Study after study have found that people who keep daily records of foods and beverages consumed as well as minutes of physical activity have greater success balancing calories and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. In fact, a recent large study conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research found that participants who logged their daily consumption six or seven days a week (over a 6 month period) lost on average 18 pounds, whereas those who logged only one day a week or less lost only 9 pounds.
If you've never tried it, you've probably said to yourself, "logging takes too much time". If you have tried it, you've probably realized:
- Logging increases your awareness. You become more aware of what and when you are eating as well as how a little bite here and a little bite there can really add up!
- Logging helps you measure your progress. You can set goals to eat more or less of certain foods and then look back to see if you met those goals.
- Logging helps you plan ahead. You discover triggers for eating too much (or too little) and can make plans to avoid or adapt to this trigger. For example, if you overate last week when your family was out to dinner, you can make plans to order a smaller portion at the restaurant this week.
- Logging increases your motivation. You will think twice about taking that extra piece of chocolate if you know you have to write it down!
Little do many people know, logging can take less than ten minutes a day. Here are a few tips:
- Find a food and physical activity log that works for you. You have lots of choices. You can use a simple spiral-bound notebook that you can keep in your purse or pocket or you can opt to log with a PDA or online. Here is a food log and physical activity log that you can print out and use. Or, you might try a web-based log like CalorieKing.com (subscription required) or SparkPeople.com (free).
- Focus on the behaviors you are trying to change. If you are eating a low-fat diet already, don't waste time tracking your fat grams. Track calories or fruits and vegetables, instead. Likewise, if you eat a healthy breakfast every day but find yourself eating less healthy foods at dinner and lunch, don't bother with logging breakfast.
- Fit logging into your day. Don't wait until the end of the day to record your foods and physical activities. Determining what and how much can be difficult when it happened hours before. Even if you only have a few seconds, scribble down your food and activities immediately after you eat, or complete them. At night, you can re-write or type these things into your log and add the details.
Share your successes or struggles with logging your foods and/or physical activities below.
