7 best food diaries: counting calories with pleasure!

An ancient Roman aphorism says: “ Hauritaquamcribro, quidiscerevultsinelibro”, which translated from Latin means “He who wants to study without a book draws water with a sieve.” If we slightly paraphrase this ancient wisdom, extending it to the modern realities of losing weight, you can make sure that it has not lost its relevance at all. “Anyone who wants to lose weight without a food diary draws water with a sieve!” This idea boils down to the statements of scientists who are tirelessly fighting the “plague of the 21st century” - the obesity epidemic.

When voicing the idea of keeping a food diary to their patients at the first appointment, nutritionists often encounter resistance. “Do I have nothing else to do?”, “Am I a mathematician, or what?”, “Do I really have to be tied to scales and a calculator now?” and even “Should I count calories right in front of the children?” - what kind of counterarguments are not used by those who are dissatisfied with this prospect and losing weight.

However, first of all, it is definitely worth it! Well, secondly, technological progress has advanced far enough to save you from using a calculator when doing calculations. What's more: you'll love counting calories!

Three main reasons to keep a weight loss diary

The inexorable laws of physics say that there is only one way to lose weight - “energy”. In order for “energy depots” in the form of fat reserves to disintegrate, the body’s energy consumption must exceed its intake. It is this fundamental connection that helps you clearly track your food diary.

As you know, energy is measured in kilocalories, or more simply put, calories. This means that the main task of losing weight is to reduce the amount of calories coming from food. Therefore, at the start of weight loss, experts set a “calorie threshold”, which should not be crossed until the extra pounds are completely defeated.

Typically, this limit is from 1000 to 1500 kcal. Determining how many calories we “eat” during the day (and sometimes at night) is possible only through a food diary, where everything we drink and eat is strictly recorded, including the weight of foods and, most importantly, their calorie content.

Those losing weight who at first try to shy away from keeping a diary ask the question: “Why don’t we eat exclusively healthy food?” It seems that the answer is obvious: everyone probably has friends who claim that they live on cabbage alone, deny themselves all gastronomic joys, almost starve - and for some reason their weight increases.

And only when they begin to scrupulously write down everything that they put into their mouths, the scales fall from their eyes: it turns out that in between eating cabbage they will either drink tea with cookies and sweets, or snack on cakes in a coffee shop, or be treated to dumplings...

And only when a person begins to keep a diary does he realize that each such “edible little thing” costs a good half of the daily calorie intake. And, as extensive practice shows, those who have “seen the light” immediately begin to successfully lose weight!

The second typical question from “dissenters”: “Isn’t it possible to determine the number of calories by eye?” Numerous experiments in which thousands of people took part show that it is possible, it is, of course, possible, but with a large degree of error - and always in the direction of a subjective reduction in the calorie content of the food eaten.

The “mistake” in the “by eye” assessment is from 30 to 50% underestimation of calories eaten! This applies to absolutely everyone, including nutrition professionals - be it a waiter, a chef, or even a doctor specializing in weight loss. Therefore, nutritionists recommend that in cases where there is no way to count the calories in a dish, double the estimated number that comes to mind. And keeping a calorie diary saves you from the need to wander in captivity of your arithmetic fantasies.

And finally, the diary will help you constantly make sure that you are on the right path: that is, you are eating what you need, and in the quantities that you need. In addition, the diary comes with a weight loss chart - in it you will triumphantly set milestones of your victories over fat. And even if there are few reasons for joy, you can always present your diary to a nutritionist, who will help you figure out what you are doing wrong and correctly adjust your diet.

How to keep a food diary for weight loss? Download the template for free

The most convenient way, as I said above, is to create a file in Excel or Word, get a regular notebook and line it for several days in advance, or print a ready-made food diary template, which can be downloaded from the link below and fill it out, adding sheets under a paper clip.

I made 2 versions of templates - you can either in the form of a picture. To use the latter, you must first print it on a printer. The table in Word format can be kept both on the computer and in printed form.

If you show a little patience and perseverance, do not miss a single day - in the very near future the results of careful journaling will have a positive effect on your figure. Even with a quick visual analysis of what you eat and drink, you can quickly adjust and improve your diet in terms of healthfulness and calorie content.

More conscious nutrition will allow you not to throw everything into your mouth, think through your menu in advance and optimize it to suit your goals.

Good luck!

Tags: food diary for free, food diary for weight loss sample, food diary sample to fill out, food diary example, food diary to print, , , how to keep a food diary for weight loss, how to monitor food, electronic food diary

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How to choose your ideal calorie diary?

Gone are the days when the “pioneers” of training and weight loss courses scribbled their paper diaries literally on their knees, surrounded by scales and calculators. The era of digital technology has opened up the possibility of unlimited access to gigantic amounts of information, including that necessary for keeping weight loss diaries.

