So far today I’ve eaten one tamale, one fried egg, three carrot sticks, a small salad with nuts, and a small cup of homemade vegan ice cream. Granted, this isn’t what I eat everyday, and believe me, it varies in both food type and quantity. But simply keeping track of what you eat – and how much – can help you lose more weight.
A long term study by Kaiser-Permanente reports that keeping a regular, detailed food diary can double weight loss (as compared to people who didn’t keep a diary). You can read more about it from Jim at Diet Blog.
I didn’t need a study to see the sense of this, but it’s always nice to have scientific evidence. The more conscious you are about what you eat, the more you’ll pay attention to the quality and quantity of your food. If you’re not sure where to begin, print out RealSimple’s worksheet or create your own using the food journaling tips below.
Dedicate a special notebook for this purpose alone.Each page should represent one day. (Use both sides to conserve paper!)Make three columns: Food Eaten (including drinks), Time of Day, and Mood at time of eating. Be sure to include a general quantity in the Food Eaten column.
By using this incredibly simple tactic, you can keep track of your emotional eating habits and once you’re aware of them, it’ll be that much easier to nip ’em in the bud.
Image: Fimb
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