Food Journals

[Sassy]

I saw a post recently regarding how to keep a food journal, and thought it was helpful, so I decided to write this post for PM. It's been awhile since I keep a journal, so just let me know if I missed anything.

To diet successfully, it’s always a good idea especially for a beginner to start a food journal. You may not know much about nutrient until you start tracking what you eat. Then it is like a puzzle coming together. You can really see the big picture. That’s when most people realize just how many calories are in a Big Mac or just how useless a doughnut really is.

What should you keep track of in your food journal? Just about everything. You wouldn’t believe what will make a difference in your training and how you feel. It’s all in your diet. There are many factures that can affect it.

1. Track all foods you eat through out the day. Yes, even that hand full of Cheeros you grab ate fill up the kids breakfast bowls.
2. Break down you foods into micro-nutrients. What’s that you ask?
   
   • Carbohydrates, Fats and Protein
   • Number of Calories
   • It’s optional, but you could keep up with sodium
   ​
3. Keep track of the time of day you ate
4. Write down your mood. Why you ask? Some people are emotional eaters and if you are eating because of emotions then you will learn to head what triggers it. (How is your stress level?)
5. How hungry were you? You can start tracking you eating patterns. Maybe you blood-sugar levels are spiking at certain times because you really should have an extra meal during that time.
6. Beverages other than water. Yes, that glass of orange juice is full of vitamins, but it’s also full of calories. How many glasses of alcohol do you drink a day?
7. Water: I would suggest tracking it separately because water is very important to you body. If you track this separately, then you will see just how it affects your body. For example, you complexion may clear up; hands may not be as dry; etc.
8. How was your sleep? Another important factor is how you are sleeping. I don’t have very good lifts on the days that I don’t sleep good the night before.
9. Keep track of your vitamins and supplements. The time of day you take them and how much you take and even which ones you take together.
10. It helps to keep up with your training as well as your diet. What time of day, how your training went, and what your lifts were.

You many only need to track your diet for a couple of months before you start to see patterns and results. Then when you feel better about your results, you can put down your journal. Some people find it so helpful that they make a journal part of their routine.