This is a topic that NO ONE likes to talk about. It’s a pain to do, and who really wants to keep a nit-picky little record of every little thing they eat?
I know all the excuses why NOT to keep a food diary; I’ve used them a million times myself! At the bottom of it, though, is the fact that we just DO NOT WANT to be held accountable for all the foods that we are eating!
Before I started on this journey several months ago, I had not really successfully kept a food journal for any length of time. How do you mark down how many calories are in the handful of crackers you eat out of the box? The cereal that you just mound into your biggest bowl? The mountain of pasta with a river of olive oil on it? And when you are preparing a food, how much of a hassle is it to actually MEASURE everything as you are cooking, and when you are finished, count up all the calories, measure the outcome, and figure out what kind of calories are in a serving? I mean, SERIOUSLY, who has time for THAT?????
Like I said, I understand completely your reluctance to keep a food diary! But I will tell you this – it Really Does Work! By committing to this process, you are making a commitment to yourself that you are ONLY going to eat a certain amount of food every day. By sticking to this amount, you can be assured that you WILL lose weight. It is a matter of certainty – if you are taking in less calories than you are using, you will lose.
I have posted this Food Diary Demo to the simple Excel document that I use to keep my food journal. I keep my weight progress chart on the Page 2 of the Excel document. By keeping it on Excel, I can cut and paste the foods and meals I have used before, and it cuts down on my time tremendously. If you would prefer an online resource, you can go to www.calorie.count.about.com, or www.fitday.com, which both have online food journal options.
Seriously! Do it!
Food Diary Spreadsheet