Keeping a Food Log + FREE Printable!

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Have you ever kept a food log? You know, where you write down everything you eat and drink all day? I have shared before how it has been difficult at times to stay on plan with Trim Healthy Mama. Today I want to talk about keeping a food log to help you achieve your dietary goals!

Why keep a Food Log?

It keeps me accountable. There is just something to having to write down what I am eating. When I know that I am going to have to write it down, it makes me a little more aware of mindless eating!

It helps me be intentional. As I said above, keeping a food log helps prevent mindless eating and forces me to be more intentional. I really think about what I am eating and how it is going to affect my overall health.

It shows me when I get into ruts. I get into ruts so easily, eating the same things every day. Keeping a food log and writing down what I eat each day helps me to see if I am getting enough of a variety in my diet. Our bodies need variety and when we are trying to watch what we are eating, and trying to eat right, it is easy to always resort to what is easy or fast. Not that that is all bad, but we need to vary our diet and offer our bodies a good variety of foods! Keeping a food log helps with that!

How do I use My Food Log?

Download the free My Food Log printable.
Follow the instructions to print, fold, and cut your food log.
Use one log to record a week’s worth of meals. If you want, you can choose to use one Log per day, using pages to record the amount of water you drink, etc.
Keep the Food Log in your pocket so you can quickly and easily pull it out and record what you are eating and drinking throughout the day.
Be sure to date the front of the log and then keep these Food Logs in a small recipe box or large envelope so that you can go back over them later. As I stated above, it might be helpful to look over your logs occasionally to see if you are getting into a rut.

How long do I keep using a Food Log?

This is really up to you. You can use keeping a Food Log as a way of developing a good habit or changing some bad habits.

Use the Food Log as long as you want, until you feel good about your eating habits. It may be that this is something you will come back to every once in a while.

Special tips for my Trim Healthy Mama friends!

If you are following the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating, then you may find this Food Log very helpful! Sometimes it is easy to forget what type of meal we had for breakfast by the time lunch rolls around. Having the log handy where we can write down what we ate and the meal type it was (S, E, FP, or Crossover), helps to keep us on track. Plus, if we have our meals planned out ahead of time, it is a good indication if we are actually following our meal plans!

The important thing is that you make the Food Log work for you and your own needs.

Click here to download your Food Log now!