A Personal Food Journal Provides Weight Reducing & Better Health

Have you ever been watching TV and reached into a bowl or box – and hit the bottom? It's startling to realize that we just consumed hundreds. or even thousands. of calories – and we received no enjoyment from our eating. In fact, we don't even remember all the calories we just sent down our throat. The only way to gain any control over our eating habits is to pay attention to what we're actually consuming and a personal food journal is the best tool, because we obviously can't rely on memory.

It's a rule of life that habits are tough to change. If we're in a rut of ending mindlessly changing to become a mindful eater won't be easy so don't expect it to be. We're all very busy and we will resist the discipline of writing down everything we eat. And some people complain that food is always on their minds once they begin keeping a food journal.

If you commit to keeping a food journal, be prepared for a struggle. Just as becoming aware of your eating isn't easy, neither is revealing your habits to yourself by writing them down. There will be days when you fail and if you know that, you will be less likely to give up. Because make not mistake, there are multiple rewards for making this effort and persisting until you succeed.

See similar articles here about eating disorder treatments

1. Have you ever been around people who insist that they "eat like a bird" – yet you see them frequently gorging on rich, heavy meals and desserts. They may not be lying when they insist that they eat very little because they may be very unaware of what they're actually doing. You are most likely the same. If you don't understand why you're overweight or why your cholesterol is too high or why you feel sluggish and bloated, then examining you actual habits, rather than what you think about them, may be very revealing. It's worth finding out, isn't it?

2. People don't truly become fat because they're physically hungry. We have all misused food at times, eating for reasons that have no relationship to hunger. We eat when we feel emotionally negative in the hope that the food will reduce our emotional pain. And there is no way to change this dynamic until we sincerely face up to what we're doing. We can all create a list of enjoyable activities and have it handy when we feel the urge to eat and we're not truly hungry. Recognition is the starting place for new and healthy habits.

3. You may well create changes in your diet that improve your health but cause no personal suffering. By using your food journal, you can easily take a look at substitutes that are better for your health and fitness. For instance, if you eat a considerable amount of pasta, turning to whole wheat pasta and decreasing your portion size can lower your cholesterol and your weight. You could possibly modify one recipe at a time and notice how effectively your brand new behaviors are working out for you.

4. If you become aware of exactly what you're eating, you may notice that you lack important nutrients. Some people don't really like fruits or vegetables – but a steady diet of nothing but meat, french fries and desserts isn't healthy for anyone. If you realize that you're damaging your body you might be inspired to make genuine changes. At the very least, you won't be clueless if you have some physical ailments.

Try keeping a food journal just one week. In just seven days you can find out a lot about your typical eating habits. With that information, you can make changes in your diet that will help you to lose weight, become healthy and reduce your risk of disease.

If you are concerned about if high protein, low carb diets are a great idea, read diet reviews and educate yourself before starting.