Thought it would be interesting and educational to start a thread on all things regarding food logs. Share your thoughts, experiences, questions, successes, failures, news, research, favorite apps, frustrations, benefits, opinions, favorite features, ideas for improving apps and tips for getting the most from your food log.

I believe that food logs are the most powerful tool we have for achieving The Prime Directive - lifestyle changes. What do you think?

I think I will be watching this post very closely. I am just a few day from surgery and need all the info/help I can get.

Rick

My nut is always sighing because I don't keep a food log. I am going to put my best effort towards it post op.

SD:8/21/13

Just one of the great things about food logs is they work exactly the same way pre-op, rapid weight loss, and maintenance. Now is a great time to get started. It's an adjustment and it takes a little time to get used to. The more you log, the more you the learn. The more you learn, the more powerful it becomes. Nothing brings all of the elements of The Prime Directive - lifestyle changes - together like food logs. Commit to it and you'll lose more weight, lose it faster, and perhaps most importantly of all - maintain it. You're gonna love the new you!!

My nut is always sighing because I don't keep a food log. I am going to put my best effort towards it post op.

SD:8/21/13

I have fought against food logs for a long time, but they really do work. With today's technology you can do it from your smart phone or computer. It is always with you.

Once you get used to it - it really helps with you decisions for the day.

I'm pretty obsessive about my food log. My husband asks can we completely finish a meal without me pulling my phone out immediately. I need the accountability and it keeps me on track.

I also am obsessive about my food log. My husband was actually joking ( I hope) about me being addicted to my food log. Everything that goes in my mouth gets logged. It has been instrumental in keeping me honest and on track.

I also am obsessive about my food log. My husband was actually joking ( I hope) about me being addicted to my food log. Everything that goes in my mouth gets logged. It has been instrumental in keeping me honest and on track.

Me too. If that's my only addiction, I'll take it. It's crucial to me.

My nut is always sighing because I don't keep a food log. I am going to put my best effort towards it post op.

SD:8/21/13

I kept a log all of two days. I know I should begin doing it. If I set a goal of logging food for one week (just to get started), then maybe I'll get better at keeping it. Baby steps... :-)

I also am obsessive about my food log. My husband was actually joking ( I hope) about me being addicted to my food log. Everything that goes in my mouth gets logged. It has been instrumental in keeping me honest and on track.

Mine has called me rude I've actually looked up things he was eating and started

Telling him about it. He does NOT like that

I'm using sparkpeople for my food and exercise. I find it easy to use. I am much better logging during the week then I am over the weekend. At work, I usually log what Im eating during the day and I what I ate the night before. I have not been the greatest about making sure my portions are exact to what I'm logging though. I'm guess ta mating which can through me off from actuality. I know that food logs are a power tool to use, I just need to fine toon it.

I kept a log all of two days. I know I should begin doing it. If I set a goal of logging food for one week (just to get started)' date=' then maybe I'll get better at keeping it. Baby steps... :-)[/quote']

Well if you want we could be food logging buddies. I just started last week. I will do what ever I can to keep you motivated.

Mine has called me rude I've actually looked up things he was eating and started

Telling him about it. He does NOT like that

Lol. The perfect example of how logging your food increases your awareness of what you're eating. The news isn't always good. But it doesn't mean that you can not, or even should not, enjoy a special meal. When your calorie count jumps you can make a minor 100-200 calorie adjustment for a day or two and be back on track with your average calorie goal. It's about control, not denial. And control starts with awareness. Let's call this "Food Log Benefit #1"! I wonder how long our list of benefits will grow to?!

I'm using sparkpeople for my food and exercise. I find it easy to use. I am much better logging during the week then I am over the weekend. At work, I usually log what Im eating during the day and I what I ate the night before. I have not been the greatest about making sure my portions are exact to what I'm logging though. I'm guess ta mating which can through me off from actuality. I know that food logs are a power tool to use, I just need to fine toon it.

I'm right there with you - portions are tough. Studies have shown that in the absence of accurate measuring, people will underestimate portions 95% of the time. I don't know about you guys but I just don't have the patience (or the time) to measure every single thing I eat.

So I do two things - first we have a digital scale (and measuring cup) in our kitchen and we keep it easily accessible. Every now and then I estimate the weight (or volume) of something I'm about to eat and then throw it on the scale (or in the cup) just to see how close I am. And yeah, I have underestimated just about every time. But I have noticed that I am slowly getting more accurate with my estimates as the result of my periodic checks.

So realizing that I'm pretty bad at estimating, the second thing I do is slightly increase the portions that I put into my log for things that I can't (or don't) measure. If I'm going to err, I'd rather be on the side of too high rather than too low.

Good morning guys! Thought I'd share my "numbers" from last week.

Carbs/Fat/Protein percentages: 40/27/33

Weight last Monday: 151.8

Weight this morning: 151.8 (active week)

Calories: 566 OVER weekly goal (based on daily calorie average goal of 1620 calories).

Protein: 803g for the week. My doctor recommends 100g a day.

Carbs: About 15% BELOW goal. Especially good news and a little surprising since I had some homemade ham and bean Soup on Wednesday. Really, really good stuff but a cup and half of that soup was 161g of carbs. Ugh.

Fiber: 26g OVER goal. That's good news since I've been trying to increase my Fiber (veggies). This is the first week in three months that I've met or exceeded MFP's recommended fiber goal of 129g per week.

Sodium: 2402mg OVER goal. Does anyone else besides me struggle with salt? It just makes everything taste better! I ain't giving up salt or coffee without a fight!

I was thinking this morning about how food logs tell a story. Your story. You are the author. Sometimes the news is good. Sometimes not so good. But it's always your story.

So my plan for this week:

- Going to try to increase my average calorie count about 100 a day and see if I can get back to my minimum weight of 153. Had the same plan this past week and met the calorie goal but was more active than usual so burned off the additional calories. I'm surprised at how quickly my weight responds to modest increases in activity.

- Want to see if I can hit that fiber goal two whole weeks in a row. It isn't that I don't like veggies. I just don't like the time it takes to prep 'em. Gotta work on that. No excuses!

So how about you guys? What was your story for last week?

Well if you want we could be food logging buddies. I just started last week. I will do what ever I can to keep you motivated.

Thank you! I haven't even started yet! I should do it right now...