I am wondering how many of you are journaling your food. Why or why not? My program recommended it but didn't say I had to. I haven't been and I am wondering if I should. If you are keeping track are you doing it on the computer? On paper?

Just curious!

I used to do it on WW. I lost a lot of weight when I did it. It was before the band. I lost about 20 pounds and got down to 150. I gained all that weight back though. It really worked for me though so Ive been thinking about doing it again. Ive just been too lazy to find a site online that I can use and I dont want to pay for WW every month. If anyone else has a good food/calorie tracking site could you post it?

Hello. I track my food, weight, daily exercise on FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal. I like it because it gives me handy little reports of how many calories I've burned vs. consumed. It also gives nice graphs of the breakdown of my nutrition (ie it can show me what percentage of my diet is fat, carbs, protein etc.) for one food at a time, one day at a time, one week at a time, one month at a time, etc. When I got my band I was using it religiously everyday. I've gotten a little lazy with it, but am starting to use it again in the past week. Its a very handy tool, and it can definitely be an eye opener. Sometimes I thought I was eating way less fat or carbs or something than I actually was. For activity tracking, it also has activities that you wouldn't think of like driving a car, going grocery shopping, etc. Its probably unnecessary to track those activities but I like to because it gives me the full picture of how many calories I've burned in a day (and actually, on a day where you drive a lot, do some shopping etc. the burned calories can really add up). It just makes me feel good about myself lol. You can also set weight goals and it will show you a graph which shows the change in your weight over time (I love looking at the downward trend...such a motivator!). Good luck!

Free Online Weight Loss Program and Free Fitness Programs at FitClick

FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal

Here are a couple of links of some free web sites that you can register on and create food journals and much more. I am not personally using them but I am seriously considering it for more accountability on my part!

Good Luck!

I do track everything I eat daily. Nothing fancy just a notebook on the counter, turn the page everyday and start with my morning coffee. I pretty much know the calories of most foods from the many diets I have already been on or will look it up if I don't know. It is amazing how fast calories add up! I have looked up Fitday and think it would be useful I just don't get on my computer at home everday and the notebook is right there. I sometimes track protein just to make sure I am staying on track.

This has also helped me to think a little more rationally about food. I was always an all or nothing type of person and would often eat less then was healthy on my diets. Keeping track on paper helps me to realize I can lose weight and still eat healthy - not restrict my diet to the point I am light headed and losing hair. I have actually done that in desperation before. The band is a long term affair. We don't have to lose weight overnight. Right now I am averaging 2 pounds a week, if I can stay anywhere close to that I will be very happy!

My most successful times in this "band-journey" has been when i journalled my food. and when i was totally honest.

i used sparkpeople.com

if you have I-Phone, there is a new application called "mynetdiary". it works with both your phone and computer.

and it's super easy

josie

Good question. I was banded 7/21/09 and went into this journey with alot of enthusiasm and doing everything to my ability to make this successful. www.thedailydinnerplate.com is a wonderful site to journal your food. They've made it so simple. It will tell you all your totals, carbs,proteins,fats,sugar,fiber. I am doing great and have lost 29 pounds. I know that I am in the time of healing, but the weight and inches are dropping, and I'm thrilled. It may not work for everyone, but I highly encourage you to journal your food. Good luck

I've been journaling, just because I'm still learning nutrition content, portion sizes, etc. For me, especially at work, it's a big pain in the ass so as soon as I feel comfortable, I will probably stop. If I notice that my weight loss is slowing down, I'll start back up again to see if there is a pattern.

For me, journaling reminds me of the countless times I tried losing weight in the past, it reminds me of dieting and I don't want to feel that way.

I keep a journal also, it started as a way to track Protein to make sure I was getting enough, and I'm still using it for that, but it's also a way to keep me honest, make me think before I put something into my mouth, and have as a reference for my dr and nutritionist for those times when the weight isn't coming off as it should. (Hello longest run-on sentence ever! lol)

I'm keeping it simple and writing everything down in a notebook I carry with me wherever I go. Lapband does have their own food tracking system which is one of the tools you get to help you on your journey after you registed with their site, but everytime I've tried it, my computer has crashed. Does anyone know if I need special software to use it or somerthing cuz it looks pretty cool.

I've been using the daily plate also. I LOVE that site! It's so easy to keep track of what I eat, my exercise, etc. I enjoy seeing the total calories/net calories after I enter my daily exercise :-P. It's a great motivator for me!

I've been using www.everydayhealth.com. Sounds very similar to the other ones that have been mentioned. Very easy to do. I chose this one because my sister, who lives far away suggested it. She uses this site and we set it up so that we can see each other's journals. It's fun and keeps us accountable. Journaling has been very helpful for me because I tend to nibble. When I write everything down, I have to acknowledge that I actually ate it! Seems silly but it's true! :thumbup:

First, the dailyplate is an awesome website..I use them regularly to figure out calorie/protein contents. There are also excellent websites to put in your recipes, servings, and they calculate for you.

I have been keeping a journal..by using a Weight Watchers 3 month journal that I happened to have lying around anyway..I just use the columns for calories and Protein. I haven't the last couple of days, but I've found that having done it for a month, I'm sticking with my "safe" foods thus far and know about the right combos. I'm sitting here thinking that I should keep on doing it anyway, just for good practice, and so that I keep myself honest.

While a lot of folks like the online thing, it's a pain for me, because I have to write it down anyway, I don't have an iPhone or anything spiffarific like that, so I just tote my little journal along, it's easier for me to keep track as I go along that way.

~Sonia

Thanks for all the responses on this. I think I have decided I should journal in some fashion. The question is how. I have the realize band and was using their site but frankly, it is a bit of a pain. The food listing doesn't seem very comprehensive. Fitday is better for that. But, I like Realize My Success because it has a place for Water and my Vitamin. I am thinking a more comprehensive database would prove more useful.

Oh and I also don't entirely like the fact my surgeon's office and look up my food intake. Makes me feel like I can't be honest. Why that is, I have no idea!

still undecided!

For me, journaling reminds me of the countless times I tried losing weight in the past, it reminds me of dieting and I don't want to feel that way.

See, this is why I have resisted thus far. I don't want to feel like that either. Although, I would like a record so if I am not doing so well, I can look back on what I ate when I was doing well.

I totally get where you are coming from on this.

Each day it just gets worse and worse. Journaling is definitely not my thing. I've tried both the online versions and pen and paper versions. I decided to stop doing it because I was at the point where I was doing it for the dietician, not myself. I write down what I eat and when I eat but if I don't have the nutrition info, too bad.

Like I said, IF (hopefully never) I start to slow down or plateau then I'll go back to doing it for a few weeks for another trend. Otherwise I want to be free from all former diet trends that I have done!

After I got home (I'd posted earlier at work), I "caught up" my journal for the last couple of days that I'd missed. It actually made me feel good, I've been on track without having to write it down. It was a positive reinforcement for me, to see it visually. It also helps me assess if I fluctuate a few pounds within days, to see if I did something funky, or if maybe I'm retaining Water or what. I am able to see patterns this way. It also is a nice reference, I find myself looking back at previous pages a lot to see different components of this or that, or some note that I jotted, or some amt./combo that was calorie-friendly. :-)

..I totally get the reminders of diets failed too though.. not worth it if that's what it brings you. Do what works! :-)

~Sonia