by Sarah Preston
Have you ever been watching TV and reached into a bowl or box - and hit the bottom? It's startling to realize that we just consumed hundreds. or even thousands. of calories - and we received no enjoyment from our eating. In fact, we don't even remember all the calories we just sent down our throat. The only way to gain any control over our eating habits is to pay attention to what we're actually consuming and a personal food journal is the best tool, because we obviously can't rely on memory.
A food journal is just a tool to get us to our destination. But where do we want to go? We want to become conscious eaters who are always aware of what and how much we're eating, without struggle or effort. We can't change our eating habits until we become aware of them. But be warned that this isn't easy so don't become discouraged. We're all busy people and it's hard to stay focused on any one effort, no matter how worthy. Just keep in mind that losing weight or improving our health is so important that the effort is worth the struggle.
No matter how tough it is to change, know that you will discover many health benefits to keeping a personal food journal and remember that the time will come when recording your food will no longer be necessary. And, almost all of those benefits definitely will assist you in carrying out your desired goals no matter what they are. Here are a few of the benefits of documenting what you eat.
1. You will discover exactly what you eat or do not eat - and how that affects your life. For example, many people either skip breakfast or scarf down a sweet roll with coffee or other nutritionally empty foods. With a food journal, you will be able to see exactly what such a breakfast does to your body and eating habits. For instance, hunger may force you to the vending machines at 10AM and you will realize that if you take the time to eat a decent breakfast you can skip this nutritionally empty and very fattening expedition.
2. Lots of time we eat when we're not hungry. There are a vast number of emotional reasons to stuff something in our mouths and these flimsy reasons range from deep depression (eating to ''feel better'') to the most joyous event that, naturally, calls for a food celebration. None of us wants to confess that we are emotional eaters, but keeping a food journal may well reveal these bad habits. Once we recognize that we're misusing food, we can learn to deal with any emotional issues in a more constructive way.
3. By becoming aware of what foods you're eating, you may be able to make painless changes that save on calories, sugar, cholesterol and other unhealthy consequences. For instance, if you love butter on your baked potato, you might switch to heart-healthy olive oil with no sense of sacrifice. Or you might use almond or soy milks as a healthy alternative to cows milk in your smoothies. If you test small changes, you are certain to be able to easily make healthy changes in your diet.
4. It is very possible to be thin - and unhealthy. Someone who is stays thin by eating very little, yet what they eat is potato chips and cokes, is certain to be missing out on important nutrients provided by food. Constipation, for example, is a sure sign of a deficiency in both fiber and water. Those who eat only "whites" - whit rice, white bread, white pasta - and certain to have a deficiency in B vitamins. Many people think that taking vitamin pills means that they can ignore nutrition and eat anything they chose but this is false. Pills won't make up for nutrient shortages.
Try keeping a food journal just one week. In just seven days you can find out a lot about your typical eating habits. With that information, you can make changes in your diet that will help you to lose weight, become healthy and reduce your risk of disease.
To shed pounds very quickly, Fat Loss For Idiots will be the finest weight loss diet regime for you.
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