There's Weight Loss Magic In The Food Diary/Journal

There's some magic in keeping a food diary - one study found it can double a person's weight loss! The researchers discovered that the more food records people kept, the more weight they lost. Published in the August 2008 issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the study adds more evidence to the notion that the simple act of writing down what you eat encourages people to consume fewer calories. This is an added bonus to people with diabetes who are also trying to trim off a few extra pounds.

I've included journal type forms in a few of my books (Tell Me What To Eat If I Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Tell Me What To Eat If I Have Acid Reflux, Tell Me What To Eat If I Have Diabetes, etc.) for the purpose of taking note what type of foods, food amounts, and times of day might be contributing to the condition in question.

I admit the idea of writing down what you eat, how much, and other items (like your level of hunger) might feel like a punishment and might put you in a "dieting & deprivation" frame of mind. But if you approach it more positively, like a tool to help raise your awareness about some of your food behaviors and a way to increase your weight loss success, it's definitely worth giving it a try!

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• 8 Tips for Making a Food Diary Work for You
• WebMD Tools: The Portion Size Plate
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