What’s in a name?

Its probably fairly obvious that I enjoy writing. As a result, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the concept of keeping a food journal has not been that big of a deal to me for most of the past five years. Nevertheless, when I first began tracking my eating, I was definitely a reluctant passenger.

As I mentioned recently, for me there has been (and sometimes can still be) a certain amount of shame and embarrassment associated with eating. So when I was first told that maintaining a daily food diary was the key to my weight loss success, I was despondent. It seemed like a punishment to have to actually “fess up” to everything that was crossing my lips.

The thing that helped me get past my initial reluctance was the almost immediate success that I had. Within a few short weeks I was losing weight and gaining tons of insight into what foods I was eating that worked and what didn’t work. And over the next months I began exploring all kinds of new ideas and behaviors, based on the information revealed to me in the process of writing everything down.

Most people that I work with in the weight management arena seem to think that journaling need only be a temporary thing. They just want to get some good habits underway and then not have to spend so much time and energy fussing with a daily log. And I understand that. Not everyone shares my love of writing, nor do they share my enjoyment of introspection and self-analysis. So I wish anyone well whose choice is to exercise portion control and good health on a sort of self-correcting autopilot.

For me, however, I know that the sloppier my tracking, the more likely there is to be something going on. The time that I gained the most weight in recent years coincided not incidentally with the period when I stopped trying to monitor and keep track. And again, as I mentioned in a recent post, during this past holiday season I started to get “sneaky” and a little mendacious in my efforts.

Fortunately, the past two days I have rediscovered something. Its that first “aha!” feeling I had when the journaling thing began to work. Looking at the information in my log as “data” rather than a “value judgement” is very, very helpful.

Equally helpful has been *how* I’ve been journaling. In recent months, many of my entries would say “salad” or “breakfast” or “snack.” This weekend, however, I’ve begun to spend the time to fill up all the space in my spreadsheet with fuller explanations.

Romaine and spinach greens with mushrooms and organic salsa

Sundried tomato flat bread, filled with steamed veggies, soy and spicy mustard

Toasted Whole Foods Five-Seed Bread with fat-free cottage cheese and cinnamon

Etc. etc.

What this does is two-fold: it helps me remember more clearly exactly what foods are filling and satisfying, and it also reminds me of something rather important – that is, the fact that I really, really love to eat!

Once my log becomes a record of tasty-sounding meals and snacks, it becomes clear that food is something I use not just for nutrition, but also for enjoyment and entertainment. So it makes sense if I’m eating a variety of sweet things that I’m trying to feel good. Or that if I’m having lean protein and egg-whites I’m trying to build strength. Neither one is better than the other, just so long as they’re mixed properly.

And now I think its time for a snack. Or rather, I think I’ll slice up some “fresh organic strawberries” and put them in a nice ceramic bowl.