Diet Journals

Posts: 386
3/13/13 9:12 A

The tracker helps you make better choices and know the results the next day.

SparkPoints: (54,233)
Fitness Minutes: (34,051)
Posts: 3,023
3/13/13 9:02 A

Tracking my food here on Spark has helped me lose 60 pounds.

current weight: 173.8

235 218.75 202.5 186.25

170

SparkPoints: (169,642)
Fitness Minutes: (81,886)
Posts: 9,629
3/13/13 8:51 A

using my food tracker is my diet jornal. It has helped my tremendously.

169,642 SparkPoints

Posts: 297
3/13/13 2:11 A

Journaling is such and excellent tool. Tracking keeps me focused and honest, too.

current weight: 131.0

145 136.25 127.5 118.75

110

SparkPoints: (31)
Fitness Minutes: (0)
Posts: 9
3/12/13 11:11 P

Well thank you to everyone that replied to my thread, I'll go back to writing in my diet journal.

current weight: 294.0

294 250.5 207 163.5

120

Posts: 4,651
3/12/13 1:17 P

I have been journalling for years. I don't use my journal to just write down what I eat ( for the past two years, i don't track calories but nutrients). I use my journal as a personal blog. how am I feeling? Where am I going on this journey? My anger, my pain, my good times and bad. Was I really hungry when i ate that snack? I add stickers and pictures. I have about 9 journals that I have started and then stopped. I write about Trials and tribulations as well as about successes.
I write whether I am actually hungry or not and did the food I ate satisfy me.

current weight: 250.0

250 220 190 160

130

SparkPoints: (12,099)
Fitness Minutes: (120)
Posts: 1,976
3/12/13 12:05 P

I agree with all the others. Even before I joined Sparkpeople I knew I had to keep track of what I was eating. In the beginning it was on whatever piece of paper I had laying around... a post-it note, scratch paper, even my desk calendar at work. I didn't even write down what it was that I ate... just the calorie amounts. I'm sure if someone looked at that calendar they would think I was nuts, with all the calculations written down everywhere LOL!

But, since losing weight is essentially about calories in vs calories out, I don't see how you could effectively lose weight without doing it, at least at first. As I've gotten down below my goal weight, I still track most days, but tend to be a little more lenient about it on weekends (often I don't do it at all), so you don't have to do it for forever, but it really is essential at first.

Edited by: YOJULEZ at: 3/12/2013 (12:05)

current weight: 138.0

188 175.5 163 150.5

138

SparkPoints: (598)
Fitness Minutes: (583)
Posts: 77
3/12/13 11:39 A

I agree with UNIDENT. It helps me because I DO NOT want to see "double cheeseburger" written in my dieting journal. There have been times it pained me to write down a cookie or fried food, but I did it anyways and when the opportunity came around to eat junk I pass it up because I know later on it wont be worth it and I am going to have to track it and see it in print.

Also you can use your journal for so many things..try doing an "inspirational quote of the day." I do everyday, and it is motivating to me. I use mine to write down healthy food items I need to buy on my next shopping trip. I record and make lists or certain chemicals, preservatives, and ingredients that i do not want to consume, I then take my notebook with to the store and read the label to see if it contains anything I wrote down. I also keep track of my exercise. You can be creative and do so many things with a journal. Everyday try writing down how you feel, how motivated you are that day, and if something inspired you, write it down and use that as a tool next time you feel discouraged.

Your journal should relfect YOU personally, and the things that inspire and help you, good luck :)

Pounds lost: 22.0

0 7 14 21

28

Posts: 11,780
3/12/13 4:36 A

Not just journals, but actually tracking the calories.

The nutrition tracker is THE BIGGEST tool in my weight loss success, I would not have nearly have done so well without this and the education its given me about nutrition.

SparkPoints: (20,749)
Fitness Minutes: (19,101)
Posts: 2,716
3/12/13 2:13 A

Writing down everything you eat helps you to see where your calories are coming from so you can make changes to your diet. It can also stop you munching for no reason, since you know you have to write it down and own up to it.

current weight: 146.0

191 179.75 168.5 157.25

146

SparkPoints: (42,198)
Fitness Minutes: (12,476)
Posts: 7,911
3/12/13 1:23 A

Absolutely. Knowledge is power, and knowing what you're eating, and how much, and when, is the single most critical tool you have in your arsenal!

Tracking your nutrition is the key to success. Most people have no idea how much they're eating, and as a result overeat by accident, even when they think they're eating healthy.

By taking out the guesswork, you're giving your body a fighting chance!

current weight: 187.4

211 197 183 169

155

Posts: 33,304
3/12/13 1:04 A

It's absolutely THE single largest success factor in weight loss in the entire world.

Nothing else has as reliable a success rate as simply recording what you eat. You don't have to track any particular way, even just jotting it down in a notebook is good enough.

Taking notes not only helps us review and find out what our personal issues are and work on them, but even just the act of having to write it down can stop you from making some choices you don't really want to own up to in print.

SparkPoints: (31)
Fitness Minutes: (0)
Posts: 9
3/12/13 12:09 A

Do diet journals really make you loose weight?

I've started and quit a few of them but I never asked if writing down your food every day helped you loose weight.

current weight: 294.0

294 250.5 207 163.5

120