Food Diary

When I first started LA Weight loss on my quest to lose weight one of the main reasons I chose this program over others was because I didn't want pre-packaged food. I knew I wouldn't be eating pre-packaged food for the rest of my life so that was realistic for me. I needed to know how to balance my diet, control portions & chose the right foods. That is exactly what they taught me but part of the program involved keeping a food diary. I cringed at the thought of this but found it fantastic. Since there was no calorie counting this took that stress away and allowed me to see that I was getting my vegetables in and getting my fruits in and getting my healthy fats in etc.! It really was an eye opener. It also helped me spread out my foods throughout the day so I wouldn't be hungry. WRITE IT DOWN! Yes it can take some getting used to but you'll find it so helpful. Get a mini notebook with a pen attached and carry it everywhere. Write it down! Try to get in your bread carbs early in the day like whole wheat, high fiber toast, oatmeal or whole grain cereal, when you see you have had your bread carbs for breakfast and some for lunch, try protein such as fish or chicken for dinner with a salad of dark greens or your favorite green vegetable. Seeing is believing and it also helps you stop mindless eating. When you reach into your child's Happy Meal or take a handful of chips from someone you'll realize that is eating too if you write it down. Some people follow meal plans to a tee but then don't count all the mindless eating they are doing in between their "plan" meals and then wonder why they are gaining weight instead of losing weight!