Keep a diet diary for a week
Posted by kathryn in Easier eating
In August last year I (and some guest bloggers) wrote a series of posts called 31 Days to a Better Diet. The month was focussed on daily tasks. Each designed to help you get your health back on track, through making a simple, small-scale change to what you ate.
While I’m not going to repeat the intensity of daily posts, I thought it might be relevant and useful to re-visit some of that information. This time though giving you more time and space to make the changes, rather than rushing everything through in 31 days.
Why a diet diary?
Before changing your diet, it’s really important to know what you’re eating now.
So this week’s task is to keep a diet diary.
As a nutritionist I use diet diaries all the time in practice. They’re a fundamental tool, enabling me to find out exactly what clients are eating and when.
However, it’s not just me that learns and benefits from the diary. Clients also gain insight, a better understanding of what they eat.
Seems like an obvious thing, to know what you’re eating. We all consume food each day and we all probably have an idea of what we eat. But if you look back over yesterday or the day before, can you actually remember everything you ate?
In a busy life, it’s easy to lose track. A handful of nuts at the pub; a biscuit while contemplating the email you’ve just received; a packet of lollies while running for the train; dinner in front of the TV. So often we eat without thinking about it. Almost absentmindedly.
The simple act of writing down every single bit of food that goes in your mouth creates an awareness. It highlights your patterns, the gaps between meals, your danger times of the day.
Keep a diet diary for a week
So for the next week I want you to keep a diet diary.
Write down everything you eat, along with the time of the meal or snack.
Include soft drinks, coffee and alcohol, but don’t worry about water.
There are two fundamental rules to keeping a diet diary:
- Be truthful with yourself – write down every single piece of food that goes into your mouth. Don’t judge, just found out what you’re eating
- Try not to change your diet just because you’re doing a diary
At the end of the week ask yourself five questions:
- What are your patterns?
- Were you surprised by the diary?
- Do you eat what you think you eat?
- When are you most likely to over-eat
- When are you most hungry?
Are you going to keep a diet diary? Do you think you’ll be surprised by what you eat?
Notebook photograph by Goodonpaper.
Woman & lettuce photograph by Vika Valter.
13 August, 2009
Comments
I can answer the hunger question even without a diary. 3.30 is my low point, and even with a snack then I struggle to make it until dinner time.
I think keeping a diet diary is worthwhile for everyone to do occasionally (it’s definitely something I go back to every once in while).
As you hint at in your questions, even if you think your diet is pretty good, it’s often a surprise to learn that you don’t eat quite what you think you eat
I know last time I kept a diary I realised I snacked all day at work – comfort eating because I didn’t want to be there.
I stopped doing that in April and have lot about 3 kilos.
Arwen – if 3.30pm is your low point and then you struggle to get through until dinner, then I’d either check what you’re eating at lunch. Make sure you’re having low GI carbohydrates, some vegetables or salad and also some protein (meat, chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, lentils/beans, nuts). If lunch is good then you may just need to oomph up your afternoon snack.
Sophie – it’s definitely a good thing to do every now and then, just to check in what you’re eating. And you are absolutely right, many people who think their diet is good are surprised by what they actually eat.
Well done Violet. Comfort eating is hard to stop, but awareness is key – knowing that you are comfort eating and why. And changing one habit can make an enormous difference, as you’ve found.
Usually I write down every single thing I eat. It’s one of my good habits. Lately though I’ve been slack. Maybe that’s why I feel drained.
My problem is a new job gets me up too early and not getting my 8 hours sleep. So hard for me to get to sleep earlier. Any suggestions?
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