Starting & keeping a food diary...
When getting started onto a new program, it is important to look back at what you are doing NOW - before making changes.
The easiest way to do this is through a food diary - it might be a book, a desk diary, or, an app/website -myfitnesspal (my personal favourite).
The only way you will improve is by understanding what it is you are doing now. The best way to do this is to keep a food log, or journal. Record everything you eat in a day and in a week is the number one starting point for any client. These will only work if you are completely honest with yourself.
Food journaling can be overwhelming, especially when you first get an idea of how much you’ve really been eating—it can come as a shock, or, it may help to itentify that you just might not be eating enough! Which is a very common cause for a plateu in weight loss journeys.
Once you have an idea of your habits, take it a day at a time and pick one area to work on. Maybe you drink too many soft drinks, juice, eat multiple mini chocolates or pick at food whilst cooking.
Focus on getting in more water for the week - it'll assist in flushing out bad toxins, help remove excess water weight (yes, you hold onto water if you're not having enough!). Then the next week, add in another goal.
Some small changes can include:
Adding more vegetables to your meals;
Eating less processed foods; and
One less chocolate or alcoholic beverage during the week.
It is all about identifying where you can make SMALL and ATTAINABLE goals. These are very important and are the key to a long term lifestyle change.
Keep it simple.