The Benefits of Diet Journals
Nov 17th, 2011 - by Chad Walls, B.G.S., B.Ed.
The reason most diet programs fail is because they are not that well thought out. In order to lose weight you need to consume less calories then your burn. More specifically, to lose 2lb’s of fat each week you need to consume 1000 Calories less then your body metabolizes each day. Keeping track of the calories you eat can be a difficult. However, maintaining a diet journal is perhaps the most important factor that determines program success.
If you have never used a diet journal before I recommended that you start with only the basics. Be sure to record the food item, the serving size, the calories, grams of protein, and time of day. Once you are in the habit of journaling you can then worry about being more specific and including other things. My recommended diet journal looks something like this.
Food Item
|
Amount
|
Protein
|
Calories
|
Time:
|
| banana |
2 large |
1.0g |
220 |
9AM |
| toast |
4 slices |
2.6g |
460 |
9AM |
| chicken breast |
3 breasts |
37.5g |
330 |
1PM |
| salad with dressing |
2 tbs of dressing |
1.5g |
150 |
3PM |
|
Total |
42.6g |
1160 |
|
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