Food Log

Since starting this experiment, I have been keeping a detailed food log.  I use it as a measure of accountability for healthy eating.  In the past, a poor food choice could easily be overlooked.  With no means for tracking my food intake, it was too easy for that basket of chips to go from the table to my mouth to my waistline.  Sure, I knew it was bad, but until you see some hard numbers, it's easy to talk yourself into making small compromises... but over time those compromises add up to a larger pants size!

I keep a small notebook in my desk where I simply jot down what foods I eat during the day.  I typically don't worry too much about being exact on quantities.  I know a piece of meat the size of a deck of cards weighs approximately 3 oz, so I guestimate from there.  I do have a kitchen scale that I'll use sometimes when I'm home, but for the most part, I feel a reasonable guestimation is accurate enough, especially when I'm eating the right foods (more on that in a minute).

After a day or two I will take my notebook and input my food intake into an online tracking log like the ones found at Fit Day and My Fitness Pal.  (I am currently using My Fitness Pal because they have a free iPhone App that interfaces with the website.)  Once entered, the log gives me a breakdown of my daily caloric intake, broken down by nutrient type.  I then take these numbers to my Food Summary, where I can see my average intake over time.

So, what does all this mean?  What is the end purpose of keeping track of everything that I'm eating?  My food log helps me in a number of ways.  Per the carbohydrate curve found at Mark's Daily Apple, I'm trying to stay in the range of 50-100 grams of carbohydrates per day.  I am also trying to eat between .7x-1x my lean body mass in grams of protein per day (in my case approximately 112-165 grams).  My food log and summary help me to zero in on these goals.  Daily intake may fluctuate up or down, but it's your average intake over time that dictates how successful your weight loss efforts will be.

Since I'm in the habit of eating healthy and natural foods that fall within the guidelines of the Primal Blueprint, hitting these daily goals isn't really a problem.  But here's the second area where the food log really helps to open your eyes.  I ate healthy all day.  I'm in range of my intake goals.  That piece of chocolate cake and a tall glass of milk won't hurt too much...will it?  Prior to keeping a food log, I'd have probably simply eaten the cake.  But now that I'm keeping a log, I know that eating the cake (or chips, or pasta) will likely double or triple my daily intake of carbohydrates, thus undermining my overall goals.

I should say that I am NOT using the food log to dictate how much I eat.  As long as I'm eating healthy meats, vegetables, fruits, etc., I eat as much as I want whenever I want.  I simply use the log as a tool to look back on my progress and to help make decisions when the temptation arises to eat something that's not on the healthy menu.

As a final note, I do think it's sometimes ok to eat that piece of cake.  Giving in to an indulgance every once in a while won't ruin your overall progress, and can even help you to stay on track.  Just make sure that your indulgances are the exception, and not the rule.

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