Why do a food diary?

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  • SouffleBoy
    SouffleBoy Posts: 65 Member
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    I have been exercising when I can but I don't want to do the food diary. I know I have weight to lose, but I just don't think I would keep an accurate diary. Any suggestions?

    Calorie counting is probably the best method for accurate, reliable and consistent weight loss, which is why most of us on here keep a food diary.
  • runnerblues86
    runnerblues86 Posts: 22
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    I think that I will do what vim n vigor suggests and try it privately for a while to see how I am doing. I see the point of it. I should try it to see how successful I am it.

    Is anyone else doing this?
  • WFD1566
    WFD1566 Posts: 5 Member
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    The thng that amazed me the most on the food diary was the actual calorie count of the stuff I was eating. Also my sodium intake. I keep mine private but it for me to see what I am taking in and what I am lacking like fiber in my diet....
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    The BEST part of the food diary for me was making me more aware of the nutrition of what I was eating. It's easy to limit how much I eat in a day. But getting enough protein and fat and filling the rest with yummy yummy carbs makes a huge difference in how I feel, and how my weight was lost.
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
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    I think that I will do what vim n vigor suggests and try it privately for a while to see how I am doing. I see the point of it. I should try it to see how successful I am it.

    Is anyone else doing this?

    Lots of people have private diaries.

    Mine is only open to people on my friends list.

    You can also put a password on it, so you can give access to specific people while excluding everyone else.

    MFP is really flexible in terms of Diary privacy.
  • justlistening
    justlistening Posts: 249 Member
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    Every time in the past I lost/tried to lose weight I just increased my exercise and tried to cut down on my intake w/o a food diary. This time I decided to use MFP solely because the diary was there and has a decent amount of stuff in the database. With just logging my food and not increasing my exercise I have lost 4 lbs in the last 3-4 weeks. Like others said it made me accountable for what I ate. No more (well greatly reduced) a quick snack here and there and forgetting the calories. No more eating because I'm bored etc. I am making better choices also because I know how many calories are in an apple vs. a bag of chips.
  • scarlettesong
    scarlettesong Posts: 108 Member
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    If you can't commit to do it right, don't do it. You'd be lying to yourself and will fail.

    Keeping a diary helped me become more aware of what I was eating and allowed me to keep my portions under control and make the right choices and trades. If I want ice cream for dessert, I can look at my calories and see if I need to cut back elsewhere to allow it.

    What she said.

    I thought I was eating healthy, but seeing it there in black and white made me realize trends in my eating habits. How often was I eating out? I'm eating too much sugar. I'm not getting enough protein. This help me slowly change my diet for the better. Healthier foods, less blood sugar crashes, fuller tummy with less food. It was amazing and a real eye opener.
  • Corruptkitten
    Corruptkitten Posts: 157 Member
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    When I don't use it I am waaaay less successful. You don't realize how much crap you eat until you log it...at least I don't haha!
  • MamaWannaRun
    MamaWannaRun Posts: 273 Member
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    My food diary was a real eye opener.. many foods I thought were ok, just plain were NOT!
    For example, BBQ ribs...not too much meat, not too fatty.. = awful calories...

    I need it for the discipline because without it, I'd be treasure hunting without a map..

    So, no, you don't need to keep a food diary.. but for me, it was helpful..

    I started off with mine private for about 6 months. I share it now only with my friend!
  • MommaSparrow1928
    MommaSparrow1928 Posts: 47 Member
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    The diaries are the best tools you have to help track your weight loss..... If you log what you put into your body along with what you're burning FROM your body, you can find a great balance and you'll just start to see those pounds just falling away. I've only been on here for about 5 days and I've already seen some changes. And it's a habit to log into the site as soon as I can after a meal to log what I eat. I have days where I don't log everything I ate till the last thing that day before bed. But if you hold yourself credible for what your putting into your body, it makes a HUGE difference, rather than ignoring it completely.
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
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    You don't need to do it forever. But I'd definitely recommend it for at least 2-3 months. It will be extremely educational. Provided, of course, you enter everything. It you aren't going to take it seriously, don't bother.

    The mobile apps help a lot. I carry my iPad with me everywhere, so it was always easy to keep my diary up to date.

    I no longer log, because I'm at my goal weight (actually, I need to gain back a bit), and I have a very good idea where I'm at each day. But only because I logged everything religiously for 3 months, non-stop, every single calorie counted.

    --P
  • Mellie289
    Mellie289 Posts: 1,191 Member
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    I have changed my eating habits, but I don't track calories. I don't mind "cheating" every once in a while, but I am doing better. Has anyone had success without a diary?
    I lost about my first 25 pounds without MFP and doing a diary. Sure you can do it! If you've really changed your eating habits to healthy nutritious, low calorie foods and are already knowledgeable about your food choices . I gave up potatoes, bread, pasta, cheese and anything processed, and substituted in fresh fruits and vegetables to go with my lean meat. I use the diary now because I can be a little obsessive about things, but I eat just like I did more or less before joining MFP. The main thing I get out of this site is info on fitness and exercise, and the groups and challenges to keep my motivation up to workout (I don't particularly like to workout, but I am competitive).
  • msafunk
    msafunk Posts: 163 Member
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    I have changed my eating habits, but I don't track calories. I don't mind "cheating" every once in a while, but I am doing better. Has anyone had success without a diary?

    I sure haven't.

    I was tracking in February, and after a few weeks, I thought that I just had a good idea of what I could eat, so I got lazy and stopped tracking. I gained back all the weight I had lost from the diet and exercise.

    All those *little* things that you eat really do add up. For instance, someone left cookies in the breakroom at work, and I had *one* before I read the nutrition facts. It was 110 calories, and I ended up going over my calorie limit because of that one cookie. I'm not sweating it, because I've come in under my limit for a whole week, but it does put a diet into perspective.

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