A diary that helps you focus on your goal: to lose weight in a healthy way. The food diary is a very useful tool: compiling it, day after day, allows you to have a clear idea of what you really ate, what physical activity you performed and how many times you struggle to comply with your diet.
Why writing a food diary?
To lose weight properly by following a balanced diet, a food diary is a very effective tool. It increases the awareness of what you really do as opposed t to what you “think you are doing”. The aim is to gather information on the quantity and quality of foods you ate throughout the day. At the end of the week, your diary will reveal your eating habits and, if you follow a diet, you can check how good you were at following the nutritionist’s instructions. In particular, it will help you to:
1. Understand the relationship between the choice of certain foods and your psychological state;
2. Evaluate the quantity and quality of food to understand what contributes to increasing your caloric intake;
3. Identify and correct any errors you might be making;
4. Expose new needs that were not previously considered.
DIET / FOOD DIARY TIPS AND TRICKS
How to fill in the food diary
You can do this on a block notes or, if you love technology, on Diaro (where you can update via PC, tablet or smartphone). Our advice is to report, meal by meal, the following information:
1. Consumption time;
2. Type of drink or dish;
3. Quantity (expressed in grams or liters, but measures such as teaspoon, cup or glass are also good);
4. Location of the meal, other participants;
5. Degree of hunger before or after the meal and sense of satiety;
6. Mood level before and after the meal;
7. Food eaten VS food desired.
Warning! Do not leave out any information, even if it is a coffee without sugar or a single candy, otherwise it would not be that useful a diary!
How to make the diary more effective: monitor physical activity
To make the food diary even more effective, next to the food report, create a physical activity report. Here’s what to insert:
1. Time
2. Type of activity
3. Amount of time dedicated
4. Context (ex: gym, park, etc.)
5. Other participants (ex: friends, personal trainer, etc.)
6. Comment (are you satisfied or not with the activity you performed?)
The food diary improves motivation
The diary is a tool that allows you to assess whether your diet has been balanced and varied, two fundamental characteristics of many diets that considers your current state of health and your nutritional and energy needs to draw up the ideal food plan. With the diary you will have a sort of “snapshot” of your diet and, at the same time, you will immediately see if there have been positive changes: a fundamental awareness to motivate you more and more to achieve your goal.