Susan Combs, Texas Comptroller, reports that obesity is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases and that it has reached epidemic proportions globally. A third of the world’s adult populations was reported to be obese or overweight in 2005, and if current trends continue the share could reach 57.8 percent by 2030. The United States has already passed that milestone. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 63.2 percent of U.S. adults were obese or overweight in 2009.
Texas is in even worse shape — two-thirds of Texans (66.7 percent) are overweight or clinically obese. According to the CDC, U.S. adult obesity rates rose from 11.6 percent in 1990 to 27.1 percent in 2009. In Texas, our share of adults who are obese more than doubled from 12.3 percent to 29.5 percent. Over the same period, the share of Texas adults at normal weight fell sharply, from 57.1 percent to just 33.1 percent, a drop of 42 percent.
With two out of every three people living in the United States being overweight or obese how can individuals take charge of their health? Keeping a food diary may be the key that unlocks the door to long-term weight loss and health. By making oneself aware of the calories they ingest and the amount of calories used with daily exercise weight loss, weight gain and weight maintenance are all possible. Success arises when the individual begins tracking their food and exercise.
Keeping a diet record helps you become more mindful of what you are eating, how much you are eating, and whether or not you are meeting calorie and nutrient goals. Before nutritional analysis software programs existed, only dietitians or those with the patience of a saint were likely to perform manual calculations of calorie and nutrient intake.
A study published, August 2008, in the AmericanJournal of Preventive Medicine, included 1,685 overweight or obese U.S. adults aged 25 and older.
For six months, they kept food diaries and were encouraged to eat a healthy diet and be physically active. They also met weekly in groups to share their food diaries and brush up on skills like how to judge portion size.
After six months, participants had shed almost 13 pounds, on average. The most powerful predictor of their weight loss was how many days per week they kept their food diary, says Victor Stevens, PhD, senior investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore.
Tips for Keeping a Food Diary
Write as you go. Don’t wait until the end of the day to record what you’ve eaten. At the end of the day it is harder to remember exactly what you ate.
Learn portion sizes. Use measuring cups, spoons or food scales. It won’t take long before you realize that there is far more that a ¼ of cheese on your breakfast taco. measuring cups, measuring spoons or food scales.
Use whatever type of food diary that works for you. It doesn’t matter how you keep record of what you are eating. All that matters is that you do it consistently. In today’s fast paced iPhone and Android world it is easy to find an application that will help you record your diet and exercise. With the right app you can even scan the bar code of foods and it will automatically be added to your food diary.
In the coming weeks the San Antonio Fitness Examiner will be looking at many of the mobile apps available to help you record you diet and exercise.
Even moderate weight loss may improve your health and confidence. Start journaling today and see the benefits tomorrow.
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