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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – People cut calories by 10% when they keep track of what they eat and 30% to 50% of those who keep a food diary change their eating habits and lose weight. It doesn’t matter if a person eats low fat, low carb, high carb or a high protein diet. Keeping track of what you eat is the simple key to weight loss.
A new study from Duke University, published in the open access journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth, confirmed this long-held weight loss advice once again, but they put a tech spin on the issue. For the Duke study people simply used a free smartphone app to track their daily food intake. Study participants were not asked to follow any special diet. They were simply given board advice on healthy eating and asked to keep track of what they ate. On average, those in the study lost 5 pounds over three months. Some lost more. Those who were most diligent in tracking each day lost the most weight. Why?
It is a chore to keep track of what you eat every day, but it is worth it. Tracking your food intake makes you reflect on your food choices, which makes you more aware of habits and gives you an opportunity to change behavior. After a week of tracking most people become aware of how many calories are in the usual items they eat.
Keeping track of what you eat will tell you a lot about how you eat, why you eat and what you eat. Research has shown that men are more likely to omit items than women. Both tend to omit snack items and meat choices are often underestimated. No one will ever see what you track. By being honest, you will learn a lot.
You may learn what days of the week you tend to eat more. Some days, like weekends, you may eat more. Some people eat more on Friday, celebrating the end of a work week. Others eat more on Monday in response to the stress of a new work week. Do you eat more on days you are happy or days when you are feeling down? If you find days that trigger you to overeat, you can work on changing that pattern.
Many people eat on a crazy schedule and some may not even realize what they are doing. Do you eat in the middle of the night? Do you skip breakfast and overdo it with a high calorie pastry at coffee break? Do you need a mid-afternoon pick-me-up and do you make the best choices? Are you overdoing coffee? A 10-ounce small black coffee has 2 calories but the same size coffee with milk and sugar has 80 calories. Keeping track of something this simple can tell you a lot. Do you often stop for a drink after work or grab a snack or ice cream on the way home?
Also consider what you eat when you are alone or with company. We often eat differently depending on the situation. Most people eat more with family and less with co-workers. One meal or one day will not make or break your eating plan but by keeping track of what you eat you can identify patterns that are either positive or negative. The key to a daily food record, whether it is on an app or on a pad, is compliance. Those who are most diligent about tracking what they eat, those who step on the scale regularly, and record what they ate on most days, lose the most weight.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of 30 books. Available as eBooks from iTunes and Kindle/Amazon:
Diabetes Counter – the most up-to-date information on managing diabetes
Calorie Counter – a weight loss guide that won’t let you down
Protein Counter – put the latest protein recommendations to work for you
Healthy Wholefoods Counter – planet-friendly eating made easy
Complete Food Counter – food counts and nutrition information at your fingertips
Fat and Cholesterol Counter – newest approach to heart-healthy eating
Available in print from Gallery Books:
Most Complete Food Counter, 3rd Ed.
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com.