Keep a Food Diary

In my post Friday, I said I’d report to you how my South Beach Diet went over the weekend. Well, I didn’t stick to Phase I perfectly — but I did avoid rice, potatoes, and pasta. I passed up two chances for French Fries and opted for a salad instead. You know, the Asian Salad at McDonald’s is not bad at all — and my 18-month-old loves the mandarin oranges.

Over the weekend, I took two big steps toward improving my health. The first thing is that I got out my dusty ol’ TREADMILL (do you have one?), moved it to a nice location in front of our basement window, and I’ve used it three days in a row. Not walking, but running. My friend who jogs three miles a day in half an hour on her treadmill has inspired me.

The trick is to have the radio or TV on so your mind doesn’t get bored. I got a cheap headset that attaches to my waistband — and I’m going to plan my jogs around radio programs I like to listen to. My favorite is Focus on the Family, which comes on at 5 am. Winter’s coming, folks — and we gotta stay active or we’ll pack on the pounds. (And remember, jogging burns twice as many calories as walking.)

Secondly, I started keeping a Food Diary, like my friend suggested. Mine has four categories: Water, Food, Caffeinated Drinks, and Exercise. I write down every time I drink a glass of water — and so far, I’ve been drinking between 7-9 glasses of water a day. (My cup holds 16 ounces). It’s surprising when you write down what you eat — a little snack here and there really adds up in calories. Writing it down is like having an accountability partner, which so many of us need.

Do you keep a food diary? How much water do you drink a day? How much caffeine do you drink a day? What are you doing to improve your long-term health?