ScottsdaleAZ.Gov

Food Diary

Keep a food diary: a place to record all the foods you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat, as well as a tally of the calories each item contributes. You can also create space to jot down thoughts and feelings that contribute to your eating habits.

Why keep a diary? Being more self-aware helps tip you off to behaviors and calories that contribute to weight gain, and helps you break bad habits. By writing something down you become accountable for it, and that can be incredibly motivating. In fact, food diaries are so important, we consider them essential. Get started on yours, and you’ll see why in just a day or two.
 

Activity Log

Regular physical activity comes pretty close to being a “magic bullet” for weight loss. Besides burning calories—which makes it easier to achieve that all-important negative-calorie balance that leads to weight loss—exercise also helps curb appetite. Becoming more physically fit makes your body more effective at burning calories, even when you’re not moving. (And of course, it’s not easy to eat ice cream when you’re running.)

 
However you choose to be active, you’ll need to make changes in your daily habits. One of the most powerful tools for mastering change is keeping a diary. In the same way that a food diary helps make you aware of (and accountable for) what you eat, an Activity Log can help you build more activity into your days. It’s motivating as well: by writing down each time you get moving, you give yourself credit for being active—and each activity adds up!
 

Starting today, take a few minutes to write down any heart-pumping activity you’ve completed.