I found the original article from The Washington Post I referred to yesterday. The article addresses the issue of food logs and whether they work or not. They argue that if you are trying to lose weight, you should try to log everything you eat. I know, right, we've all been told that before. Apparently, when we keep food logs, we don't get it right, not even nearly right, most of the time. What's the point then? Well apparently, it doesn't matter if your log is correct, what matters is the overarching concept of accountability. Keeping a log makes you make better choices overall because you are constantly thinking about what you eat and knowing that you will have to write it down and see it in black and white. I don't know about you, but that made me feel a lot better about the whole thing. It just seems so tedious to write down everything that goes in your mouth, and I am a perfectionist, so I think that if I forget something, or get something wrong, then my whole diet is blown. Not the case apparently. Keep (b)logging girl!
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This is actually exactly right!
ReplyDeleteIn my area of specialization in my field, I am trying to fatten people up 90% of the time, so honestly healthy eating isn't my super favorite. However, it is always a struggle with people and people often ask for my assistance. Outside of you my dear, I expect them to fade away when I say, "before I do anything, you need to keep at least 3 days worth of a food diary". Most people don't make it past this point, and those that actually do usually need less help from me because the journaling has made them see problems in the way they've been eating. If you can keep journaling, it keeps you accountable and less likely to make excuses (like "It's not Lent yet!).
I've done food journaling before and it has a weird effect I find. Because I know I'm going to have to write it down, even if no one else sees it, I'll make different choices so my record won't look as shocking. For example, I really don't want to write down that I had mac n cheese AND mashed potatoes with lunch, even though I really would like them both.
It's a simple tool, but I'm a big fan :)
I can really see how just writing it down makes you accountable. Every diet I've ever done demands that you write down your foods, so there must be something to it. For the first time though, doing it this way, online and on the blog, I'm really feeling the benefit. I think that just the act helps, but like you said, you have to make the commitment to honesty, because if you ate it or drank it, it should show up on the log. If you make that vow to yourself, it becomes more difficult to make difficult choices. Perhaps because I'm posting the log online and people who were with me might read it, I can't lie as I've done in the past with the paper logs. Perhaps I'm just more motivated, maybe it's a combination of both. Accountability definitely helps, whether it's to yourself or to others, I agree wholeheartedly.
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