It’s clear that keeping a food journal or food diary—a written record of every bite you put in your mouth—is an effective weight loss tool. Here is a better way!

It’s clear that keeping a food journal or food diary—a written record of every bite you put in your mouth—is an effective weight loss tool. Women who record what they eat eat less and lose more weight. They are also more successful at keeping the weight off. A food diary (done correctly), can also be an effective tool for taking control of emotional eating.

The problem is, just about everyone hates keeping a food log, and setting up an approach that you dread can be an easy path to self-sabotage. Writing down everything you put into your mouth can be inconvenient, tedious, and it requires a lot of discipline. It can also be difficult to record portion sizes accurately, and far too tempting to bend the truth.

Here’s a smart weight loss tip that holds promise. You don’t have to write down everything you eat anymore to get the benefit of keeping a food diary. There’s actually a simple, graphic and accurate way to record what you eat—at the touch of a button. Grab your cell phone and snap a picture. Yep, take a picture of your food—all your food—before you eat it. Pictures don’t lie. They don’t fudge on portion sizes (consider placing something like a fork in the picture so that you can assess for scale), and they show everything on your plate. They even document the times when you skip using the plate (not a good weight loss tactic, by the way).

Research indicates that keeping a photographic food diary may work even better than a written one.

What to do with these photos? A simple, free solution is to set up a free blog at BariatricPal. You decide whether you want to keep it private (for your eyes only) or open it up to friends or to the world (accountability helps). New apps and options are being developed as we speak. For those on Twitter, this app, for tweeting what you’re eating, allows you to add pictures to your tweets and says it will be streamlining the process in the near future.

What do you think? Have you used a food diary (written or photo-based)? How has it worked for you? What has helped you stick with it, or what has gotten in your way? Please share your thoughts by adding a comment.

What a great idea for those that really don't want to take the time to write it all down!

I've used MyFitnessPal for almost two years now and highly recommend it. It's quick, easy and makes you accountable - to you. I have found that it establishes an irrefutable link between what I put in my mouth and what I see on the scales. That link is reinforced every day. And perhaps more importantly, the control and confidence that my log gives me is beyond priceless.

Enjoying those special occasions in life that involve food will often result in a little weight gain. I simply adjust my calorie goal down by 100-200 calories for a day or two and my weight comes right back down. I've done it not just once or twice but many times. You don't have to do that too many times before your confidence goes right through the roof. You don't think you're in control, you know you're in control. You no longer stress or worry about enjoying a special occasion because you know you can correct it.

Food logs/apps/photos are an enormously powerful tool that should be in everyone's toolbox!