How to Keep Track of Food at Home

The decision to lose weight is often very intimidating and comes with a lot of responsibility, including making it to the gym, getting enough sleep and keeping track of the food you have at home. Because eating right is so important to weight loss, keeping track of the foods you eat, as well as the foods you purchase for your home, is crucial.

Instructions

• 1

  Purchase foods that conform to your new healthy lifestyle routine and sort them into portions as soon as you arrive home. Many people gain weight because they are eating too much of certain types of food. Cut open your fruits and vegetables and place them in plastic bags that you can grab on your way out the door. Separate chips and salty snacks into plastic bags right away so you aren't tempted to consume the whole box.

• 2

  Research the nutritional information on each of the foods that you plan to have in your home. Speak to your doctor or dietitian about any resources that they might be able to share with you. You can also look at the packaging of many foods to determine how many calories are in the product. Keep your research handy so that you can use it in the future.

• 3

  Obtain a kitchen scale from your local supermarket. Some food products do not contain nutritional information, such as some fruits, vegetables and meat products. Other foods measure a serving size in grams or ounces, so it will be helpful to be able to measure out the portions of your food with a kitchen scale in your own home.

• 4

  Record your daily caloric intake with a food tracker or food diary. You can use various food tracking products on the Internet as well as creating your own food tracker in a Microsoft Excel document. If you don't have a personal computer in your home, you can also use a notebook and a pen to track the foods that you eat that day. Don't forget to write everything down, even drinks.

• 5

  Pay attention to when it is time to stock up on more of your favorite healthy foods. People are often most tempted to eat unhealthy foods or lose track of their caloric intake when they don't have food to eat in the home. Make sure you avoid the temptation by keeping stocked up on foods that you eat most often.