What did you log mean to you?

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MissTizz
MissTizz Posts: 39
in Food and Nutrition
I can't even tell you how many times I've been told to keep a food log - and now I know why!!!



How terrifying!

First observation.... those '100' cal snacks are just no good! For me, at least. They are a tease.

Also, I've got to quit Dunkin' Donuts... for the calories, the sugar - but also, for the caffeine. I'm trying to take control of my body and the things I put in it - and I don't think caffeine needs to be one of those things... I know that caffeine has some benefits, and I really dont think that there is anything wrong with it in moderation - but, if I was good at moderation, I wouldn't be where I am today!! So, no more caffeine! No more suggary latte! My wallet will be happy, too!

I made a delish smothie. That is what i'm going to start doing in the A.M. I'll make it a new ritual and I will have some fun experimenting. Please share recipies!!

Keeping a food log is hard - but I think it might be the start of something very very good for me! It's visual and black and white - and MFP couldn't make it any easier!!!

What were some of your big realizations when you started logging?

And if you don't, really really consider it!

Replies

  • bhb301
    bhb301 Posts: 338 Member
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    The amt of sugar and sodium I was taking in on a daily basis...
  • vkpmusic
    vkpmusic Posts: 343 Member
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    Likewise! I now PLAN my trips to DD! (with something like Zumba in the same day! ) LOL!

    Also you mentioned smoothies.... try this www.greenmonstermovement.com

    It's all different fruit and spinach shakes. I know, sounds disgusting but you only taste the fruit and I've found it's a great way to get a lot of nutrients in.

    I too, notice a difference when I log. I may eat the junk, but I'm a lot more aware of portion sizes.
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
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    My favorite morning smoothie:

    1 cup plain unsweetened soy milk (I like West soy, it's just soy)

    1/2 Blueberries

    smallish banana

    1/2 other frozen fruit like straberries or mangos, peaches

    Blend it up!

    Low Fat, good soy protein, low in processed sugars...and fiber LOVE IT!!
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    SODIUM! Ugh. I never realized how much I was having, and I am person who avoids salt - I never put it on anything. I still struggle to keep it under 2,000 mg per day. I have learned that most of my sodium comes from cheese and bread/cracker type foods. Also just yesterday I also decided no more deli meats......real turkey is better and has sooooo much less sodium.
  • PeachyKeene
    PeachyKeene Posts: 1,645 Member
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    I saw exactly how many calories I was eating in an average day. I never would have dreamed it was so many.
  • audjrey
    audjrey Posts: 360 Member
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    I realized I wasn't getting enough calories (a mere 850 on average) to fuel my body and was actually sabotaging all my efforts of trying to gain muscle. With MFP I now am much closer to my net calories each day. Some days are better than others of course and some days I'm still quite low, but at least I now know what I need to do in order to achieve my goals!

    Too, I need to add that when I used to count calories I only ever counted overall calories because having to look up manually in a book the fat, protein, sugar and sodium was too tedious. Furthermore, I'm absolutely in love with the fact that I can now keep track of the calories, fat, protein, etc in my own recipes - an absolute bonus!!! Finally, I didn't know some of my recipes were so high in sugar and fat! This helped me to modify my recipes and make them more healthy overall.
  • AngiMoss
    AngiMoss Posts: 77
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    I remember the first time I logged an apple....I was shocked! There are 80 calories in a apple?! All these years, I had assumed it was, I don't know, kind of a freebie? Like I could eat a bunch of apples & a whole bag of carrots because they were "healthy". Sure, apples & carrots are a better snack than cupcakes & candies, but you still need to watch your portions.
    It takes me 8 minutes on a elliptical just to burn of an apple! That was a wake up call for sure.
  • dababers
    dababers Posts: 135
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    I realized how mindlessly I eat sometimes. Knowing I have to log it makes me think twice about putting it in my mouth! Thanks MFP!
  • deeharley
    deeharley Posts: 1,208 Member
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    I just started food logs with a purpose within the last month. I was always told to keep track of what I eat, but never really understood why. I love looking on here and knowing what I ate, how much, and whether or not it was healthy. Food journals finally make sense.
  • kellykaye_xo
    kellykaye_xo Posts: 66 Member
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    Logging my food has really made me realize how much "grazing" I do. I do a lot of tasting when I cook, eating off of my kids plates when they are done, a little piece of chocolate here and there....etc. Obviously this all adds up! I've been trying not to do these things now since I cringe when I have to write it all down!
  • treekins
    treekins Posts: 73 Member
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    I'm a HUGE snacker...I used to eat for so many reasons: boredom, any type of emotion (lol!), or simply because it was there! I'd see the box of cinnamon toast crunch, pick it up and munch while I contemplated what to cook for dinner, and didn't think anything of it. Logging forces me to be cognizant of everything I eat, and it's been surprising to realize how often I would just pick food up without thinking of it.

