Write for your waist's sake

Write for your waist's sake? What does that mean? It means starting your own food journal. Yup. Facing the truth but on paper! If you can't remember by memory what you ate for three days in a row, then get your pencil out and start pushing.

Food journaling is such an effective tool when trying to manage your health and weight goals. You can see what you have been consuming, how much, and how often. It's a reality check. I, personally, hated it the first week, but after that week I found it to be a challenge and a game...kind of like our 'Bingo Bites' game for kids. I journal my workouts too: for example, I will write down: walk 50 minutes.

Write down everything you put in your mouth, even liquids. Remember this is not calorie counting. The purpose of the food journal is for you to be aware of what you are doing to your precious body. It's important that you either do it on a calendar where you can see the whole week or use an actual journal that has the date in it. I'm a visual person, I like to see the big picture.

Here is an example for one day:
Monday
breakfast-1 whole grain toast with Peanut Butter and drizzled honey, 2 cups coffee, 1 glass water
snack - 1 glass water, 1 apple
lunch - mixed greens salad with tuna fish, dried cranberries, cucumber, cranberry salad dressing, 1 granola bar, 10 MM's, 1 glass water
snack - 6 cheese and crackers, 1 glass 100% juice, 1 glass water
dinner - 1 grilled chicken breast, 1 baked yam with butter, grilled asparagus, 1 whole grain toast with olive oil and salt, 1 glass water
snack - 1 helping of apple crisp with lite ice-cream, 2 glass water
Ran 30 min. Yoga 15 min.

Just try it for three days. No less than 3 days.

In the Snacking Made Smart page at the bottom there is a 'chart' that can help you get started. This is great for kids to do too. Especially in this day and age. Try the 'Bingo Bites' game!