I always ask for a food recall from clients who are interested in weight loss. Many times the math does not add up. The client has 50 pounds to lose but only reports 1200 calories of food intake. Something is missing in this equation… I believe that many of us forget the little bites that we eat throughout the day. You may just think about the meals you eat and wonder why you can’t lose weight, but if you keep an accurate food journal for a few days those little bites will surface.
Here is an example of a food recall with the foods in normal font and italicized font. The normal font is what is reported to me. The italicized font includes the extra bites that are not reported…
Breakfast: Calories
1 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal 140
1 cup Fat free milk 90
1 cup blueberries 80
1 cup coffee, black 0
1/2 cup almonds 400
Lunch:
1 whole wheat tortilla 150
1 cup raw vegetables 25
½ cup black beans 110
1 medium apple 80
Water 0
20 oz. regular soda pop 240
5 Hershey’s Kisses 125
Dinner:
4 oz. Grilled Salmon 160
1 cup brown rice 230
2 cups salad 50
2 Tbsp. vinaigrette dressing 80
4 oz. Red Wine 80
1 cup ice cream 250
Calories reported to me: 1200-1300.
Actual calories consumed in the day: 2290
Be honest with yourself! Keep a food journal for a few days and pinpoint times when you are eating extra calories. Maybe you grab candy at the office or eat nuts as a snack. Do you eat healthy all day and then splurge too much in the evening? There are many online food journaling sites available. I have my two favorites listed under my favorite links: www.fitday.com and www.nutrimirror.com. Both of these sites are free and allow you to enter the foods you eat each day and view the calories, fat, fiber, sodium, and other important nutrient information. If you would rather not enter everything in the computer, buy a small notebook and keep it close. Record everything that goes into your mouth. You do not need to keep a food journal for the rest of your life, but keep one when you want to lose weight, get past a plateau in weight loss, improve your eating habits, or pinpoint times of weakness.
My husband is a triathlete, and I’m a dietitian and we spent a lot of time talking about ways to improve our diet. I am always surprised to hear when people feel they are eating perfectly. If a triathlete and a dietitian can be realistic about their eating habits, then so can you! Eating healthy is a journey and not a destination…start your journey by reflecting honestly on your eating habits.