Pages

Friday, December 27, 2013

Tracking Your Meals: The Proper Way To Do It

By Cherly Phillips


When you go on a diet one of the very first things that you will learn is that it is important to record what you eat during the day. Keeping your food journal not only helps you see clearly what you are consuming, it helps you see what you are not eating. For example, after keeping a food log for a few days, you might see that you are not eating very many vegetables but that you are consuming lots of sugar and bad carbohydrates. Writing all of it down will allow you to see specifically which parts of your diet plan really need to change as well as how much exercise you are going to need to do to make sure that you keep your caloric intake in check.

But what if you've been writing every little thing down and still aren't losing weight? You can monitor your foods the right way or the wrong way. A food journal isn't just a list of the things you've eaten during the day. You need to note down other important pieces of information as well. Here are a few tips that you can employ to help your food tracking be more successful.

You ought to be very specific when you write down the things that you are eating. It is not enough to just record "salad" on a list. The correct way to do it is to record all of the ingredients in the salad as well as the kind of dressing that is used. You should include the volume of the food you eat. "Cereal" won't be sufficient although "one cup Fiber One cereal" is fine. It is vital to keep in mind that the larger your portions, the more calories you will be eating so you need to know just how much of every thing you actually eat so that you can figure out how many calories you will need to work off.

Write down exactly what time it is whenever you eat. This will help you find out what times of day you feel the most hungry, when you usually reach for snacks and then you can figure out how to deal with those times. After a day or two you could notice that, though you eat lunch at the same time every day, you still feel hungry an hour or so later. This will also make it easier to identify the times when you start to eat simply to give yourself something to do. This is essential because all those are times that you can select other things to fill your time with than food.



Record your feelings whenever you eat. This helps you to explain to you whether or not you use food as a reaction to emotional issues. It also assists you to see plainly which foods you have a tendency to choose when you are in certain moods. Lots of us will reach instinctively for junk food when we feel disappointed or angry and we are more likely to select healthy options when we feel happy or content. When you pay attention to how you eat while in your different moods and psychological states, you will be able to keep similar but healthier choices around for when you need those snacks--you might also start talking to someone who can help you figure out why you try to cure your moods with food.




About the Author:



How To Lose Weight With Ease

By Keith Copeland


There are times when you may feel as if your plan to lose weight is impossible to achieve. You may be pushing hard to begin with, only to lose steam soon afterwards. You may wonder how other people reach their weight loss goals. What do they do to achieve this?

Draw up detailed goals to make losing weight easier. Do you have an idea of how much weight you would like to lose? Is it your goal to slide into a new pair of jeans that are several sizes smaller, or just feel more svelte in the clothes you already wear? Is your goal to be in better shape or gain energy?

There are small changes that you can implement every few days for optimal results. Tally up how much weight you lose per week when you first start. Additionally, keeping a food diary of both food and drink will help you to see exactly what your eating habits are. You will make healthier choices more consistently when you become aware of what your choices have been.

It's a fact, you will eat at some point today! Figure out what you are going to eat before you get too famished. Be prepared to face your hunger head on and in a healthy way throughout the day. Take some healthy things to eat or pack your lunch when you go to work or leave the house. Imagine how much money you can save by not dining out. Success is easy when you make plans and stick to them.

A weight loss plan that incorporates both diet and exercise is best. Schedule fun work out activities a few times every week. Finding the exercises that you enjoy will help you push past those old excuses about not having enough time. Maybe you like chilling with your friends. Shoot some hoops with them! Is letting your hair down something that you enjoy doing? Learn some new moves in a dance class. Are you more comfortable with nature? Hit those hiking trails!

You might realize this, but it's worth saying: if you don't have any junk food in the house, you won't be tempted to eat it. Make sure that you only have healthy foods in your kitchen. These include foods like fresh produce, nuts and foods made with whole grain. Don't buy the food that is not good for you. Don't even buy it when you are at the grocery store! Consider adding yacon to your diet.

Reach out to your friends and family to support you during your weight loss efforts. You are more likely to stick to your plans when someone else is rooting for you. Being responsible for regularly reporting your progress to someone can prevent you from giving up. Calling a trusted friend can provide encouragement whenever you need it. They will help give you the support to allow you to go on.




About the Author: