33. Food intake log: Records from the first 3 days and self-assessment of weight gain.

Part 1: Food Flow Chart

It's really easy to achieve balanced nutrition and rapid weight loss!

When you want to lose weight, you shouldn't eat certain foods; this is an easy method to think of right away.

Indeed, if you don't eat, you might lose weight quickly. However, this also means that the muscles that help the body burn calories, as well as calcium, which women often lack, will decrease along with the fat.

People who try to lose weight often experience a cycle of weight loss and weight gain, unable to maintain their weight loss in the long run. The main reason for this is often the result of unreasonable dietary control. Furthermore, because the weight regain after weight loss is due to fat accumulation, what might have been a "difficult-to-lose-weight" physique can become an "overweight" physique, making weight loss even more difficult! In the dietary control step, we've designed a memorable and personalized table. Simply memorize the relationship between food and the graph, and master a few key points, and you can easily remember the nutritional content of each meal. There are no complicated calorie calculations here; just follow the table step by step, and you'll see significant weight loss results. If you're skeptical, try it for a week and you might immediately feel that "healthy weight loss" is so easy!

As we age, our basal metabolic rate naturally decreases year by year. At this point, our weight loss philosophy should no longer be based on irrational methods like "any means necessary to achieve weight loss." I suggest you calm down and carefully consider how to lose weight healthily and thoroughly. At first glance, all those tables may seem daunting, but they're actually not complicated at all.

So let's start today!

Dietary record for the first 3 days of Phase 1

For the first three days, without pressure or deliberate control, please use a dedicated food intake log to record everything you eat throughout the day. It's best to record your height, weight, and measurements before starting this weight loss plan for reference.

Key points of the first 3 days' food diary

1. Carry a diary with you and write down what you eat as soon as possible.

2. How long did you spend eating each meal? Please write down the approximate number of minutes.

3. The level of fullness at each meal is assessed in three levels: "very full" (marked with ◎), "enough" (marked with ○), and "80% full" (marked with △).

4. Weigh yourself three times a day: after waking up, after dinner, and before bed. Also remember to measure and record the measurements on the areas you are most concerned about for fat accumulation each day.

5. After the meal, mark any condiments added to the side dishes, butter spread on the bread, jam, etc., as well as anything you ate that has nothing to do with being hungry, with an "X".

Interpretation

A-1: Write down even the smallest bite of food you eat during the cooking process.

Sometimes, it's just a bite of sausage or a piece of biscuit out of curiosity. Although the portion is small, it completely fills up your stomach-that's an undeniable fact. While this may be a bit of an exaggeration, please still record everything you ate in the previous three days, even if it's just a single grain of rice.

The first goal of food diary is to not treat recording as a painful thing, but to make it a habit.

A-2: Record the total time it takes to finish a meal, in minutes.

It takes at least 15-20 minutes for our brains to send the "I'm full" signal when we eat. If we finish eating too quickly, we're more likely to overeat before we feel full. Also, finishing a meal too quickly often leads to cravings afterwards, making it easy to reach for a piece of cake, a slice of rice cracker, or other snacks. Chewing slowly and thoroughly, even with the same amount of food, will make you feel fuller. Therefore, please try to take about 30 minutes to eat a meal.

A-3: Distinguish between "enough" and "very full".

Using calories to control the amount of food we eat is not only complicated, but also difficult to adjust according to individual constitution. Therefore, we use the feeling of fullness at each meal to achieve the goal of reasonably controlling food intake.

Many people know that eating until you're "80% full" at each meal is enough to sustain your energy throughout the day, but many people often unknowingly eat until they're stuffed. Therefore, keeping track of how full you feel at each meal not only helps remind you that you've eaten enough, but if you carefully examine the relationship between the food you eat and your feeling of fullness, you'll also find that some foods, though small in quantity, provide a good sense of satiety.

Find the source of your weight gain through diet

After completing your 3-day food diary, please answer the following 6 questions:

1. On average, how many times a day do you eat snacks besides three meals?

2. How many times within 3 days did the stir-fried or deep-fried foods appear?

3. How many times in 3 days did the ◎ mark indicating "very full" appear?

4. How many times in 3 days did you drink packaged iced beverages?

5. How many times have you added or dipped mayonnaise, cream, or ketchup into your side dishes or main courses?

6. How many times have you finished your meal within 10 minutes?

Interpretation

1. If your answer to any of the six questions above is "3", it means that your weight gain is roughly as described in the question. For example, Xiaojun answered "5" to both questions 3 and 4. We can preliminarily summarize that Xiaojun has two main reasons for her weight gain due to her diet: First, she eats too much at every meal. In fact, it is enough to eat until you are 80% full at each meal. Second, she drinks packaged beverages frequently. It is best to change this habit because packaged beverages are high in sugar and calories and do not have much health benefits.

After recording your progress for three days, this test will easily reveal the root cause of your weight gain. You should definitely try recording it!

2. Many women gain weight after their first childbirth, and many consider this normal. However, the real reason for postpartum weight gain is that many women maintain their pre-pregnancy eating habits and portion sizes even after completing their postpartum confinement period, as if they would be hungry if they ate less. Therefore, they struggle to lose weight! This situation is likely reflected in questions 1 and 2. Now that you know the reason, make the necessary changes!

3. As we age, our basal metabolic rate decreases, making it easier to gain weight from the same amount of food. This is a normal physiological phenomenon. Therefore, the older you get, the more careful you need to be with your diet to avoid obesity. People who habitually add large amounts of cream, ketchup, and other seasonings are likely to gain weight if they continue this diet, as these seasoned foods are quite high in calories.

The second stage involves learning the marking and coloring techniques.

From now on, set the following 7 goals as your objectives.

Goal 1: Reduce the number of times you eat snacks outside of meals to less than half.

Objective 2: Reduce the frequency of stir-fried and deep-fried dishes by half.

Goal 3: Don't eat until you're completely full at every meal. At least one of your lunches or dinners, eat until you're about 80% full.

Goal 4: Avoid cold drinks and alcohol unless absolutely necessary. Instead, drink plain water, warm tea, or unsweetened black tea.

Goal 5: Choose oil-free sauces. Reduce the amount of butter and mayonnaise used by half.

Goal 6: Stop the behavior of "snacking" before and after meals.

Goal 7: Spend more than 30 minutes on each meal.

Having documented the first three days and understood the eating habits I've unconsciously developed, it's time to begin journaling. Before starting, read the symbols and their meanings on the next page, and strive to achieve the seven goals outlined above.