Did a food journal help you?

Yes…yes yes…do the food journal! I think it will give you immense insights into how you deal with food….

I would say though that if you have only suddenly begun to get food cravings then there could be something physical going on…(I am not a doctor in any shape or form….but have read and researched a lot about dieting..).. I always think there are three facets to dieting…what’s going on mentally, physically and emotionally. Keeping a food journal will certainly help you to understand this process i think. If you can understand and control when you need to what’s going on emotionally, physically and mentally its a recipe for success in the dieting stakes….

I would read “You Can Be Thin” by Marisa Peer and “Get Off your Arse and Lose Weight” by Steve Miller…. the latter is a little harsh at times and i did find it very challenging but the former book will give you lots and lots of tips on how to motivate yourself, help you understand your emotional eating and make positive changes…step by step…

Personally, I’ve kept a journal at times when dieting and its more than useful when looking back to see where and how you went wrong…and why of course…but also what you were doing when things went well and you were losing weight….it can be incredibly encouraging and motivating… This is of course if you have time to write down how you are feeling about everything you are putting in your mouth and when you are eating etc!!! But some journalling is better than nothing….

Alternatively i have found the most useful thing in losing weight in to find some you are passionate about – a project of some kind – and work on it relentlessly…i.e. diverting your attentions completely… For example with Christmas coming up I’m making my own Christmas cards and doing personalised paintings for people as presents…this all takes up a lot of time when i would normally be thinking about food…hmmmm chocolate doughnut…yum…lol…oops!!

Food generally fills up spaces of emptiness….i would find your passion and fill yourself and other peoples lives up with love…. its bound to work…hopefully!!! xx Much luck and love in the ever difficult slog of losing weight that we have to deal with!!!

sorry if i went on…and on….i just love this subject

I recently downloaded the app called ‘LoseIt’ on my iPhone and it keeps a journal of what I eat and calculates the calories. It has been very effective for me.

I have used a food journal before, not for dieting, but to figure out why certain things were making my stomach hurt, or why weird emotional things were coming up. It also helped me realize that I was drinking a lot a holiday parties (it was this time last year I did it) and how that was affecting my emotional state. It has helped me target some trigger foods that are bad for me for whatever reason. I think this journal will help you in multiple ways, but you may need a professional to help you decipher it. For example, something you eat today may have implications two days from now and it might be hard for you to find that pattern, but a nutritionist would. My acupuncturist is also a nutritionist which is really cool because she is trained in both western and chinese medicine. It gave me a more holistic approach. You may want to consider something like that.

A food journal can serve several functions. It can serve as an emotional outlet for your thoughts and feelings and it can act as a record-keeping log to document details about the quantity and quality of food you are consuming. Whether you want your journal to read like a diary or an inventory sheet, the act of journaling is a cost-effective and useful way to reflect on your behavior.

I have kept a journal in the past b/c I am an emotional or boredom/habit eater. I found that I actually ate MORE when I kept a journal. Not sure what the crazy logic is there, but I have talked with others and heard positive experiences from those journals they have kept.
It takes at least 3 weeks for something to become a “habit” so give it some time and see how it is working out for you in a few weeks.
I have found that my cravings occur with light changes and seasons. I tend to crave heavier
& saltier (and thus worse for one’s health) foods when it’s cold and dark outside. Check out your environment for changes that may have occur recently to see if that might be affecting your eating habits. Sometimes they are caused by external factors in addition to or instead of internal drives.
Good luck!

UPDATE: I am still going to do the food journal but I think I found out why I was having random cravings: I found my best friend is pregnant. I know it sounds crazy but when I was pregnant some people around me started getting cravings too. So I’m thinking that had something to do with it.

For a little while but then I got tired of always having to find the book and write stuff down. I would forget some days and after a while I just stopped.
If your good at being consistant, than it will work for you.
It does help you realize all the crap you eat and helps you to realize its not necessary.