Americans spend an estimated $35 billion each year on weight-loss products, according to ABC News. Recent research has revealed, however, that one inexpensive and effective weight-loss product can be found in the school supplies aisle at your local discount store: a journal to keep track of the foods you eat.
Expert Insight
The Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research conducted a study published in the August 2008 "American Journal of Preventive Medicine" that found those who kept a food diary were more likely to successfully lose weight. On the Kaiser Permanente website, lead researcher Dr. Jack Hollis has this to say about the study: "The more food records people kept, the more weight they lost. Those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. It seems that the simple act of writing down what you eat encourages people to consume fewer calories."
Journal Type
Keeping a food diary can mean different things to different people, according to Dr. Keith Bachman, a Kaiser Permanente internal medicine physician and weight management specialist. Dr. Bachman suggests writing foods down on a sticky note, keeping an e-mail tally of foods eaten, text messaging yourself or keeping an actual journal. Dr. Bachman said the reflection and the conscious act of writing down what you are eating is what proves effective in helping you lose weight.
What to Write
When writing in your food journal, keep a record of the foods eaten individually, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. This includes the type of food eaten, how much of the food was eaten, where you were when you ate it and if you ate the food with another person. These separate clues can help when you review the journal after several days of writing in it.
Tips
To keep a successful food journal, it's important to consider a few tips for success, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. These include writing down the foods immediately after eating them, when your memory is at its best. Do not forget to include extra sauces or additives, such as salt, that you put on your meal. You also may wish to include information about your mood or feelings. This helps to establish if you have any patterns of emotional eating.
Evaluation
After you have kept a food journal for several days or a week, it's time to go back and review what you have recorded. If your physician recommended you start writing down the foods you eat, you may wish to review the journal with your physician. Look for patterns of eating; if you eat the same high-calorie foods at the same time, you may wish to change your behavior as a means to prevent eating these foods, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Don't forget to praise yourself occasionally; pinpoint areas where you made a healthy food selection or practiced portion control.
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