Food Journals

Why

First, when gaining or losing weight, calories do matter. It is not an exact mathematical science, as many wish it to be, however, the base of weight change does come down to calories.

Second, when people are unhappy about a situation, they need to tweak and fine-tune elements. And given how unreliable the best memories can be on recall, having something to look at will help with accurate accountability. A food journal can help one track satiety, common eating times, and hunger cravings, and even show excess or missing nutritive elements.

Third, when trying to identify intolerances or allergies, seeing what you have eaten and why symptoms arise can help narrow in on your problematic foods.

Making a Journal

Analog (handwritten) diaries can be simple or complex, however, it is important with any choice that it is not frustrating to use. There are enough frustrations in life, we shouldn’t make things harder than they need to be.

To make your own diary think about columns like “what food,” “How much of food,” “calories” (only if you won’t obsess), and “how did I feel before and after.” When choosing a writing medium, it can be in a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel, a small pocket notebook with just the food, or an elaborate notebook. Whatever the method, if you are comfortable with it and enjoy working with it, the process will be easier for you.

There are many digital food journals so if your first is frustrating beyond the initial setup, try a different one. Here are some popular choices:

1. Cronometer
2. MyFitnessPal
3. Rise Up + Recover
4. Ate
5. See How You Eat
6. mySymptoms Food Diary

Word of caution: as noted, mathematical science is not perfect. Aspects like your own hormones, activity level, medications, age, gender, and so much more factor in. If you notice you are thinking about your calorie balance too closely, then switch to a method that does not show calories. The result is being able to see eating patterns and how your habits are progressively getting better, which results in positive effects on the body. Stress will always cause a person’s body to be more occupied with energy storage than energy use.