In order to monitor my weight I am keeping a food journal. I have actually done that for quite a long time now. I step on my scale every two days to check my weight, which I write down in the journal and in addition I keep track of what I eat.

I simply write down what I have eaten that day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks). Furthermore, it is also important to write down what you drink, as drinks can be a major source of calories, too. I don’t count calories with it – that would be too much of a hassle, and I can see if I have eaten healthily anyway if I look at my records.

Sometimes it is frustrating to keep a food journal, I know, especially when you don’t lose any weight for a couple of weeks. But if you plot a long term graph of your weight, the whole story looks completely different. A nice plot of your weight loss in the last year can be really motivating to go on with your healthy lifestyle.

What I do additionally, is that I use my food journal as a diary too – a food diary. I write down how I feel about my weight and about eating on that day. So if you have a bad day and you really feel like giving up I just look through the journal. There are entries where I felt really good, so this is motivating as I can say “hey, I just have a bad day” and entries where I felt bad, that show me “been there – done that”.

This also helps me to stick to my plans!
There are even some people who post their food journals online. I can understand that this might be another push to really stick to diets, but for me this is something rather personal that I like to keep to myself. Anyway, by telling you about my experiences with food journals I might get some of you to monitor your eating habits in that way. If you need advice, don’t hesitated to contact me.