Are you journaling your food?

No matter what kind of diet or other form of weight loss you choose, statistics show that having and using a food journal is one of THE MOST important tools to success! Studies show that those who keep a record of what food goes into their mouth on a daily basis lose twice as much as those that do not! Twice as much! Things that make you go hmmmmmmm......................

So why is that?

1. When tracking your food, you never underestimate the amount of food you are eating!
2. It can help you to pinpoint a trigger food or if there is a time of day that you are most susceptible for snacking. This can help you to adjust your meal plans to ward off those times.
3. Journaling can also help balance the nutrients you are taking in. Whether you are tracking your carbs, trying to stay under a certain gram of sugars or have to up your iron. If you are writing it down, you will be more successful in keeping track of those types of things.
4. It can help you see where those added calories are creeping into your diet! Could it be the salad dressing you are eating? Those crackers you had with your tuna?
5. Most importantly, it keeps your accountable for your choices!

So by journaling your food what do I mean? Journaling your food can be as simple as writing down what you eat on a post it daily; writing it in your day planner; carrying around an actual food journal or using one of the many online food journals available. What you use is a personal choice and one you must be comfortable with.

So what have I used? Or rather, what haven't I used. Being 2 1/2 yrs out almost, I've moved around and used many different things! In the beginning it was the post it or writing it in my actual journal. Then I started using http://www.thedailyplate.com/. What is nice about an online site is that you can meet new people who have a shared goal and compare notes! And boy does that keep you accountable!

So these days, I've started using http://www.myfitnesspal.com/. I love this site. My nutrionist recommended we use it. My favorite part of this site is at the end of the day when you are finished you click a button and it says, "if everyday was like today, you would weigh XXX" Oh the joy in seeing a smaller number! And I've now got lots of support group friends and others to help me stay accountable!

So my questions isn't "what are you using?" but rather, "why are you not journaling?"