Food Diary Ð WhatÕs recorded?

Comments

• scott_burrows Posts: 381

  March 2009

  I’ve been keeping a food diary alongside my training diary, but it’s little more than a list of foods that I’ve eaten, with no real idea of portion size, calorie count or food type breakdown.
  
  
  
  What information does everyone else record in their food diary? I’m loathed to set up yet another spreadsheet that breaks down everything I eat into fats, proteins, Carbs etc.. But if that is the correct way to do it I guess I will..
  
  
  
  Ideas and comments welcome (including.. shut up geek, you’re over complicating things.... [:D])

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• agent_ti Posts: 306

  March 2009

  I put down everything I eat (and drink) along with the calories for that particular bit. I also record in my training diary how many calories I burnt in the sessions, add that to my BMR, so I know how much to eat to have a deficit to help with the weight loss

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• Boycie Posts: 189

  March 2009

  I always use food diaries for my clients, but in my mind you have to be realistic about how you're going to use them.
  
  
  
  Very few people have the dedication to measure calories and proportions of carbs, fats and protien. To do this you really need to understand the calories of every food you eat and then weigh and measure your portions to ensure that you stick to it. For almost all of my clients this is a totally un-realistic goal to set them.
  
  
  
  My point is; if your not going to adhere to a diet as strictly as that then why bother measuring it, I don't.
  
  
  
  For most people I think the most important aspect of keeping a diary is to give yourself a black mark or a gold star at the end of the week with relation to how you've done.
  
  
  
  David.

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• Jack Hughes Posts: 1,262

  March 2009

  It's a tool. As such, it all depends on what you want to do.
  
  
  
  In the same way as you can extend your training diary: a basic one might just have duration and time.
  
  Then you might record the time of day you did the event. Heart Rate/Perceived effort.
  
  Then you might also record weather conditions - wind/heat/humidity.
  
  You could then start recording your mood etc. etc.
  
  
  
  It all depends on what you are going to use the information for.
  
  
  
  If you try to record data that you don't need, then you are wasting your time.
  
  
  
  If you don't record data that you do need for a particular analysis, then that will be obviously make you unable to do the analysis.
  
  
  
  So, if you are interested in a loosing weight, and you are loosing weight, then you probably don't need too much info.
  
  
  
  If you were running a long distance event, and found yourself running out of energy/bonk whatever, at a certain point in time, then, in the days leading up to the event and on the day of the event, you might keep info in micro detail: what you ate, when you ate it, what you felt like, if / when you got hungry etc.
  
  
  
  So
  
  
  
  Level 1) Objective - loose weight, keep focused: Here it is important simply to record everything that you eat of drink. The key thing is that everything is recorded so you cannot kid yourself. The importance is that act of doing it and the focus that it forces you to have when thinking about what you consume. e.g. fish and chips and mushy peas for lunch.
  
  
  
  Level 2) Objective - you've hit a plateau in weight loss, or you are loosing too much weight, feeling weak etc. Combined nutrition/training log is required. The key thing is to record the quantities/portion sizes: 1 large piece of fried fish, two bags of chips, 1 large portion of mushy peas.
  
  
  
  Level 3) Objective: You slightly more anal/obsessive: Record the times you eat as well.
  
  
  
  Level 4) Objective: You have turned into a neurotic compulsive obessive. Weigh every thing out. By this time you have probably worked out what you want to eat, and when you want to eat it, so that it all coincides with your training plan.
  
  
  
  Anyway, you get the idea!

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