I track mine as i eat. all day. But maybe before i eat is better

Like everyone else I try to plan my meals for the day the best I can and I put that in the Daily Plate in the morning. If something changes or I don't know what i'm having for dinner for instance I will visit it again that night or again the next morning. I keep track in my head I guess. If i wait longer than 12 hours I will forget though.
When I used to do this in excel (way back in the day) I kept a little pad of paper in my purse so I could jot things down after I ate.

I don't think I'd do anything differently this time around to start. I like the idea of going slow and steady in hopes of this being a life long journey and I won't regain everything I lost like i've done so many times in the past. In the past I would have changed not getting tired of tracking my food and giving up on losing more so going back to my old habits.

Good luck!

Yes.... it's better. It's much, much, much, much, much, much, much better. And wiser. And safer. And healthier. And simpler. And it will ensure your success that much more. BEFORE.

That sounds like a good rule.

This is a GREAT tip! I do this whenever I can. Like hhichick said, I have an idea of what my day will consist of, eating wise, but I'm not married to the idea of anything in particular. When I start feeling like I HAVE to eat something, I feel LESS in control and am more likely to eat something I shouldn't.

You can tweak what you're eating a little bit when you see it "on paper". Sometimes I'll log what I think I will eat, see how many calories it is and then I can decide to cut something back BEFORE i put it in my mouth (because once you throw it down you're gullet, you can't get it back -- at least not in a healthy way).

I keep a spreadsheet open at work where I can add up what I eat. So if I feel like going out for a latte or sandwich or whatever, I look up the calories first, and then see if that will fit into what I've already eaten. I try to stay to 1500 a day, and keep at least 500 for dinner.

If I do eat a bit more during the day, I balance it out with a lighter dinner. It's a ton of balancing for me, and knowing how many calories are in what I eat, and how many I have to "spend" on meals.

Thanks for everybody's support and guidance. From what I'm hearing it's good track what you eat BEFORE you eat it, so that's totally what I'm going to do tonight on Sparkpeople because I already have an account with them. I'll keep you guys posted to how it went. So excited!

Yes, yes BEFORE. Just one other way to keep you firmly on track. And that's where you want to stay. You will find out fairly quickly that "the track" is a great place to be. The control, the sense of accomplishment, the knowing that you are doing right by your body feels incredible and then there's the unbelievable rewards that follow.

I'm so excited for you. You are going to do this!!! You are going to make this happen!!!! Hang on my dear, you're in for the ride of your life, better than you can possibly imagine.

I plan most days. This is a good way to start until you have a routine and cravings have reduced as a result of never giving in because they're not on your plan.

I plan my day first thing on FitDay. I also keep a little notebook in my purse that I keep track of my food throughout the day with, incase it changes from what I had planned and so I can keep track of what I had planned and so on. I also track my exercise, inches, and goals in my note book.

The beginning of the week, I write little exercise goals and food goals for myself and see if I accomplish them. I also keep track, in my notebook, of any irregularity when going to the bathroom or TOM or what have you so when I refer back I can know there were some factors that could affect the scale.

This may seem like too much, but organization has worked for me in the past so I'm trying it again.

I carry a little notebook with me and write down everything I consume along with my exercise for the day and thoughts. I can't keep online blogs or diaries up to date, so my notebook that fits in any purse works best for me. If I want something that isn't in my pre planned day, I look it up online at Calorie King or the brands website to see how many calories it is.

Well
i bought the book just haven't started writing in it yet. Reason. I just keep eating junk. Cookies popcorn etc.... I get so frustrated that I just give up and don't write it down.

I'm taking baby steps. I joined the gym 3 weeks ago and I've gone 3-4 times a week so thats a start. Next step .....start writing.

Thanks! Today was a success for the most part. I really liked how I could just eat what I put down last night and not have to think about it. I did go off a little bit, so I'm going to try and track breakfast, lunch, and a snack then track my dinner and if I can afford another snack later on that night when I'm tracking for the following day. I really hope this works, I'm getting really excited about it! Also, thank you for the kind words, this type of stuff gets me all warm inside and makes me want to work harder Thanks for the advice.

Hmm! I think I might start something like this but online. Like incorporate it into my blog more. Thanks for the idea!

Yes, writing it out before hand takes away the guess work later on. The thoughts of food stops spinning through your head. It's time to eat? Okay. what's it gonna be? Let me check. MUCH safer and easier.

But you can actually map out not just your meals, but snacks as well. Divide up your day. Breakfast is this many calories, lunch is this many and dinner is that many. And make certain to leave some calories for snacks. 2 or 3 of them in fact, even 4. Snacks are important. They keep you going. Just make certain they are good healthy, lower calorie ones. Ones that won't send you into a feeding frenzy and derail your efforts - 80 calorie fat free yogurt, cut up veggies with salsa, 100 calorie bag of popcorn., sugar free ices, laughing cow cheese wedge, sliced apple sprinkled with cinnamon, 25 frozen grapes, etc.

It's going to get much easier. You will see. You'll find foods that you will enjoy and be able to just turn to them. Right now you're still discovering them. Be creative. Think outside the box. Rethink what a treat is.

Keep us posted girlie. I'm looking forward to hearing more progress. One day at a time. One day better than the next. Get these good habits entrenched in you.

Embrace this healthy lifestyle. Become passionate about it. Fall in love with it. Transform your life.

In order for the writing to be affective, and man oh man is it a great tool, you will have to write everything and not stop. The good, the bad, the ugly. Everything, everything, everything. Stop letting yourself off the hook so easily. Push yourself. Take a no matter what attitude and see it through. Hold yourself accountable. Take responsibility.

According to many sources and I'm in full agreement, weight loss is 80 percent FOOD and *only* 20 percent exercise, so I urge you if you're going to take any steps that those steps should most definitely be in the food department. You can't out exercise overfeeding yourself. Exercise can't possibly burn enough calories to get the weight off of you.

You will have to get that food in check. It's the food. It's the food. It's the food.

At some point you will have to take some bigger steps, so that you get bigger results, or actually any results. It's very hard to do work and not see results. Kinda makes it feel as if it's not worth it. So kick it up a notch - and get some results going so that you will actually see your hard work paying off, which makes it easier to stick with. Make this hard thing easier. Do work that will produce results.

At some point you're going to have realize that the junk is just that - junk. And that you don't require it. You want better for yourself. It is doing you much more harm than good and it's just not worth it. The price is too high to remain eating it.

Mapping out your food schedule in advance is crucial to helping you avoiding that said junk. Have good foods on hand - get rid of the junk. Set some boundaries for yourself. Make the junk 100 percent off limits. Suck it up. Get past the wants. You don't have to have something just because you want it, not when you want something soooo much more - to be rid of the bad habits, to be rid of the weight and to have a better, more active, more fit, more productive, more joyous and less worry free life.