Weight Management: Ten Steps to a Healthy New Year

By Shereen Jegtvig, About.com Guide

Updated March 03, 2013

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If you're really serious about changing your diet, losing (or gaining) weight, and improving your health, you'll find that keeping a food diary is key to your success. You can keep track of the foods you eat every day in a homemade food diary. This will help keep you motivated and help you get back on your diet if you have a temporary setback. Be sure to note the portion sizes and write down the calories you eat every day. Add up the number of calories per day and your total for the week. If you need to lose weight, decrease the number of calories you need to eat each week by 500. By eating 500 fewer calories each day, most people will lose about one pound per week.

You can make your own food diary or join Calorie Count to keep track of your healthy new diet online (it's free).