Like a Bump on a Log

I hate logging what I eat.  I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one.  It makes me feel like some super-critical person is looking over my shoulder, questioning everything I do and telling me I’m not doing it right.  I am working on a plan to exorcise that imaginary non-friend.

The thing is, food logs help me (and pretty much everyone) stay on track.  The research pretty much says that anyone who wants to lose weight should do it.  Some of that result is doubtless because people don’t actually want to write down that they ate a pint of Haagen Dazs and four cookies for dinner so they have a salad instead.  Some of it comes from increased mindfulness:  How much bread did I eat?  Was that about four ounces of chicken?  Six?

Technology can make it easier.  There are plenty of apps with handy databases of foods built in.  Most of them also allow us to create foods that we eat all the time, like the usual smoothie or Mom’s favorite casserole.

We can change what we track.  That means that if, for instance, we want to eat more vegetables, we can add a tally to our log for vegetable servings.  Or, if we are concerned about the food/mood relationship, we can write down how we feel at each meal or snack.

The point is, we can do this simply or with tons and tons of detail.  Experimentation is pretty much the best way to figure out the best plan for each of us.  Let’s try.  We can learn a lot!