Keeping a Food Journal
One of the biggest weight loss secrets is keeping a food journal. We all eat more than we think we do, and keeping a running tally of every sip and nibble really heightens our awareness of how often we do this. But the first step in food journaling is to figure out - how big is a serving size?
Weighing and measuring food is really important when you're trying to divide your daily calories between three meals and two snacks.
For this, you will need:
- A liquid measuring cup (2-cup capacity)
- A set of dry measuring cups (includes 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup and 1/4 cup sizes)
- Measuring spoons (1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon and 1/4 teaspoon)
-Food scale
- Calculator
Be sure that the food scale measures grams. (A gram is very small, about 1/28th of an ounce.) Most of your weight measurements will be in ounces, but certain foods, such as nuts, are very concentrated in calories, so a portion size will be much smaller. Food scales range in price from a few dollars to $30 or more. Some of them are digital and a little more expensive. Fancy versions may even have an internal database of foods to calculate the number of calories in the food you're weighing. In the long run, you'll be much better off relying on a book to calculate calories, as any scale isn't nearly as portable, and you probably won't have an extra scale at work or in your car.
Getting Started
If you like having your cereal in your favorite bowl each morning, measure 1/2 cup (or your designated serving size) into the bowl tomorrow morning. Then measure the milk in the liquid measuring cup and pour it on your cereal. Take a mental note of how this looks, and you won't have to measure each time. No more quart-size bowls of cereal or panfuls of buttered popcorn. Your food portions are now smaller, and soon, your clothes will be too.
For consistency, your food should be weighed and/or measured after cooking. Four ounces of boneless skinless chicken breast has around 140 calories when raw. When it's cooked, it'll weigh closer to three ounces. That is because it loses water during the cooking process, and the calories are now more concentrated. The same holds true for vegetables and other cooked foods. Dry cereals or grains on the other hand may start off with a couple tablespoons per serving. Add water and cook and the volume or measured amount may double or triple.
After measuring all of your foods for a week or so, you'll be able to make fairly accurate estimates by eye without having to measure everything, each time you eat. Of course, you'll always need to weigh and measure when trying a new food for the first time, so keep your measuring tools in a handy location. Over time, you'll know what's just right for you, whether you're plating a meal in your own kitchen or deciding how much of your entree to eat in a restaurant (and how much of it to wrap up and take home). But in the beginning, you'll need a few tools 'til you get it just right.
If you're not accustomed to spending time in the kitchen, here's a conversion table that may be helpful to you.
Conversion Table for Measuring Portion Sizes
| Teaspoon |
Tablespoon |
Cup |
Pints/quarts/gallons |
Fluid ounces |
Milliliters |
| 1/4 teaspoon |
|
|
|
|
1 milliliter |
| 1/2 teaspoon |
|
|
|
|
2 milliliters |
| 1 teaspoon |
1/3 tablespoon |
|
|
|
5 milliliters |
| 3 teaspoons |
1 tablespoon |
1/16 cup |
|
1/2 ounce |
15 milliliters |
| 6 teaspoons |
2 tablespoons |
1/8 cup |
|
1 ounce |
30 milliliters |
| 12 teaspoons |
4 tablespoons |
1/4 cup |
|
2 ounce |
60 milliliters |
| 16 teaspoons |
5 1/3 tablespoons |
1/3 cup |
|
2 1/2 ounce |
75 milliliters |
| 24 teaspoons |
8 tablespoons |
1/2 cup |
|
4 ounce |
125 milliliters |
| 32 teaspoons |
10 2/3 tablespoons |
2/3 cup |
|
5 ounce |
150 milliliters |
| 36 teaspoons |
12 tablespoons |
3/4 cup |
|
6 ounce |
175 milliliters |
| 48 teaspoons |
16 tablespoons |
1 cup |
1/2 pint |
8 ounce |
237 milliliters |
|
|
2 cups |
1 pint |
16 ounce |
473 milliliters |
|
|
3 cups |
|
24 ounces |
710 milliliters |
|
|
4 cups |
1 quart |
32 ounces |
946 milliliters |
|
|
8 cups |
1/2 gallon |
64 ounces |
|
|
|
16 cups |
1 gallon |
128 ounces |
|
Remember that an ounce of weight isn't the same as a fluid ounce. You cannot convert the two without knowing the density of the ingredient you're measuring.
Some of the foods in the lists that follow will provide calories based on a measured or cup amount. Others will provide calories based on weight, such as an ounce or more. This is another reason you'll need both the scale and measuring cups and spoons to get started.
Your calculator will be indispensable, not only for adding your daily calories in a hurry. Sometimes the portion size you desire may be different from the portion size provided in the food list. You may have to do a little multiplication or division to find the perfect fit. This is great practice for the real world because you will rarely find your ideal portion sizes when you dine out.
Food Journal
Keeping a food journal is paramount to a successful weight loss plan. It will help you identify times that you eat certain things, allowing you to learn from your eating patterns. It is imperative to keep track of the number of calories you take in (and burn off through exercise) each day, especially when you're just getting started. Buy a notebook and a pen just for this purpose. Keep it in your desk, your handbag, your backpack, or wherever is handy or most convenient for you. Take notes throughout the day, because it's easy to forget an unplanned snack or tasting. Find a routine, a favorite place and a time to record your journal. This is one of the biggest keys to your success. Here is a sample format for creating your own journaling style. If you prefer, you can record this on your computer, too - whatever is easiest and most convenient for you.
If you want to keep track of how many of your calories come from carbohydrate, protein or fat, remember that a gram of protein or carbohydrate has 4 calories. One gram of fat has 9 calories.
When we inform the contestants of their calorie budgets at the beginning of each season, we tell them to let us know if they're tired or hungry, in which case, we will raise their calorie level (until they're not tired or hungry!). Here is a sample journal from BL12's Boston Johnny Forger. His daily calorie goal of 1670 is lower than most of our men, largely due to Johnny's age (65), activity level (low), muscle mass and lower metabolic rate.
| Meal/Time |
Food |
Calories |
| Breakfast |
1 cup blueberries |
81 |
|
1-1/2 cups whole grain cereal |
165 |
|
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt |
77 |
|
8 ounces 1% milk |
103 |
|
Subtotal |
525 |
| AM snack |
1/2 pink grapefruit |
64 |
|
1 low-fat Colby cheese stick |
110 |
|
1 whole grain cracker |
25 |
|
Subtotal |
199 |
| Lunch |
4 ounces roasted chicken, without skin |
223 |
|
1-1/2 cups shredded romaine |
12 |
|
2/3 cup sliced red onions |
32 |
|
2 slices whole grain bread |
130 |
|
2 tablespoons mustard |
20 |
|
Subtotal |
418 |
| PM snack |
1 cup lentil soup |
140 |
|
1 low-fat cheese stick |
110 |
|
1 whole grain cracker |
25 |
|
Subtotal |
275 |
| Dinner |
1/2 cup brown rice |
129 |
|
2/3 cup carrots |
35 |
|
1-1/2 cups green beans |
51 |
|
6 slices turkey breast meat |
375 |
|
Totals |
1693 |
|
Goal Totals |
1670 |
|
|
|
|
+ |
23 |
For more nutrition and cooking tips, visit Cheryl's website
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