The whole concept of a journal is one that I really like... in theory. I can't even begin to count the number of journals I'd start writing in when I was younger, only to leave it dusty and unnoticed months or even weeks later. Then I'd start back up again, buying a cute journal from Barnes and Noble and saying that this time I'll really keep it up. Ehh, not so much.
The same goes for food journals - lots of people say it's an effective way of weight loss and/or management. Think about it, if you had to write down every single piece of food that you put into your body, you'd most likely reconsider that bag of potato chips, or 10 Oreos... haha. I've started a number of these too, picking up cute notepads from Paper Source and deciding that I'd be one of those people that can maintain a food journal, only to have removed them from my purse one day, never to been seen again.
A recent post by my friend Mango & Tomato on the Washingtonian Magazine blog got me thinking about trying out a food journal again. Summer is a time for lots of dinners with friends, happy hours, BBQs, and definitely lots of cold treats and snacks. Maybe it's a good time to start one up again?
Have any of you tried to maintain a log of the food you eat, either specific items or maybe in general? Or I guess members of programs like Weight Watchers are more or less doing this as part of their every day food tracking. What are your thoughts on food journals?
I think it helps you see where your food intake may not be supporting your goals (weight loss/athletic performance/muscle building/whatever). Like...gee, maybe eating cookies for lunch made that afternoon bike ride go not so well. I use myplate from livestrong.com. Easy interface. I highly suggest at least trying it out to see if you notice any patterns you'd rather get rid of.
ReplyDeleteI've been doing one for my 4 Week Detox (http://melaneispring.com/4-week-detox) and will probably continue one offline after I'm done just to keep track of my intake. I don't eat as much or as badly when I have to write it down.
ReplyDeleteI tracked my food intake for about....a week...lol. It was online though (livestrong.com) so maybe I just have to do it the old fashioned way to stay motivated. =\
ReplyDeleteI've definitely tried to start a few throughout the years - but it just never sticks. Apparently my subconscious just doesn't want me to keep track of what I am eating.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for your comments! It's nice to know I'm not the only one with good intentions but can't be perfect about maintaining a log all the time.
ReplyDeleteI think the hardest part for me when I did food journals was actually going back to look at my habits or any trends. It's one thing to write it down but also to analyze the history to see what you did right or wrong. WW definitely helps me stay on track and yes I do go back and look at what I ate previously :)
ReplyDeleteYou could always track online at sparkpeople or livestrong like someone else suggested so that you almost always have access of it and don't need to buy a journal (though those cute ones are hard to resist!)
@Michelle: Thanks for your comments! It's true, writing things down is just part of the package, I'd definitely need to look back and see how the thing I'm eating affect me week to week!
ReplyDelete