Writing down what you eat.... is it really that important?

I know that so many people have heard that part of weight loss success is writing down what you eat and keeping a food journal. 

Why?

For so long I did not understand the idea or process of writing down what I ate, I truly thought I can remember what I ate today and yesterday... but the more I began learning about food journaling the more I found so many benefits to this practice. 

I have just began food journaling and am really finding out that it does work and is such a helpful tool to use. I realized that there is no way you can remember everything you ate throughout the day, especially if you are a snacker like me. 

So I wanted to share with you today all the amazing information I have discovered. 

One of the first articles I found when researching food journaling was on WEB MD. According to WEB MD the number one piece of advice to give someone who is trying to lose weight is to keep a food journal. 

That is HUGE because so many times when I think about losing weight I automatically assume the best piece of advice is to eat less and work out more. 

The same article also states that in a study of overweight women, the women that kept of food journal lost an average of 6 pounds more than the other women who were on the same diet program. Another example of the incredible weight loss achieved by those keeping food journals was a study done in 2008 that discovered that people who kept food journals 6 days of the week lost twice as much weight as those who only kept of food journal sporadically. 

Just that information right there has convinced me to keep a food journal. 

I truly think those findings are incredible and really prove that watching what you eat, while writing it down is a weight loss secret that so many people do not use. 

I also wanted to give you some information on food journaling. 

I found this wonderful article on EATING WELL that talks about the basics of keeping a food diary. Some of the key points that they mentioned were: 

Keep your food journal handy. - Take it everywhere you go.

Be as specific as possible - For example don't just write down you had a handful of crackers, write that you had 10 crackers. 

Write it right after you bite it - Do not wait to write it down an hour later because you might forget.

For me the easiest way for me to keep a food journal is on my iphone. It is always with me and it is simple to find almost every food out there.

There are so many amazing apps that are great for tracking what you eat and also helping you count your calories and nutrients. 

I personally use MyNETDIARY but there are many others out there too. You can find some of the best right here.

QUESTIONS:

Do you keep a food journal?

Do you really think food journaling works?

What is your best weight loss secret?