Keeping a "food diary"

[Timmah]

I've heard people keeping a "food diary" as they work toward weightloss and fitness goals.

I personally haven't ever... but I'm interested in hearing feedback from people who perhaps have, and whether they found it effective?

 

[Johns Magic]

I have been for the last week or so but I'm doing it to build muscle for footy rather than to diet. I have a pretty good idea of what I should be eating, but I asked one of the first-graders at my footy club(who is a f**king unit wth a personal training degree) what my diet should be to gain mass. He told me to record what I eat for two weeks and show him, and then he'll tell me what adjustments to make.

Eating BIG meals every couple of hours along with going to the gym every day.

It definitely helps to encourage me to keep eating, although I guess part of that is that I'm going to have to show it to someone who I'm trying to impress rather than come across as having no idea.

Maybe finding someone with a fair idea who will look at it for you is a good motivator to keep disciplined?

 

[bartman]

Do it Tim.

If only to keep track of all the snacks that you might have, and can potentially cut out or substitute. I was having potato chips, chocolate, coke etc at work - lost everything I wanted when I replaced them with 100% juice, salted cashews and sultanas.

It also helps you save money if you note how much any snacks etc cost as you buy them. You end up getting a shock and buying the healthier stuff in bulk and taking them in (eg large bottle of juice that lasts a week in the work fridge). I used to laugh at 'oldies' who did that at work when I was younger - now I understand.

If it's portions that are your problem more than between-meal snacks, then make sure your food diary records portion sizes in some way, rather than just the type of food you ate. You can just do it on blank paper, doesn't have to be anything special - I use my desk diary at work.

 

[Shorty]

It's quite a good idea to see what's effective and progress of how far you've come.

 

[Sir Biffo]

It's very effective. A lot of the time you don't realise how having a biscuit here, a handful of M & M's there etc add up. Just make sure everything that you consume (including liquids) goes on there. It can help you with your water intake, cutting back on sugar loaded fruit juice etc.

It can also help you save money, I realised I was spending $30 a week on takeaway coffees at my old job.

 

[JessEel]

argh! People who buy coffee's everyday confuse me.

In the city it's $3.20 per large coffee x 2 or 3 per day..... $35+ everyweek!




Always consider myself lucky i'm a tea drinker.. Can't go wrong with Lipton's in the desk drawer and hot water in the kitchen!

 

[Timmah]

I used to buy coffee from the mobile van that came in but it was denting both my wallet and IMO, my health. I now only buy sometimes a sandwich for lunch from the van.

As for the food diary, I've taken to using my work diary to note down everything I'm eating during the day, have done so for two days now, and it feels like it's already working - I don't want to see McDonalds or KFC or anything like that written in there so the psyche of having to write that if I ate it is stopping me from deciding to eat there... if that makes sense?

 

[aqua_duck]

I'm a big fan of kitchen scales. I always try to get 40-30g of protein, and atleast 100g of carbs per meal, so I'm always measuring and weighing my food. In the morning I try to do 200g of rolled oats which gives me abit more than 100g of good carbs and about 25g of protein, the other 5-10g of protein is made up from skim milk I have with my oats.
Honestly for those of you looking to start the day well you can't beat rolled oats. I usually soak them the night before in abit of water of skim milk and incorporate them into a smoothie for breakfast in the morning along with skim milk ice and usually a banana or berries.
If you're dieting I'd go with a 30g serving of oats with say 10-12 ounces of skim milk, handfull of mixed merries and some ice cubes

 

[Sir Biffo]

I used to buy coffee from the mobile van that came in but it was denting both my wallet and IMO, my health. I now only buy sometimes a sandwich for lunch from the van.

As for the food diary, I've taken to using my work diary to note down everything I'm eating during the day, have done so for two days now, and it feels like it's already working - I don't want to see McDonalds or KFC or anything like that written in there so the psyche of having to write that if I ate it is stopping me from deciding to eat there... if that makes sense?

