8. Don’t forget drinks …

I always record what I drink in my food diary. I do this for two reasons. Number one, I don’t drink nearly enough water, and increasing water intake is a goal of mine. So, I record my glasses of water to help me keep track. Also, things like cocktails and coffee drinks can actually contain a lot of hidden calories. So, don’t forget to record your liquid calories, too.

9. Review your entries …

A food journal doesn’t help much if I never use the information I write down. So, a great tip I have is to designate a time each week to sit down and review your food journal information. I look over mine each Sunday night before bedtime. It helps me notice trends, make new goals for the week, and keep track of how I’m doing.

10. Set goals …

It is very important to make your food journal work for you. A great way that I do that is by setting goals and using my food journal to help mark my progress. For instance, I’ve got my goal to drink at least 6 glasses of water a day, so I put a little check in the top right corner of each day’s page when I drink a glass. Using a food journal in goal setting can really help you get there faster! Here’s a great guide to setting weight loss goals from About.com.

11. Get saucy …

No, I don’t mean be rude in your food journal… I mean, don’t forget the little things like sauces and condiments that often derail our diets. I wasn’t recording things like ketchup, sour cream on the side, salad dressing, etc when I first started journaling. Then, when I reviewed my journal, I realized that hidden calories like that can add up to hundreds per day! So, be careful of that common mistake.

12. Add in calories …

A great way to increase the value of your food journal is to write down the calories in each item you eat or drink. I can tell you that this isn’t easy, though. I had a hard time because I didn’t know how many calories were in each thing I ate, and it was time consuming to look it up. So, I bought a tiny book that lists common foods and calories like this one , and it really helps me! Now, I can quickly add up my calories for the day and see if I’ve got enough for that ice cream sundae. :)

I hope these tips can help us all increase our use of food journals, because they can be such a valuable health and wellness tool. I know it can be daunting to being journaling about food, but I think that these 12 tips can really help us all get started.

Do you have other great journaling ideas? Let me know by posting them in the Comments section!

Other Great Healthy Weight Loss Tips:

Tips on Losing Weight:

• 23 Healthy Ways to Lose Weight …
• 12 Best Ways to Lose Weight …
• 5 Weight Loss Programs That Worked for Me …
• 10 Easy Weight Loss Rules You Must Know …
• 12 Easy Ways Not to Put Weight during Holidays …
• 7 Fastest Ways to Lose Weight …
• 3 Healthy Ways of Losing Weight …
• The “Real” Weight Loss Secret of the Stars …

Tips on Dieting:

• 10 Most Popular Diets – Have You Been on One ..?
• 11 Tips on How to Keep to Your Diet…
• 10 Delicious Desserts with Least Calories …
• 12 Delicious Low Calorie Foods …
• 7 Healthy Rules to Enjoy Red Meat …
• 5 Best Low Calorie Snacks …
• 15 Healthy Breakfast Ideas …
• 50 Healthiest Foods: An Ultimate Grocery Shopping List for Losing Weight …

Tips on Exercise:

• 10 Top Exercises to Lose Weight …
• 10 Ways to Burn More Calories during the Day …
• 3-Step Approach to Best Weight Loss Workouts …