 4

  Start a new page every day. Do not forget to write down anything and to get the information down in adequate detail. Otherwise, you will defeat the purpose of a food log. Do not change your eating patterns when you start your food log or you will defeat the purpose of examining your current habits.

• 5

  Keep your food log for a week, and you can begin to notice trends and change your eating behavior accordingly if you feel the need to. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you should reduce your daily caloric intake by 500 to 1,000 calories. However, the minimum caloric intake per day is 1,000 for women and 1,200 for men. Consuming under those minimums or decreasing your caloric intake by more than 1,000 calories per day at once poses serious health risks. You may want to seek advice from a trainer or your doctor.