I continue to insist I eat fairly well. But I'm going to put my theory to the test.
For a week, I'm going to keep a food diary to track what I eat. I started yesterday.
I want to see two things -
1. Do I really eat as well as I think?
2. Will writing everything down keep me from overindulging?
This week might be especially illuminating. I'm helping to cover the ACC women's basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum and it will probably be hard to eat really healthy.
I'm curious to hear how the experts and non-experts feel about food diaries. Are they good or a bit obsessive?
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4 comments:
I keep a food log, mainly so that I don't have to think about meal planning during the week. If I know that I will be eating a meal out, it's also a good way to plan healthier meals before and afterward so that I can eat what I want at the restaurant (or party) guilt-free. For me, it also keeps me aware of whether or not I'm getting enough fruits and veggies.
I personally have all my clients utilize meal plans and track their caloric intake. Since body fat loss is about negative energy, you need to make sure you are in that zone. Guesstimating is my worst nightmare and the #1 reason a client doesn't get to where they want to be because they are either eating over, or eating too under.
It doesn't have to be for life, but until you have a grasp of what is really in your meals and daily intake, I recommend tracking. This is another reason why eating out and losing fat don't go that hand in hand because you have no choice but to guess what you have just eaten.
Fitday.com is a wonderful online food log program and is free. Though do not take their calculations seriously as they are very off as far as calories burned , BMR and exercise. But for keeping up with food easy, it is a great way to go.
I have to say, it really feels weird to keep track of everything little thing I eat. It's interesting though, especially when I look at days when it was particularly hard to eat well.
And no suprise, I snack all day long! Although a lot of it is fruit, trail mix, etc.
Having to keep track of food is one of my best weight loss strategies. I think twice about that snack if I have to rwite it down!
I use Fit Day, although I've found that it under-estimates my workout calorie burn (at least according to the computer at the gym)
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