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Why I Keep a Food Diary

On my journey into being healthy, I've learned a few things about me.

  • I overestimate how healthy I actually am

  • I underestimate how bad a food actually is for me

  • I "treat" myself more often than I discipline myself

Recognizing these things about me has helped change the way I do things. Now, I try to be very disciplined in how I eat and how much I eat Monday thru Friday, making sure I hit the gym most every night, including weekends. The weekends are still a big challenge. I take it bite by bite. If I eat something junky at breakfast, I try to be sure to eat healthy at lunch, etc.


The 80/20 rule where you eat very well 80% of the time and use the 20% for cheese fries or that ice cream you've wanted all week is a great way to live. However, for me, I am in the healing stage still and feel that if I deviate too often, I begin to lose ground. Keeping a food diary helps me stay accountable to myself.


Recently, I was trying to understand why, after eating well for a while AND exercising, I was still feeling so rundown. My food diary was very revealing!


This is a list of the things I ate, the amounts, and the energy produced aka calories:



This shows the nutritional values and indicate if the goals have been met.

Yellow = Not Met

Green = Met

Red = Exceeded



Carbohydrates provide 4 calories

Protein provides 4 calories

Fat provides 9 calories


Based on this summary, I lacked a good bit of protein but I lacked a LOT of fat. Fat, the very thing that would provide the most energy.



Using this information, I tweaked my eating plan to include a little more protein and a lot more fat. Without a food diary, I would not have realized that was my problem. Without the proper information, I quite possibly would have become discouraged and would have struggled to stay on track.


If you need help figuring out the best way to find health, contact me. I will help you begin your journey into wholeness and healing.

"Knowledge itself is power." -Sir Francis Bacon

To use the app I use to log your food, go to Cronometer.