Tim if you want Maccas or KFC just be sensible about it. You should never deny yourself a food, it just re-inforces an additictive behaviour with it IMO. It's okay to eat "normally" one day a week, just don't go overboard. I have a takeaway meal every week but just keep it sensible. Don't get the combo with the chips and drink, just have a burger, or a piece of chicken, or whatever. You should be eating 21 main meals a week at least, it's not what you eat for one of them that is going to make you put on weight, it's the other 20!

 

[aqua_duck]

Tim if you want Maccas or KFC just be sensible about it. You should never deny yourself a food, it just re-inforces an additictive behaviour with it IMO. It's okay to eat "normally" one day a week, just don't go overboard. I have a takeaway meal every week but just keep it sensible. Don't get the combo with the chips and drink, just have a burger, or a piece of chicken, or whatever. You should be eating 21 main meals a week at least, it's not what you eat for one of them that is going to make you put on weight, it's the other 20!

So true, I'm a firm believer that for something to work it has to be easy to sustain. If you like your maccas, KFC or other takeaway have it as a reward if you've been good for the rest of the week

 

[Different kind of Rabbit]

Its not only what you eat, its what you drink as well. No point cutting down on food if you are going to drink 4 cans of coke in a day or starving yourself all week and then hitting the pub on Saturday for a dozen schooners or a dozen bourbon and cokes. You have to moderate the drink side of things as well as the food side.

 

[JessEel]

i like drinking soo much...

 

[Timmah]

Tim if you want Maccas or KFC just be sensible about it. You should never deny yourself a food, it just re-inforces an additictive behaviour with it IMO. It's okay to eat "normally" one day a week, just don't go overboard. I have a takeaway meal every week but just keep it sensible. Don't get the combo with the chips and drink, just have a burger, or a piece of chicken, or whatever. You should be eating 21 main meals a week at least, it's not what you eat for one of them that is going to make you put on weight, it's the other 20!

I think part of the lure of maccas/kfc is not only because it tastes so good but more the fact that it was easy to get, quick, and there's no dishes to wash. Lazy man's option I guess. That said I only really had Maccas once or twice a week max anyway, but I did go overboard i.e. burger + chips + drink + second burger...

It's all about moderation in the end and my diet has been the hardest thing to change, my discipline for the gym is fine.

I've also taken to waking earlier and having a regular brekky which is helping me during the day.

At the end of the day I'm not terribly overweight or obese, I've just got a beer gut I want to get rid of and it's my diet that's allowed it to get that way

 

[Timmah]

i like drinking soo much...

I've embarked on a mission to find a wine I like so I'm not into the spirits as much. My Bundy Red/Coke and Southern Comfort/Coke are going to be hard to say goodbye to... :crazy:

 

[JessEel]

have you tried any you've liked before?

 

[Timmah]

Sandalwood Late Harvest, its a soft sweet wine.

Yes, I'm soft :lol:

 

[Johns Magic]

Firstly Timmah, if you're out on the piss stick to vodka lime soda's.

Secondly, what's the intensity of your gym sessions? If you make sure you're only taking short breaks between sets your heart rate will stay at a high enough level that it will count as a cardio session as well. Even if you just feel your heartbeat through your chest you'll have a fair idea of when your heart rate is up or not.

But if you're taking 5 minutes between sets then really you're not getting the most out of it for what you're trying to achieve.

 

[Joker's Wild]

Doing your weights before cardio is also important. If you do it the other way around you will be too tired to lift to your potential

 

[Johns Magic]

Doing your weights before cardio is also important. If you do it the other way around you will be too tired to lift to your potential

Well if he's aiming to lose weight then I don't think lifting to his absolute potential is a massive worry.

But if you were trying to build muscle I would never do cardio and weights in the same session. Your body's either trying to lose weight or gain weight. Doing weights and then going for a run straight after is essentially not allowing new muscle to develop as well.

 

[Joker's Wild]

Only if your looking to put on significant mass. If your trying to build lean muscle as well as lose fat, doing cardio and resistance in the same session is very effective.