Weight Loss Tip: Food Diary

300 calories

If you are like me you had to keep one of these in you mandatory health class in Junior High or High School. Funny thing is they really do work. The cool thing is that they have tons of free ones online now which takes a lot of the guess work out of it. I personally use myfitnesspal.com the site has a free android app which is really easy to use and even has a bar code scanner that uses your phones camera. I love the site because I can add my food into it and it automatically adds in my exercise for the day and gives me a guess as to what I might weigh in 5 weeks if I keep to my whatever that days calories look like.

When I started out doing a food diary I did it on my own in an excel spreadsheet that I made. For me that was pretty easy but, I have worked in offices for forever and doing spreadsheets always has become a part of my job. However, when I have talked to friends of mine they said that doing a food diary on a spreadsheet didn't help them and made them even more confused and frustrated. I hate hearing that so, that is what got me looking for food diaries online.

1200 calories

Food Diaries online all seem to ask questions at set up to find out what your goals are etc and then they evaluate what you need to do to get to that goal based on some pretty basic algebraic equations. Some will even give you your BMI now please please please P-L-E-A-S-E note that most of the time the BMI may not be right for you because everyone is different and it has been noted for YEARS that BMI is outdated etc. However, it does give you a bit of a goal to hit. You know when you look and feel good and so will your doctor well as long as they aren't using the antiquated equations of BMI and actually use fat percentages and other health indicators such as cholesterol levels. Yes, my BS when I am done will be in nutrition and at some point I will be a nurse practitioner.

One last thing before I get off tonight. Don't ever look at your days calories and go I suck cause you went over because you don't one day isn't going to kill you. All you can do is say tomorrow I will eat better. 


**Both meals pictured are meals I ate within the same week. The healthy meal was a whole wheat tortilla with red pepper hummus, lettuce, and boneless skinless chicken breast apples on the side. The second meal was a huge chili baked potato with cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, green onions, and jalapenos. They are there to just prove the point that as long as you eat right more than you don't and you exercise everything in moderation is okay.