Bronte - Thanks! We can kinda turn it into a sort of experiment (for lack of a better word) if you like? First, put as much food as you think it's supposed to be on your plate (or in a scoop, or however it's served), and then see how it measures up to the actual cups. Is that something you'd be interested in?
Then at the end of the week, you can see how well your estimates compared to the cups. Whether anything was over or under, that sort of thing.
Cupcake - What are some of your go-to meals that you use for meal planning? Is there any one recipe you like to use often that is a good balance between being healthy and easy to prepare? I know I hate getting into a meal rut, and if you have a recipe I haven't used before, I might have to snag it from you!
ETA -- Here is a good article on the benefits of keeping a food journal: https://summertomato.com/7-reasons-keeping-a-food-journal-is-better-than-counting-calories/
The bullet points in the article are:
1. Mindfulness, not calories, is the key
2. Calorie data can be inaccurate
3. Calorie needs change daily, and with body weight
4. Calorie limits encourage the “what-the-hell effect”
5. Counting calories encourages “nutritionism”
6. Food journaling helps you identify habits <--- this is the biggest one, I think. You can see the days you're over-eating and a journal helps identify WHY it happens. Once you recognize the triggers, you can learn how to avoid them.
7. Counting calories feels neurotic
Another article, https://www.builtlean.com/2010/06/11/part-1-7-reasons-to-keep-a-food-journal/ , gives further reasons:
4) Identify reasons for binge eating
5) Provides a hard, objective record of our habits
And WebMD recommends recording time of day your meal was and the portion size, in addition to the level of hunger you felt at that time. This helps you learn to tailor your meals to your personal level of hunger, and change things like the amount of protein or fiber you eat to help you feel full longer. If you notice that you're always hungry immediately after lunch, for example, you can make a change.
Remember, ladies - the reason I challenged us all to keep a journal for a week isn't because there's something wrong with what you're already doing. It's because last week, almost every one of us said we didn't do well with eating for one reason or another, AND because keeping a food journal isn't just for counting calories and portions.
It's only 7 days for this challenge, just to see if journaling helps. If you don't care for it, the end of the week can be the end of your journaling. If you like it, you can stick with it!
