Weight Management: Make Your Own Food Diary

By Shereen Jegtvig, About.com Guide

Updated March 03, 2013

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

A food diary will help you figure out how many calories you are consuming each day and it will also tell you if you are getting enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that should be part of a healthy diet. You might also want to keep track of things like dietary supplements or herbs such as hoodia.

You'll need a three-ring binder, a three-hole paper puncher, paper and your printer. I've got the food diary pages you need to keep track of your diet. You also need to know how to measure your portion sizes. A kitchen scale (buy direct), measuring cups (buy direct) and spoons will come in handy. Knowing how to read Nutrition Fact Labels is important too. Finally, you'll need a nutrition database to find all the nutrition information for foods you eat that don't have Nutrition Facts Labels. My favorite is the United States Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database.

Previous

• Why Keep a Food Diary?
• Your Starting Weight and Diet Goals
• Keep Track of the Foods You Eat
• Calculate Your Calories

Next