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Get a Handle on Your Health by Writing Down Everything You Eat
Posted by Adam Pash at 8:00 AM on August 21, 2008
Healthy blogger Ali Hale suggests that an important key to maintaining or losing weight is knowing exactly what you're eating, and the way to do that: Write down everything you eat for a week. Hale lists five reasons why writing down everything you eat will change your habits. For example:
Within a day, you'll realise just how much you snack. A bag of chips mid-morning, a cookie from a colleague's stash, a few bits of candy... it all adds up. You might find you're eating more in snacks than in proper meals.
You don't need to plunk down $150 for a Wii Fit to track your progress toward a healthier body—even if that downhill skiing game looks mighty fun. If you're trying to curb unnecessary calories and stick to an exercise plan, there are tons of free applications that want to see you succeed. Whether you're facing a fast-food menu or polishing off a light entree, you can log, track, and make healthy decisions from your desktop, or just as easily from a phone. Take a look at a few suggestions for accomplishing your fitness goals, after the jump. Photo by 
The Dumb Little Man blog has a suggestion for all of us who can't help but feel the shameful pull of the drive-thru lane when we're hungry or just pressed for meal-planning time. Every night, empty your fast food (or candy, soda, or other junk food) receipts into a jar by your bed. Then ...
The 
The New York Times taps registered dietician Marissa Lippert for 10 picks of the all-around best (read: healthy) snack foods you can stockpile in your desk or office refrigerator at work. The list covers the gauntlet, from granola bars to chocolate to popcorn, but guarantees a healthier version of the snack than you're probably used to (provided you keep your portions under control). Hit the original post for the Times' 10 best picks, and when you're finished come on back and share your favourite and legitimately healthy work snacks in the comments—just be sure to steer clear of those 
Weblog Ririan Project shares good advice on how to build up muscle mass in no time. Protein consumption is an important part of the mix.
The New York Times reviews a book called Eat This, Not That!, a nutrition guide full of images of foods you shouldn't eat and their healthier substitutes. The book also has a section highlighting 20 of the country's worst foods, and the article republishes eight of them, categorised with names like "worst fast food meal" and "worst drink". The "winners"?
Reader's Digest rounds up 10 tips to control your cravings and stay on point with your diet, including a simple and excellent craving killer: a handful of nuts and water. 
Get into a healthy diet by following a Calorie Counter's excellent beginner's diet guide. Learn the basics of nutrition and get definitions of nutritional facts (calories, fat, carbohydrates, sodium, etc.). Craft a diet after determining how many calories you should be consuming each day, and then select the foods that will supply those calories. Organise your food intake, whether with a written plan or with improvisation. Most importantly, once your diet is planned, be consistent. Once you understand the basics of nutrition, turn your diet into a permanent way of living and you can make it healthy and a lot of fun.
