My Fitness Pal

(Originally published 03/05/2011)

Tracking your food

An awesome tool for tracking what you eat every day is My Fitness Pal.

It is free and easy to use! You can track everything on the computer or use an app on your smartphone.

There is a barcode app that you can use to scan you food and it will look it up for you and add it into your log.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

*** It is proven that keeping a journal keeps you on track for calorie count.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute proclaims that "record keeping is one of the most successful behavioral techniques for weight loss and maintenance." The Harvard School of Public Health says, "It's easy to eat more than you plan to. A daily food diary makes you more aware of exactly how much you are eating."

Here are some tips for journalling:***

• Record as close to mealtime as possible. Avoid waiting until the end of the day and relying upon the ol' memory to recall exactly what you ate and drank during the day.
• Accurately record portion sizes.
• Record every morsel, no matter how big or small. Even nibbles and sips add up!
• Take your food/diet journal with you everywhere you go!

I make it a rule to journal everything prior to eating it. Otherwise it is real easy to 'pretend' you didn't eat it or you forget.

So Good Luck!!!!!!!

 

***(journal info: http://www.personal-nutrition-guide.com/food-journaling.html)