    Logging has also been a big eye-opener for me, nutrition-wise. Now that I have a calorie goal, I'm able to "budget" my calories wisely, and not waste them. For example, given my tendancy to want to eat often, I now have the presence of mind and knowledge to make wiser choices so I can continue to snack, but not jeopardize my health doing it! Where I'd grab the sugary treats before, I keep a huge bowl of fruits and grab an apple or a banana instead. I've also been encouraged, through logging, to realize the benefits of choosing whole grain breads and pastas, and of clean eating. Less preservatives, less processing = better nutrition. It's just a no-brainer when it's there in black and white.

    :)
  • pouringraina
    pouringraina Posts: 106 Member
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    Logging made me realize why I gained 65 pounds in the first place. PORTION SIZE. I would eat as much as I wanted of whatever I wanted without a second thought. Now I think through my day and plan ahead. It's wonderful!
  • Ashtarot
    Ashtarot Posts: 52 Member
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    I realized that I was doing myself harm with the way I was eating. I was maybe getting a little over 1300 cals a day but over half was from sodas. I will take some time to fix me but I did cut out the sodas and am eating real food now . Logging helps me make sure that I eat. Even after 60 days I still have to make myself eat in the mornings and have a lunch.
  • Jentrin03
    Jentrin03 Posts: 49 Member
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    I realized how many calories I was eating on the weekends and my treats to myself for no reason. I would treat myself just because I felt like it and was justifying it and didn't realize what I was doing to myself. Now I can honestly blame no one but myself for the weight that I gained. However NOW I can blame myself for the weight I am losing because I'm more aware of what I'm putting in my body.
  • spackham
    spackham Posts: 252 Member
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    My first realization was I was eating WAY too few calories. I had NO IDEA how many calories were in anything and I was never really thin before I packed on these pounds so I thought I was okay. Gross cals were 450-800 with a 1000 once in a while. So I went to a dietitian. In my blood test I was way low on good fats so I am eating more healthy fats and not skipping meals. I learned how much sodium is in some things - shocked really. I use to eat out 3-4 times a week and I have cut that down mostly because of sodium. I also learned that those unhealthy snacks do not fill or satisfy compared to the same amount of cals for healthy real food. Now I look at junk and say, "I am too hungry to eat that. I want real food." Or I am happy with having only 3 M&Ms because they are not worth eating more than that... just a taste to remind me it is not worth it but not forbidden either. Logging those snacks makes them less appealing when you know the cal count. Overall, I am learning what things are worth the cals and what things are not.
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
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    It’s a little hard to say because I started logging and committing to healthy eating at the same time, so I didn’t really get to see the true patterns of my old ways. But when I entered my first two weeks into MFP (I was logging on paper until I found the site), I was shocked to find out how little calories I actually consumed each day. I had already cut out soda and significantly reduced my eating out, but I was only eating 800-900 calories a day in the beginning, even though it felt like the same amount of food I was eating in the past.

    It showed me how much of my weight gain was simply the result of a sedentary lifestyle, and poor nutrition. I am very certain that most of what I ate in the past could be summed up as carbohydrates and fat. I didn’t mind fruits and vegetables before, but I made little effort to eat them. Now, I eat probably twice the volume of food that I used to eat in a single day, but it is much more nutritious and far lower in refined sugar and sodium.
  • Sadie98072
    Sadie98072 Posts: 212 Member
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    Before I started recording what I ate, I believed that if something had 0g fat that it was ok to eat - there was no fat afterall...... I nearly had a heart attack the first time I entered the bag of lollies that I had just eaten. It had no fat but a gazillion cals!
    Education is the key isnt it?

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