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Keeping a food journal has a hidden health benefit

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I thought this interesting so I'm sharing it. Have any of you tried keeping a journal while trying to loose weight? If so how did it work out for you?



From: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP03775/Writing-Off-Weight.html

Keeping a journal has a hidden health benefit: A recent study indicates that keeping track of your eating habits in a diary or journal can help to double your weight loss. The study, published in the August 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine followed almost 1,700 overweight or obese men and women with an average weight of 212 pounds.

After 20 weeks of study participation (which included weekly group meetings, recommended daily reduction of 500 calories, 30 or more minutes of daily moderate intensity exercise, adherence to the DASH diet, and daily journal entries of food intake and exercise minutes) the total average loss was about 13 pounds. But the more that the participants wrote in their journals, the more weight they lost - on average, about twice as much as those who did not maintain records.
By keeping a simple food diary, you can more objectively determine how much you are eating and become accountable for your food intake. Try to enter the portions eaten after each meal, and use whatever method works best for you - pen and paper, a smartphone application (such as the iPhone's "Notes"), or a spreadsheet on a personal computer - to help keep the process consistent.

For more tips by Dr. Weil you can use the link above to sign up for his daily email with a health tip of the day and more.
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Well that article pissed me off by the second line. 212 is not obese for someone 6' 1" tall like me. how dare they call me obese!:hammer::hammer::hammer::hammer: I never really thought about writing down what I eat or how much of it. Might work but I have a hard enough time checking my weight every morning and taking my meds on schedule.
 

pirate_girl

legendary ⚓
GOLD Site Supporter
Well that article pissed me off by the second line. 212 is not obese for someone 6' 1" tall like me. how dare they call me obese!:hammer::hammer::hammer::hammer: I never really thought about writing down what I eat or how much of it. Might work but I have a hard enough time checking my weight every morning and taking my meds on schedule.

The study may be going on the average height of men and women.
 

pirate_girl

legendary ⚓
GOLD Site Supporter
What! Now you want to call me tall and obese? You are still on probation for 7 more hours! LOL:w00t2::whistling:
Heh.. sez you.


Back on topic, I do think there is an advantage to keeping a food journal.
If you're actively taking into account everything you consume within one day (one day at a time)- it's a focus on the positive, which would bring about positive results.
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Well I just ate soup for lunch and then had 4 spearmint leaves for desert. Does this count as writing it down?:whistling:
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Dang women always got to be technical! I thought parsley was a garnish?
 

pirate_girl

legendary ⚓
GOLD Site Supporter
Dang women always got to be technical! I thought parsley was a garnish?
If it's green and looks good on a plate it's a garnish.
Next time you make deer loins, I wanna see them on a plate.. with a handful of freshly pulled grass from your yard :wow::rolf2:
You could even wrap it (the grass) in string, that would be attractive!
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
It is because they eat the grass and the flowers that one of them ends up on the plate!
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
MM it said:

The study, published in the August 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine followed almost 1,700 overweight or obese men and women with an average weight of 212 pounds.

And you know how averages work. Out of that 1700 I'd bet there was a 6'1" guy who was 270 and a few 5'4" gals who were 180 .... and all together they averaged 212. That does not imply that anyone 6'1" who weighs 212 is obese. :pat: :yum: But I think you already knew that.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
My wife has been keeping a daily record since her problem a few months back & it seems to help her stay on top of it better this way . She wasn,t necesarilly trying to loose weight , just watching her diet closer & eating better as of last night she has lost 43 lbs since she started & feels much better :clap:

She also started keeping track of mine :hammer: . I,ve lowered by beer intake to 5 beers a night & what little I do eat is healthy & I,ve lost 30 lbs in the last month or so , I,m back to wearing size 32 jeans , But I aint been able to wear 32,s since I was a teenager & now i have to buy new jeans :hammer::biggrin:
 

pixie

Well-known member
SUPER Site Supporter
Yes, I have kept a food journal and it really helped me lose weight. I did it for about 9 months.

There are several available online. The one I was using changed it's format and focus and became irritating to me and less user friendly. I never found another that was easy to use.
 
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