Write It Down, Bitches

So?  What did you eat today?  I bet you can't tell me everything you put into your mouth today.  If you don't know, how do you expect to lose it, bitch?  If I've learned anything over the years about weight management, it is to write down EVERYTHING I consume.  Food journaling is one of the most critical parts of managing your weight.

So once you've written it down, what should you do with it?  Good question....  Once upon a time, back when I had a real job and stuff, I paid a personal trainer to evaluate my food journals and tell me what to do next.  These days, not so much.  But don't fret darlings, you don't need the bank roll of a Hilton to make your food journal work for you.  There are countless resources online (I'll post some links at the bottom.) that will digest all the information you enter and tell you what it means.  There is also the "old fashioned way" of reading labels and figuring it out yourself, but really, who are we kidding?  No one wants to do that!

So your goal is to write down EVERYTHING you put into your pretty little mouth, determine your caloric intake for the day (or points if you're doing the Weight Watchers point counting thing), and make sure you are expending more calories than you are consuming.  Some even encourage writing down your mood when you eat to determine if you are eating things for the right reasons. (You mean I shouldn't have eaten that whole box of Twinkies while I was angry at The Boy for being lippy?  Hmmmmm.)

So?  What does a food journal look like, you ask?  Well, it's really as simple as having a notebook with blank pages, writing down what you ate and at what time, the serving size, and IF you're calculating "the old fashioned way", the calories, fat, and protein consumed.  But if you are as anal as I am, you may want to use a form of some type.  Never fear, there are a TON of web sites that offer them for free. Here is a list of free, printable versions offered online:

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  WebMD
  
  
  
  
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  All Diet Source
  
  
  
  
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  Personal Nutrition Guide
  
  
  
  
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  The Project Girl
  
  
  
  
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  About.com
  
  
  
  

These are a few options, or you can google "printable food journal", or you can make your own...  Whatever works best for you.

My favorite site for tracking what I eat is Livestrong.com.  Not only does this site have a crazy big library of brand name and generic foods, but you can add your favorites if they are not there!  It also has a quick little questionaire you answer and it tells you how many calories you can eat to meet your goals...  AND if you enter your info as the day progresses, it will tell you how many you have left for the day.

Some others are My Fitness Pal, Fitday, Slim Tracker, and extraPounds.com.

Find one that suits you and start this new habit!  It will only help you in the long run!

Today's tips were provided by That One Mom of Chronicles of an Only Parent.