Food Diary Diet??

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080708/hl_nm/diet_diary_dc

Great article on Yahoo this morning!

Most everyone I know that's tried Weight Watchers said that the food diary was very helpful. It held them accountable for what they ate. It wasn't just in the mouth and gone from memory...it was on paper!

It's not a new idea by any means, but one of the most practical advice measures in the media at the moment! So hurray for getting something right!

Why have a diary? One prime example happened this last holiday weekend. (Holidays are when the mindless eating is as it's peak.) Family was in town for the 4th. We were eating dinner, someone commented that we sure were eating a ton of fruit. But we hadn't had any that day. They were thinking of the day before! Time truly does fly when you are having fun.

If they had a diary they would have seen what they had eaten and not lost track of time.

So how does someone write down everything they put in their mouth when they don't even have time to do everything already on their to-do list?

Like the article suggests...post it notes. Scratch paper, note book. For those of you who always eat out, put a slip of paper in your wallet/purse. While you are waiting for your food write down what you ordered. While you're doing that you can remind yourself what you've already put in your stomach today. Better yet, look at your diary before you order and think about what you are missing that day.

For those of you who keep a journal or diary if it's usually by your bed take two minutes to write down everything. The catch is you actually have to remember every thing. Every single M&M.

If that isn't working for you or you spend most of your day at a computer. (Who doesn't?) There are online food diaries. Some websites like www.sparkpeople.com even have nutrition labels so you can see your label for your entire days worth of food, not just one meal. Another one I recently found is http://www.tweetwhatyoueat.com/.

Want to take it one step further? Show your diary to your workout/diet partner. Be accountable for what you put in your body.

You aren't just what you eat, you are what you ate 2 weeks ago. It pays to keep track.