A healthy lifestyle is within your reach. It does not have to be difficult OR overwhelming – and this is the first in a series of blog posts that will show you how.
Over the next few weeks, I will be focusing on Healthy Habits for Women 40 & Beyond!
Today’s heathy habit is food journaling – keeping track of what you eat & drink.
As with everything in life, change occurs and we go through different stages, shapes, and sizes.
Ladies, it’s important to accept that as we age, our bodies will change. I think the key here is not to compare yourself to others, and that includes yourself! Don’t focus on how you looked twenty years ago, or even five for that matter.
Let’s embrace our body now; we only have one so let’s cherish it!
Be honest with yourself ladies. If the cause of your weight gain isn’t clear to you, try creating a food journal for a few days, be a food detective and investigate what you choose to put into your body. To create permanent lifelong change, we need to know the underlying cause.
So many of us think we have a balanced diet when in reality it can be quite a different story. By keeping track of what you eat and drink, you will have a far better idea of what you are actually consuming. The results might just surprise and even shock you.
A food diary/journal is a great way to keep you on track and appears to aid in weight loss. We tend to eat more than we think we do. A recent study following 1,800 men and women over a six-month period showed that those who kept a food diary lost 50 percent more weight than those who didn’t.
You don’t need a personal dietitian to start a food log, all you need is the time and commitment to track everything you put into your mouth, but when I say everything, I do mean everything.
Be honest with yourself. Remember this is a tool designed not just to help you get back on track, but also give you motivation you need to make further positive changes so the entries must be accurate. When you look back at your entries, you can often tie you’re eating habits back to connections to stress, emotions, timing and even location. You can assess how stress and other factors may be controlling your food choices.
Accountability and awareness are key components. Keeping track of what you eat is also a valuable tool to identify exactly which foods work for you and which don’t. Remember we need to be food detectives looking for hidden clues. We are trying to discover what foods are causing hidden inflammation and irritation in addition to portion sizes. Use your food diary to note how you feel after each meal. Are you energized or exhausted? Be specific about what you just ate.
E.g. milk – what kind? (Whole, 2%, nonfat); toast (whole wheat, white, buttered); chicken (fried, baked, breaded); coffee (decaffeinated with 1 tsp sugar). You get the idea! Use a diary to write down everything you eat & drink. Include any skipped meals, restaurant meals, and any indulgences ….
Please be honest. Having visual evidence of your eating habits can be quite an eye-opening experience. You can write in a journal, keep notes on your computer, or use an app on your phone. Do whatever works for you – just jot it down!
Stay tuned for the next Healthy Habit for Women over 40 & Beyond!
I would love to hear from you, so please email me with any questions you may have, or suggest topics that you would like to be featured on my blog/website.
Keep well, and thanks for reading.
Tara