Food Journaling: Why I'm Such A Fan

Those of you who have ever received my nutritional coaching services know that I put a great deal of emphasis on keeping a food journal.

I'm not just trying to create work for you, I promise. There is extremely good reason why I suggest it.  

There is something powerful about writing down what you eat in a day on one piece of paper that you can look at.

The act of writing eat consumed item down and viewing it, one page equivalent to one day, is extremely powerful. More powerful than using an app or taking pics.

I've tried apps and photos with a number of clients and they don't get the same results or effect as those clients who WRITE it down.

Yes, it takes a little time to write it down, that's part of the benefit. You won't eat ONE M&M because you don't want to go all the way back to your desk to write it down. It's not worth it - that's a benefit

There was a study done by Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company a number of years ago. It looked at thousands of dieters all over the US who had lost weight with any 'program' and who had kept the weight off. These people used a large variety of diets, programs, etc. The study was looking for one unifying THING among those who lost weight and kept it off.

Guess what they found???

Those people who lost weight and KEPT it off also kept food journals.

This was the ONLY thing that the successful had in common.

Yes, it is hard to write things down all day long, so here's a helpful tip. Take photos of what you eat all day, then at the end of the day, sit down for FIVE minutes, scroll through your pics and write it all down.

Reaching a goal takes sacrifice and commitment. You will have to change what you've been doing if you want to change the way you look and feel. Start by keeping a food journal.

by Gemma R. Fountain