Working on the Food Journal
Published on Mar 4th, 2008 in Cravings, Sugar Addiction with
I started a food journal last week with the ultimate purpose of helping me get control of my sugar cravings and eat cleaner.
I’ve been jotting down breakfast and lunch, but that’s as far as I get.
I take my journal (which is just an inexpensive notebook) with me to work and keep it at my desk. It’s within easy access, so journaling what I eat and how I feel during work hours is pretty effortless.
Once at home, however, I stop with the journaling. I get busy with taking care of things at home and spending time with my husband. And, quite simply, I just don’t make my food journal a priority.
This week I want to work on journaling dinner. Who would have thought recording food and how I feel at the time to be difficult, but it’s more of a challenge than it seems!
Photo credit: ppreacher
I found it is easier to journal what you are going to be eating the entire day first thing in the morning. That way you have a plan of what to eat and exactly how many calories you will be consuming. Then all you have to do is eat what you planned. If you eat something enexpected, you can make the changes in the journal.
If that does not work, you could also enter the previous night’s dinner into the journal in the morning. This would still let you look back and find out how many calories you are eating day-to-day.
James,
Good ideas!
Writing out a plan of what you will eat for that particular day is a great idea for helping you stay within a calorie range, as well as eat healthy foods.
My goal isn’t specifically focused on calories, though. I’m trying to keep “diet” thoughts out of my head. Focusing on calories would have the tendency to push me into the wrong kind of thinking (i.e.: “Thin!!! I gotta work at staying thin!”). Instead, I want to focus more on eating for health.
The main purpose for me using a food journal is to ultimately get me free from my sugar addicition. I’m using my journal to see the relationship between what I eat and how I feel. I may have to try your second idea - journaling dinner the next morning - if I don’t
note it that evening.