Thursday, March 15, 2012

Straight outta the food diary. Part 1

A few weeks ago, I said that I was going to buy and keep up a food diary. I like my phone weight loss apps, but there are times when I get lazy and don't want to take 2 seconds to look at my phone. Not to mention that apps don't always have every single meal that I eat. Writing a food diary has been beneficial because it helps me keep track of all my meals and helps me search out nutrition facts later on when I have the time. Plus I can get more into the emotional side of why I eat what I eat.

Not only that, but handwriting just feels more official. I've been more successful going this route than I was with just my phone and my mind.

Now that I've gotten that part out of the way, my next couple of entries here will be straight from my food journal. You see, I get bored when I diet. I don't always want to eat oatmeal every morning and 1 piece of grilled fish every night. I like variety. Plus I like to experiment and see what's working for me and what isn't.

On this day in my food journal (March 3rd if you're curious), I decided to see if I could survive a whole day only eating fruit. I usually have a piece or two of fruit at work and that keeps me pretty full. I thought I could try switching things up for a day and see if fruit would keep me sustained through the whole day at home.

I know what you're thinking. Why at home?  Because I tend to behave myself at work. I can stick to my diet no problem there. At home I have all kinds of diet challenges. A husband who prefers chips and soda over salads and peas. A video game console that keeps my little bottom plopped in my recliner instead of out in the sunshine. You know, distractions.

Also, I'd just like to remind everyone that I'm not a doctor, nor am I a nutritionist. Feel free to try what I try, but you do so at your own risk!

Here's some quotes from that day:
"9:00am- The plan is to stick with only apples and naners (banana's) all day. Starting off with a piece of each."
"12:00pm- The fruit seems to keep me full for awhile, but I find myself more hungry without something more substantial. I think even a salad might do the trick."
"2:00pm- I had a piece of chicken along with the naners and apple. I don't think this is working!"
"5:00pm- I'm ending the experiment for the day. The fruit for a day is a good idea in concept, but I'm not happy with the way I'm ravenously hungry after a few hours."

So. my little strategy doesn't work so well for me. I learned that I need more than just fruit to survive during an average day. It might be helpful for me to have tiny snacks along with my meals.

I'll get more into that with the next entry.

Does anybody else out there keep a food journal? Did you find yourself more or less successful while keeping up one? Let me know.

Until next time.

7 comments:

  1. I don't keep a food diary, but I should. Truly there are two reasons that I don't keep one. 1)I always forget to do an entry and 2)I'm so busy with everything else, I feel I don't have time for another "something to do". That's sad isn't it? I should make time for myself.

    You're doing great with yours I think. I'm also a fruity person. I eat apples and pineapples every day, so I get that. They are so good and sweet. I get my protein from peanut butter with the apple and then my dinner. Maybe try some peanut butter and apples for breakfast like me!

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  2. Like you, I love fruit. You could try greek yogurt along with fruit... or lowfat cottage cheese. Or mix them together... I like them mixed. The protein will help you feel more full.

    I find writing things down to be annoying, but I know it DOES help!

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  3. My love for fruit is strong. Especially strawberries and pineapples. I feel like I could gorge myself on fruit all day and be ok for a while with just that, but a couple of things 1) fruit is expensive and 2)I love meat, so after a day of just fruit I'd probably be desperate for meat.

    But now I'm thinking about fruit and I'm thinking I need a pineapple stat.

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  4. I love fruit... but, B! It is not healthy to eat fruit all day and not get any protein.. you are going to feel really hungry and have low energy! Promise me you won't do that again! I LOVE YOU AND I DON'T WANT YOU TO GET TOO TIRED TO BLOG!!!!

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  5. The chicken wasn't a bad call! I don't keep a food journal currently, but I used to. It's nice to have balance -- there's a reason that there aren't entire meals made of fruit. And for Pete's sake, your husband shouldn't be buying soda and chips while you're on a diet. That's a bit disrespectful, IMO. If you're the one that cooks in the house, I hope you punish him with a lot of rabbit food.

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  6. I'm all about snacks! I learned to manage my weight by eating small portions of healthy snacks throughout the day. Voila! No more hunger cravings.

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  7. I've been using the Lose It! app on iPhone, and it works pretty well for me. There are only a few foods I haven't been able to find on it, and when that happens I just choose the closest thing to it - usually something with more calories/fat then what I'm actually eating, just to round up.

    I think a food journal is an excellent idea - how you can get an idea of how you're feeling or what you're thinking when you eat. That could definitely help figure out what moods make you eat more. Good luck with it!

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