I keep reading that keeping a food diary helps with motivation.

I can see why this would keep me slightly entertained for a few days but don't really understand why it would be motivating over a longer period of time.

Surely there just gets to be so much stuff written in there that you don't notice the odd '10 burgers and a chocolate cake' hiding away - i.e. you can 'get away with it' - can't you???? Therefore it's not going to keep you honest? Is it????

How is your food diary set out? What info do you record, what does it look like etc. Do you look back at it much? Does it help you? Why does it work for you?

I'm just basically interested in any useful tips or experience you have.

Many nutritional experts agree that keeping a food diary is critical to weight loss success. A food diary creates a conscious awareness of food intake and eating patterns.
Thanks

It also helps to look back on and notice patterns that work for your body. I look back on my larger weight loss weeks and see what I ate, b/c it obviously worked for me. I can also look at my no weight loss weeks and see what foods I should try to avoid.

It helps you stay on track bcause you don't want to cheat

I use an 1800 calorie exchange plan. I've created a chart of "boxes" for each exchange and I check off the boxes as I use them. When the boxes are all checked, no more food for the day (I also have "over-run" boxes, so I'm supposed to check those to keep tracking the calories when I go over).

I also have an area to log what I ate, when I ate it, and any notes I want to include (was I eating out of emotion, was I unusually hungry.....).

I also keep a symptom journal for my health issues so the left side of my journal page is health-related where I document my symptoms and my medications, and the right side is food and exercise related.

I don't find my food and health journal motivational. I don't find it fun or entertaining, either. In fact, I often don't use it, but when I don't my health and weight loss suffers for it.

I try to think of it like brushing my teeth. I don't get anything out of brushing my teeth - except getting to keep my teeth. The journal helps me stay focused and attentive, and I can't argue the results. The more faithful I am to my food journal, the more weight I lose.

I just record my calories, and it helps me choose wisely. I know I only have so many calories to work with so I don't want to use too many on high cal/high fat foods. It's made me eat more nutrient-dense fruit and some veggies, which are naturally lower in calories.

Kaplods - i like your calorie exchange plan - and the 'reasons' section if you exceed it.
Others, thanks for your replies so far too - so i guess most people link their food-log to a calorie intake which makes sense.
My problem though is that i'm away from home a lot, in hotels and basically choosing as healthily as i can from menus - but not preparing the food myself so not knowing what the calories are.

since i have a pretty hectic schedule, i work graveyard and go to school after work, I have a bag full of the days meals and snacks that I carry a long with me so i don't have the urge to go into a 7-11 but, sometimes I don't have the time to make all of my meals for the week and end up at resturants.

I use a calorie counter and food/gym log on my iPod to track what i ate and drank thru the day (even the cheat foods) and if i am over my calorie count for the day, i just work out a bit longer. it has helped me. I have no cheat days, if i want a peice of chocolate, i will eat the 70% cocoa and only 1square. Its enough to kill my craving. I try to eat more veggies and fruits. And eat a protein only with my lunch. I make myself a smoothie every morning with soy protein. its a good way to get in some fruits for the day. Hope this helped. (Kind of went off subject tho...haha. I tend to do that)

I write everything down, partially for a calorie log, and partially to see why I ate more on certain days and what my habits are. Does every 'one beer' lead to chips and queso? Does that time of the month lead to eating the candy bars hidden in the back of the pantry? It helps me see my habits so I can change them, or at least prepare for them by hiding craisons instead.

I think my journal is probably what has helped me the most to lose this weight. I keep track of my calories, write down a plan & write down everything I eat -, and I also write down the behaviors I want to work on (eat only when seated, no seconds, slow mindful eating, taste the food, leave a bite, fork down between bites, feel fullness etc) Then at the end of the day or during the day I can check off or remind my self of healthier habits and my plan.

I also, like Kaplods, have the option to have a place to write down any emotions I was dealing with or feeling when eating.

I don't love having a journal and the time it takes....however, changing my relationship with food takes time and committment. I have to make time for the important things. To me this is important.

I started keeping a food log on a notebook and tracking only my fiber count..and it is helping me. Good luck!

If I don't track exactly what I'm eating, I start gaining, or at least stop losing. It's very easy for me to underestimate the amount of food I'm eating, so keeping a running calorie count keeps me on track. I don't really track the reasons I'm eating or what I'm feeling - I might note if it's a special occaision or if I'm really sick, or if I started a new medication or something, so I can have a clearer idea of why my body is doing this or that. I used to note my menstral cycles, but since I got my IUD they're so minor that they aren't usually a factor in weight gain/water retention.

I just write everything I eat/drink during the day as well as any physical activity. I don't count calories, so I just write a brief description of what I ate. I look back on it occasionally, mainly just because I think it is kind of interesting to see how my diet is evolving. I helps me because sometimes I will consider eating something, then I will think to myself..."do I really want to add this to the list of things I ate today?" and I will end up not eating it. Writing down what I eat everyday is my way of keeping track of my food intake without having to count calories.

I keep track. Here's one of my days:

March 16
coffee
2 c milk 244 cal 10 g fat
sm pear 86 cal 0 g fat
Cream Wheat b-fast 404 cal 9.5 g fat
(cereal, 1 c almond milk, 1 banana, 1 tblsp margarine)
pretzels 110
chicken breast (6 oz.) 175 cal 5 g fat
2 buns 220 cal 3 g fat
Salad 47 cal 0 g fat
(Spinach 2 c raw, 1/4 cuke ,green onion 2 tbl)
Dressing 60 cal 4 g fat
banana 121 cal 0 g fat
2 c almond milk 100 cal 5 g fat

It isn't all that *inspirational* perhaps, but it does keep me honest and on track, whihc is the same as being motivational. Also, it helps me to keep track of eating patterns if I ever need to. And towards the end of the day, I know if I need to eat more, or if I've eaten enough. It helps me to make better choices sometimes too...I can look at that day from back in March and see it was a lot of carbs and not enough vegetables. This way there is no doubt about what I actually ate. If I didn't keep track, I am sure I would eat either not enough, or junk, or way too much every day.

Barb

My food journal is very helpful. Sometimes I can wing it and not write down what I eat but over the long term I lose focus and gain weight. I actually just finished jotting down my last meal.

For inspiration, I look at my old journals. Esp the ones at my highest weight. I never thought it would change - but it did.

I don't just write down what I eat, tho'. I also use the journal to see if I'm staying hydrated, taking supplements, etc.