One thing that has proven to be very tough when trying to lead a healthy lifestyle is food control. I know there are many seniors who are with me on this one. For one, I find it unfair to have the money to indulge in whatever I like to eat – and how much – however, my body almost always beg to disagree, and find ways to make me suffer if I choose not to listen to it. Considering having the money to buy sinful chocolates, only your diabetes is in the way. It’s always a matter of life and death with food if you are in your golden age.
Anyway, when I started working out with an instructor and he realized that the problem was my food intake, he made me start a food journal or a food diary. At first, I told myself, since I keep a blog and a personal diary, a food journal shouldn’t be hard. Boy, was I wrong!
It was not easy to write down everything you eat as well as the correct time you actually did it – truthfully. My instructor even urged me to “describe” portions there and to use a calorie counter or calorie calculator. It took me about three months to actually get the hang of it and a year to be able to confidently do without the food journal but it made a whole lot difference in how I see my food and how it affects my weight.
So yeah, I was able to lose weight and actually keep it down after that, but of course, it should be coupled with proper exercise. Food diary will help you be more conscious of what you eat and can help you eat your food at their proper times. Then there’s portioning and snacking; this all go to your food diary. No cheating. I think the best way to make it work is to have someone go over your food journal every single day. This way you’ll think twice before you attack a bag of chips for snacks.
As long as you are honest, accurate and consistent with your food diary, it will work. It was hard lugging a small notebook around back then but I found applications that can be installed on your smartphones now that work similarly, if not more. Food diary will not only help you keep track of what you put in your mouth but it will also instill good eating habits in you in the long run. A food journal also helps doctors in being able to care for you appropriately and suitably.
