Keeping a Food Journal

It’s a great idea to keep track of your weight loss journey, both for your own records and also to help your surgeon keep track of your progress. Looking back on where you’ve been will remind you of just how far you’ve come and how you’ve felt along the way. A diary or scrapbook is a good idea, too. Take pictures of yourself before and after surgery, from all angles, so that you can see the difference as you lose weight. Seeing a visual marker of your progress will be a fantastic reward for all of your hard work and can motivate you to never go back to old habits again.

It will also be a big help for you to keep track of your daily fluid intake post surgery.  Fluids are a huge part of your post-surgery life, and as you gradually progress to soft then solid food, you will learn what fluids are best for your diet and when is best to drink them. Most importantly, your fluids should be sugar free or very low in sugar. If you have a food journal, you can keep all of this information together, creating a daily log for your reference. You can also note and compare what worked and what didn’t, and use it as a reminder when meeting with your physician or nutritionist.

Some days you will find yourself eating very healthy foods and maintaining great portion control. And then there will be days when you eat poorly and your portion control leaves something to be desired. Looking back on journal entries, you will be able to see the factors that influenced your decisions on the good and bad eating days and adjust as necessary. You want to be aware of these influences, and how you felt emotionally and physically on particular days in order to help you avoid the triggers that ultimately lead to the bad days.

Feel free to be as detailed as possible in your journals. And stay positive – it can help you get right back on the wagon should you fall off.

Below, you can download a comprehensive food journal to fill out as completely as possible. You can also use online food journals or apps on your smartphone. Find out about some of our favorite weight loss apps.

Download a Sample Food Journal Template
Best iPhone Apps
Best Android Apps