The good news today is that I have completed a free food diary to share with you! It took me a little bit longer to complete than I planned but that’s nothing new. Seems like everything takes me longer than I would like. However, the bad news is that my attempt to upload the file, to the site that will host the form, did not work. I’ve been told the situation will be resolved within a few days. I’ll let you know when it is available for download.

In the meantime, I want to encourage you to consider journaling. The benefits of journaling are many and go beyond the return you may get with respect to gaining insight about your food habits. If you would like to try journaling and learn more about the benefits, I recommend you visit the Journal Writing Topics blog written by a new friend of mine. Be sure to read “How to Journal without Fear” This informative post will get you off to a good start!

As I mentioned in my previous post on Keeping a Food Diary you want to keep track of your feelings when you eat. By keeping brief notes with a food diary you may see a pattern emerge that may help to shed light on when you eat for emotional hunger rather than physical hunger.

We all have moments when eat for reasons other than hunger. Through a series of VERY complicated physiological feedback loops, our bodies have a way of adjusting our later food intake to maintain energy balance. If you would like to see just HOW complicated this is take a peek just for fun at a review page posted on the web on appetite control from the Journal of Endocrinology. Scroll down the page a ways and you will quickly get an idea of why it may be all too easy to get this system out of whack!

What is rather amazing is that the physiological feedback system works at all, for anyone! It is possible to regain the ability to perceive and follow your bodies’ internal cues to appetite. But it takes time and effort. A food diary can help you pinpoint what “triggers” you to eat when you are not physically hungry. This is a start. Look for patterns in your behavior. Journal to explore the feelings that come up as well as your thoughts about what you might do to address those feelings in a way that does not involve eating.

How are you doing with the holiday season and food? I have found there to be an overabundance of food all year round. But it gets worse at this time of the year! If you would like some tips on how to manage your appetite and the continual temptations to eat be sure to read 15 Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain. And if those tips don’t work for you then journal! (Either online or off with pen and paper.)