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By Martin Bojorquez


When you start a diet just about the most often heard pieces of advice is to keep a food record in which you write down every thing you eat during the day. Tracking all of the foods you take in will help you figure out which foods you will be eating as well as which foods you are not eating enough of. One example is that, after tracking your food for a few days you might realize that you are consuming far too many sugars and unhealthy fats and not nearly enough organic nutrients. When you write every thing down you'll be able to see which parts of your diet must change as well as have a simpler time figuring out what kind and how long of a workout you need to do to shrink your waist line and burn the most calories.

But what if you've been writing every thing down and still aren't slimming down? There is a good way and a lazy method to track the food you eat. A food journal is more than just a straightforward list of the foods you eat during a day. Other kinds of important information are going to need to be written down too. Here are a few of the points you need to do to be more effective at food tracking.

Be as distinct as you can get whenever you record the things you eat. It is not enough to list "salad" in your food log. Write down all the ingredients in the salad and also the type of dressing you used. You also need to include the number of the foods you take in. "Cereal" won't be adequate but "one cup Fiber One cereal" is okay. Don't forget that the more of a thing you consume, the more calories you are going to take in so you need to list out the measurements of what you eat so that you will know just how many calories you take in and will need to burn.

Write down the time that you are eating stuff. This allows you to see what times of day you feel the hungriest, when you find yourself likely to reach for a snack and the way to work around those times. After a few days you'll observe that even if you might be eating lunch at the same time every day, you are still hungry an hour later. You should also be able to observe whether or not you might be eating since you're bored. This is incredibly useful because understanding when you're vulnerable to snacking will help you fill those times with alternative activities that will keep you away from the candy aisle.



What kind of spirits are you in when you eat? Write it down! This makes it possible to pinpoint when you use foods to help soothe emotional issues. This will also show you whether or not you gravitate toward specific foods based on your mood. Many people will reach for junk foods if we are disappointed, angry or depressed and will be more likely to choose healthier options when we are happy or content. Paying attention to what you reach for while you are upset just might help you stock similar but more healthy items in your house for when you need a snack-you could also begin talking to someone to figure out why you cure moods with food (if that is something that you actually do).




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