Food Diary? Help!

[Sell Out Kid]

Today I wrote my first entry in my Food Diary. Do you think
it is a good idea to own one of these? I heard that you can
get obsessive and carried away in what you eat. I am a little
nervous that it will lead to something abusive. Should I continue,
or do I have something to worry about?  

[Starlurk]

Food diaries are a little fun to keep imo.

I heard that a person who keeps a food diary one day of the week has a better chance of losing weight and maintaining than a person who doesn't keep one at all. So I believe that it's a good thing biggrin

This guild actually has a subforum devoted to food diaries and they're by far my favorite things to read. People have so many good tips and they do so well that it's a constant inspiration for me.

So... I think they're great! I'd suggest trying to keep it going and if you think you're getting obsessive about it then you can let it go. 3nodding  

[Soi Tsuba]

what starluck said. Plus, for me it's a way to be accountable and you'd be surprised how some foods just add up quickly.

I like being able to look at what works and what doesn't.  

[Chloe_the_Cursed]

It's a good thing to look back on and see how you've been doing. It also helps you determine whether or not you're dieting right. I like keeping them because it helps to keep me motivated and makes me feel proud of how far I've come.  

[Starlurk]

Oh I was gonna say something else and forgot. It's basically what Soi and Chloe said.

It's nifty to see your weight loss progress every week but one day your progress isn't going to be great. You're going to wonder wtf went wrong. That's when you can look at your handy dandy notebook and say "Oh shoot I over did calories this week!" or "Oh hey! Time to amp up my exercise routine!"  

[Sell Out Kid]

Oh, well okay then. Apparently I don't know what I was thinking then. I had this friend who HATED the idea of food diaries. But, I guess she just isn't me, right?  

[Starlurk]

Right 3nodding

I understand how you two feel though. At least I think I do. I have an anorexic friend so whenever I make a change that involves my diet I always wonder "Is what I'm doing as crazy as what she's doing?"

The answer is no, it's not. wink  

[Pink Rain Today]

I just finished my first food diary a few days ago and am working on another. biggrin I get cute little Hello Kitty notebooks that make me want to write in them.

A really good tip I read once and use a lot if when you're out and don't have your food log with you, to type what you eat and when down in your phone, save it as a note or a text message Draft. Assuming you have a cellular, though.

They're really helped me a lot. :] Don't beat yourself up if you go a day or two without putting it all down specifically- it takes a while to develop into always logging.

WebMD has a really good tool; you put in such factors as your age and weight, and it calculates how many calories you need to lose pounds. If you create an account, you can log in your foods and exercise, and it has a REALLY helpful visual counter.

"If your stomach feels weak my work here is DONE."

 

[Starlurk]

Whoa I didn't know WebMD did that! That's a nifty tool.  

[Sell Out Kid]

Oh cool. Thanks everyone. Currently my Food Diary is on my thumbdrive, because I take that thing everywhere. I find it's a lot easier to have instead of a paper trail.

If my parents knew I was doing this, they'd shoot me. It's like if I feel uncomfortable with myself, they push food in front of me. I don't understand it.