A massive study of 2,000 dieters found that the single best predictor of whether a participant would drop weight was whether the person recorded the food they ate (ie, a food journal).

In fact, the number of days they wrote in their log determined the number of pounds they lost.

Read that again!

Amount of exercise wasn't the most important ... age didn't matter ... body mass index didn't matter. The difference was the food log. And it's such a simple, easy thing to do!

How is that possible? How could something so simple, work so well?

Why It Works

One reason it works so well is awareness. Awareness is part of "mindful eating". You're forced to think about what you're eating. This helps anybody, but does wonders for emotional eaters.

Also, a journal can help you unload your brain. When you transfer your thoughts to paper, you become more refreshed and able to progress faster. Even if you can only write a few sentences each day, writing itself can be very therapeutic.

Plus, when you write things down instead of trying to remember them, it frees up your brain's energy for other more important things.

With everything going on in your life, it's impossible to remember every single thing you ate and how you felt. Don't try to rely on memory.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana said that in 1905.

The scary thing is that if you don't remember the past you aren't just repeating history, you don't even know you are! Remembering the past is powerful. And being fully aware is powerful.

You can go back and see patterns. You can troubleshoot problems. (More on this below)

Journaling is also just a great way to see how far you have come, to celebrate your success!

Results Happen Automatically

You don't really have to understand exactly why journaling works... it just does!

Over time, the simple act of logging your food will naturally influence your behavior... no self-criticism, self-flogging, or brow-beating required!

What exactly do you write?

It can be very simple: Write down everything you eat during the day. (And how much water you drink.)

When you are first starting out, it's helpful to write down every little food you eat, to keep you fully aware -- no one is watching or judging! But if you don't want to get extremely detailed, you don't have to. It's more important that you actually keep doing it. If details make you want to quit, then simplify it.

You should also try to record the thoughts, feelings and experiences you are having. When you write how you feel and how you are doing day after day, you can see what's working and what isn't so in the future you can pick and choose strategies.

When do you write? Immediately!

Get into the habit of writing down what you eat (or drink) immediately afterward so you don't forget.

Log Everything... Even the "Bad Stuff"

When you have had a bad eating day, it's tempting to not log it in your food journal or nutrition tracker. I mean, you KNOW you went over your calorie limit, or ate food you didn't intend to. What's the point? It can also be upsetting to enter it all and find out you overate by 1000 calories or whatever. But it's a mistake to avoid logging a food... even the bad stuff.

Remember, your journal is not there to heap guilt on yourself. It's simply an impartial, silent, honest record of what really happened. Here are some ways your food journal can help you:

Logging it all keeps you accountable. You're only shortchanging and cheating yourself if you aren't being honest. If you don't log everything, it's a bit like you've given yourself permission to eat whatever you don't log. Logging everything gets it off your mind so you can move forward.
Logging everything means you can go back and analyze cause and effect. If you are gaining weight or weight is not coming off, it might tell you why. You may also discover that the "bad" day didn't really do much -- that you have much more flexibility than you ever thought! Or maybe eating more actually helped (see Diet Vacations / Take Breaks). If you choose to work with a coach or nutritionist, your record will help them help you.

"Pre-Logging" Foods: This is a good idea that works well if you are wanting to eat something you probably shouldn't. If you are using a nutrition tracker, you can enter the food or "pre log" it to find out the calories, fat and nutrition data. If you decide it's worth it, go ahead and eat it. Otherwise delete it and move on. If you aren't using a tracker, you can still figure out the calories and fat by looking it up online or in a nutrition data tool.

Extra Details Can Help

Although keeping it simple is just fine, certain extra details are extremely helpful.

Such as:

Your weight (once daily at the same time)
What you ate for breakfast ... lunch ... dinner ... snacks
How much you ate
The time you ate.
Water intake (make a mark for each glass or each cup).
What you intended to eat, versus what you actually ate

Other useful data:

How you felt before eating (emotional state - what is driving you to eat?)
How hungry you were before eating
How full or hungry you were after eating (satiety)
How you are feeling in general (emotional mood, stress, energy, etc).
Adjustments to your previous routines.
Any deviations or mistakes.

What to Write In

You'll need something to write in of course. It should be readily available anytime. You will probably want to carry it with you.

It could be as simple as a small pad of paper and a pen. Get it at any store with office supplies.

Or use your smartphone. You can search app stores for "food journal", but those can get overly complicated. A regular journal app will work well. It will also be useful once you are *off* the diet. A couple of suggestions: - For iPhone, try the "Day One App". - For Android, try "Memories: The Diary".

Should I Keep Track of Calories?

For journaling to work, you don't have to count calories -- just record what you eat in general as described above. Counting calories is a different tactic that can work for different reasons and it depends on your personality and preferences. There are calorie-counting apps you can use on your phone that are very helpful. We talk more about calories throughout this site. For an interesting take on calories, see Calories as a budget.

Extra Credit: Keep a General Personal Journal

This is optional... but you should realize a daily journal works just as well for every area of your life. In other words, you can also write down your personal thoughts and events that occur in your every day life.

Your weight loss efforts ARE directly tied to your whole life. It doesn't exist in a vaccum. So you can find patterns with your weight or eating problems by also noting what is happening in your everyday life.

Keeping a personal journal is a very emotionally healing activity
It helps you troubleshoot your life in general.
It clarifies your thoughts.
Writing is a universal, valuable on-the-job skill ... it's used everywhere.
By writing daily, you automatically become better at it.
(It could also be the beginning of a future book, a popular blog or website!)

For a general journal, set aside a specific time and place where you can concentrate and relax. Maybe first thing in the morning. Aim for a certain time, like 10 minutes (if little time), or 30 minutes if you can.

Then just start. Free associate. Don't be critical. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation. Just write. Reflect.

Write about what you want in life ... (and your subconscious mind will become engaged and help you get it!)

A simple journal (food and personal) is more valuable than you realize. But you won't know until you do it!

Don't make it more difficult than it needs to be ... just get started ... today.