Food Diary - Best Weight Loss Tool

Happy 2009! Once you've swept up the confetti and ate the last bite of spinach dip, you are likely to look at your waistline and think -- yep, it's time to do something about weight loss and fitness. The simplest tool may be the best one - keep a food diary. Researchers found simply writing down everything you ate really helped most people to lose twice as much weight as those who didn't. I have simple food diary pages you can print out. When you have to write it down, you are more likely to skip some cookies or chips. Small changes like that add up to better eating habits.

You can set up a free food and exercise log online at Calorie Count. The Calorie Count log replaced what I used to pay for online at the Weight Watchers site. You can find calorie totals for many types of food, or analyze your own recipes for calories and nutrition. It even gives you a daily score for the nutrition in your diet.

Here is my three-step weight loss program for you:

• Put on a pedometer to log 2000 more steps per day than you already do.
• Start a food and exercise diary.
• Join my free Walk of Life 10-Week Program to encourage you to walk more and eat better each day.