Daily Journaling for Weight Loss

You may be amazed to see how much you eat every day if you write it down. One of the most effective ways to lose weight is to maintain a weight-loss journal. The journal works like a daily calendar where you write down what and how much you eat each day. Add up your daily calories for the most accurate means of tracking and controlling your weight.

Develop Your Journal

• Choose a journal that complements your lifestyle. If you are constantly on the go, an electronic journal located in your iPhone, BlackBerry, or other PDA or smart phone may suit your needs. If you prefer to journal on paper, select a daily planner that allows room for you to include the food you ate, at what time and how much you ate at each sitting.

  Include an area to add up the total number of calories you ate for the entire day. Use this number to determine if you strayed from goal that day or stayed on track. Journaling also makes you accountable by allowing you to track back through your day to identify overeating.

  Other things to consider are including areas in your journal where you can write down how you feel about what you ate that day or your plans for what you'd like to eat the next day.

Track Your Diet

• Maintain an accurate record of your daily food intake by being specific about what you eat in each journal entry. Write in your journal immediately after you've eaten, for the most accurate reading.

  Track portion sizes by measuring food using a scale or measuring cup. If you eat a prepackaged meal, carefully read the serving size and be cognizant of how many servings there are per package.

  For example, if you eat one hard-boiled egg, you can record it as "10 a.m., one small hard-boiled egg, 70 calories." For an entire meal, your entry may resemble "5:30 p.m., medium salad with 2 cups of spinach (14 calories), whole medium tomato (22 calories), 1 tsp. olive oil (39 calories), ½ tsp. white wine vinegar (0 calories) and two slices of fresh lemon (4 calories); total 79 calories.

  You can obtain accurate calorie readings by purchasing a book that lists calorie counts or by using websites that list information for almost every food you can imagine, including menu items at many popular restaurants. Many sites allow you to keep an online food journal.

Organize Your Pantry

• Throw out the bad and bring in the good food for weight-loss results. Bad food includes the usual offenders, such as white-flour-based baked goods, items containing more than 9 g of sugar, processed foods and alcohol. Removing these foods from your home will increase your success rate and eliminate the chances you'll deviate from your diet.

  Good foods are the items typically found on the outer aisles of your supermarket. Choose a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole-wheat breads and pastas, and low-fat dairy products. These are the items your new plan should be based on and what should appear in your journal every day.