Using a Food Journal

[Thom Downing]

John, Scott and others. Do you use food journals with your clients? If so, my question is what do you feel are the most important things to include in a food journal if developing one for clients to use?

[Scott Kolasinski]

John, Scott and others. Do you use food journals with your clients? If so, my question is what do you feel are the most important things to include in a food journal if developing one for clients to use?

I can't believe how long it has taken me to repy to this :o

The "Basics":
Name of each Food
Amount of food
Carb, Fat and Protein grams
Total calories of the Food

After this, time of food eaten.

From here, you can try jotting down a number of things: mood while eating (stressed), planned or unplanned eating?, social or alone eating, etc.

That's a quick list. Anybody else?

[Matt Brockhaus]

Don't forget that many people under or overestimate portion size. This will really throw off the food journal even if every possible thing ingested is written down.

[Scott Kolasinski]

Very true, but only eat what you measure initially (1-2 weeks perhaps). This will eliminate any over- or underestimations while allowing you to get in touch with your hunger signal better.

[Greg Nagaye]

I like asking if they have specific cravings (both before and after eating), if they actually feel satiated, what their energy levels are like (before and after), what their energy levels are like (before and after), and possibly looking for allergic/sensitive reactions to foods.

I also like to know how the food was prepared, how it was stored, and where it came from.

[Herm Blancaflor]

Don't forget that many people under or overestimate portion size. This will really throw off the food journal even if every possible thing ingested is written down.That's the reason why I do not require a food journal; discrepancies would be too numerous in portion. Additionally, writing down each and every meal is a huge commitment, and I can understand that most people won't commit to it the way I want them to (I'm very picky when I diet with a food journal). More often than not, being aware of what is eaten limits how much is eaten. Many get results of fat loss just by ingesting more of the right foods.

So, I usually push the QUALITY of foods rather than what QUANTITY they can have. Once clients can commit to eating the right types of food, they will be ready for the next step, which is portion control. Most are not ready for "fitday" type programs.

Like Bill Murray said in "What About Bob?"...

"BABY STEPS!"