You have seen it many times, the advice to write a food journal or exercise journal.
Well I want to advice you to write a WHY diary.

Why WHY? Well because it is so easy to write down everything we do or eat and then leave it at that.
I believe it is important to think about why we are doing things or eating the food we eat.

Sure it will help you to write down that at lunch time you only snacked crisps but will it tell you why you did it? I find that writing things down gives me a better perspective of things instead of just remembering it. Seeing something on paper is more ¨real¨.
If you want a printable journal that can be found at Changing Shape.

A basic example of what your WHY diary can look like;

6.45 - Breakfast. Two toast with peanut butter and jam, coffee. WHY: I am lazy and I like peanut butter and jam on toast.
9.30 - Snack. A Snickers bar. WHY: Hungry because of the bad breakfast I ate before.
11.30 - Snack again, another piece of chocolate. WHY: Hungry because my previous snack wasn't very filling.
12.30 - Lunch. Rice and chicken in the cafeteria only ate half but had a piece of strawberry dessert. WHY: I wasn't very hungry because of the chocolate I had before lunch. And I couldn't resist the strawberry dessert.
15.00 - Coffee break. A coffee and four biscuits. WHY: As I didn't eat a proper lunch I am getting hungry again.
17.00 - Leaving work. Stopped to get some groceries and bought a packet of Skittles that I ate on the way home. WHY: It's almost dinner time and I'm tired after a days work. I deserve some skittles.
18.30 - Dinner. Pasta Carbonara. WHY: It's dinnertime and I like pasta Carbonara.
20.30 - Night tea with cookies. WHY: Because I am used to snacking in front of the TV.

This is a very normal day for many. But writing down why can make us see why we did what we did. And how we need to change that. By eating a steadier breakfast we might not opt for that Snickers bar but a healthier sandwich or fruit. By eating a healthier morning snack we can skip that 11.30 chocolate that is doing us no good and we can enjoy our lunch better.
And so it goes for the rest of the day. Do you see the patter?

That is why you should not only write a food journal but a WHY journal. You can name it My Why Diary. And remember to write everyday.

Have you tried writing a food diary? Did it change the way you eat?