The Food Journal Experiment

Of all of the somewhat-random things on my 101 List, the item that I most needed to do was Keep a Food Journal for a Week.

You see, I’ve been battling the same x-number of pounds for 15 years and, just between you and me, it’s getting a little old. The very frustrating part of the battle is the relatively little headway I’ve made. It’s as though no matter what I do, I hit the glass ceiling. Though I suppose in this case, it’s better described as the Fat Ceiling.

I noticed that my greatest weight loss successes occurred while I was living overseas. Hmmm, thought I, exercise and better food must be the hidden factor here. However, frequent exercise and cleaner eating (as in, more organic and less-processed foods) here in the US have certainly made me feel better. My scale, however, couldn’t care less.

It was time to take this battle to the next level.

The next level minus a trip to the fat camp, or the nutritionist, or to P90X, or to see Jillian, that is. (Jillian scares me, by the way!) A food journal surely would shed some light on my inability to shed.

Last Monday I started logging everything I ate. And let me just say, this process was more challenging than I expected. As a perfectionist, I didn’t want to fail my own food journal test. So I opted to write everything down and track the associated calories as well.

I started by using some handy calculators on livestrong.com to uncover what my normal caloric intake should be. I then examined what caloric deficit I needed (500 calories per day) to lose weight at a reasonable pace (1 pound per week). FYI: the number 1560 has never seemed so small.

But…keeping a food journal was one of the best things I’ve ever done. By the end of the week, the journal was no longer a laundry list of shame and struggle. It was empowering, making me feel in control (in a good way) of my food choices.

What my food journal revealed:

• Portion control is huge. I actually measured my cereal to make sure I was truly eating the correct portion size.
• Slow is good. Making a meal (or a snack) something to be savored helped me to recognize when I was satisfied instead of eating to beyond full. And contrary to what I’d thought, slow eating can be accomplished in 30 minutes. And while watching television. And while working on a laptop.
• It is easy to control calories when you are eating at home. Home-cooked food offers the best quantity-to-calorie ratio around, particularly if you watch your portion sizes.
• Eating out is like dropping a nuclear bomb on your calorie needs for the day. It’s totally fine to go out to eat, but it needs to be viewed as the calorie-laden experience that it is. Otherwise, plan to eat celery and drink water at all times that you are not in the restaurant.
• As well, somewhere along the way I read an article from a professional trainer (I think it was in Runner’s World) who said that there was nothing wrong with allowing yourself to feel hungry every now and then. Ummm….I have to disagree. Completely. While it may not be wrong, I don’t like to feel hungry! So that was an added challenge – allowing myself to feel hungry if I was bumping against my caloric level for the day.

Did I hit 1560 every day? Absolutely not. But the calorie deficit I need to lose a pound a week includes caloric intake (ie – eating) and exercise, so I wasn’t worried about an overrun.

I averaged 1700 calories per day through food, but had great cardio exercise four times last week in addition to my normal on-the-go lifestyle. I was able to enjoy eating out (using lots of birthday coupons and gift certificates), plus a wedding buffet, without feeling guilty or overly full.

All in all a success. So much so that I’m going to keep journaling until I rewire my brain and habits in correct portion control and wise eating-out selections.

If you’ve been hitting the Fat Ceiling, or are simply curious what your normal eating patterns might reveal, I’d highly encourage keeping a food journal. Here are some tools that I found to be very helpful:

• Body Mass Index calculator: This handy tool will help you evaluate where you currently are. Keep in mind that the BMI doesn't account very well for muscle vs fat. But it won't be off by much. And don't lie to yourself about having heavy bones.
• Calorie Goal calculator: Figure out what your daily caloric needs are. This tool will help you get a grip on what it takes to stay where you are, or to gain and lose pounds. Yes, some people really do need to gain weight. I don't like them very much. Enough said.
• Calorie Database: this little online gem contains many common food items, from raw ingredients to prepackaged items.
• Recipe Calorie calculator: Ok, I’m addicted to this one! Simply input your recipe plus the number of servings to learn the calories per serving. It’s a great help when adjusting your favorite recipes to slim down calories.
• Calories When Eating Out – do an Internet search on the restaurant name and “nutrition.” Most major restaurants have nutritional information available online. Take note of the suggested number of portions compared to the serving size. Think of creative ways to reduce calories (substitute tasty black beans for refried at a Mexican restaurant, allowing you to enjoy a sopapilla, for example!)

Will all of this help me break through the Fat Ceiling? I don’t know, but I do know that it can’t hurt. And since I have another pesky goal on the 101 List – Achieve a Healthy BMI – you can bet I’ll be back with an update!