Any Internet user can find literally everything about what he has eaten or intends to eat in a matter of seconds. To do this, you just need to have a computer, tablet, smartphone or any similar device at hand. The only “traditional” device that you won’t be able to give up yet is the scale. All you have to do is enter the weight and name of the dish or products it consists of and - voila, everything is calculated automatically!

It is not surprising that sites focused on helping people lose weight are enthusiastically including “calorie counters” in their services. Perhaps the most important criterion for evaluating them can rightfully be considered ease of use and functionality. Well, the absence of intrusive advertising, which makes it difficult to view content, slows down the operating system, eats up traffic and, finally, is simply annoying - an important plus.

It is gratifying that the matter itself, as a rule, is not limited to counting calories: the best sites concentrate a lot of virtual “chips” for the benefit of those who have embarked on the path leading to slimness.

Here are the main ones:

availability of a mobile version suitable for portable devices;
the opportunity to consult with specialists;
additional help - topical articles, video tutorials, etc.;
support of like-minded people through a forum with the possibility of communication;
reviews from grateful users who share their experience of losing weight using a food diary;
rich “product” database, which is regularly updated.

Next, we will test the seven most popular virtual food diaries for losing weight for the presence of the listed “digital amenities”, assign ratings to each diary, summarize them in a single table and find out which of these resources deserves the title of ideal.

How to lead

There are rules for keeping a food diary for weight loss. For convenience, it is recommended to reflect in it a table of calorie content of dishes and the glycemic index of foods. You should write down:

Weight. Weighing is carried out in the morning before meals. Record daily weight loss.
Body parameters: bust, waist, hips, each leg at hip level.
The amount of water you drink.
Nutritional information: entire diet, portion sizes in grams, ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates.
Physical activity. It is necessary to record what exercises have been completed and what has not been done.
Information about your health status. It is important to reflect all changes in well-being.
Additionally, it is recommended to include: recipes, website addresses, skin care tips, new sets of physical exercises.

The form of record keeping can be in the form of a table. Ideally, a handwritten diary should contain the following items:

volume (weight, size);
calories;
products;
taste assessment;
why do you eat;
duration of the meal;
place of meal;
the time when you get up and when you go to bed;
sleep duration;
time when you eat;
other information.

It is very important to enter all data daily. The only parameter that may not be shown every day is changes in body proportions. After all the entries, it is necessary to summarize the amount of all calories eaten, note all violations in nutrition, daily routine, and the results of body weight loss. It is imperative to record positive changes, but you should not overload with unnecessary information; it is important to adhere to the recording system.

Tips for entering data into a diary will help you predict the result as accurately as possible and achieve your goal faster. Additionally, it is recommended to record:

Meal time. It is advisable to indicate the beginning and end of the meal. This is explained by the fact that the length of time spent at the table affects the amount of food eaten.
It is necessary to know the exact weight of the products. You can prescribe it in glasses or spoons if you can’t weigh it.
Counting the amount of fats, proteins and carbohydrates is required.
Reasons for eating food: for a child, a snack in company, out of boredom, due to stress, as a treat, etc. Analyzing the reasons will help you not to eat more than normal.
Taste of food. It’s a good idea to write down whether you liked the dish or not. You can use a five-point system, where “5” means “very tasty” and “1” means “didn’t like it.”
Sports training. All motor activity must be recorded.

Bormental.ru

This is a professional online resource for those losing weight from the No. 1 weight loss center in Russia “Doctor Bormenthal”. The site was developed and supervised by the famous Russian scientist Andrei Bobrovsky, a nutritionist and psychotherapist, candidate of medical sciences, author of the “Doctor Bormental” method, scientific director of a network of clinics of the same name.

Convenience and functionality: 5 points

At first glance, the site is attracted by its noble design and complete absence of annoying advertising. In the footer of the main page, only significant projects of the Dr. Bormental weight loss center are tactfully announced. The interface is built clearly and harmoniously, at the same time it is simple and intuitive even for those who visited the resource for the first time.

The “Bormenthal” food diary itself is very flexible and detailed: here you can create a daily diet from both individual products and ready-made dishes, which are available in a wide range, including many delicious dietary recipes. The number of calories, their density (which cannot be found on other sites), as well as the content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is taken into account - both in each meal and for the day (or any other time interval) as a whole.

Another “highlight” of the diary is the notes - you eat according to hunger, time or appetite, which allows you to track the relationship between food and emotional state. Not only food is taken into account, but also water drunk and physical activity. There is also a statistics section in which the calorie content of food and its fractionality are assessed, the “relationships” between products are analyzed, body parameters are determined, a weight loss and volume reduction chart is maintained, etc.

Everything on this site is impeccably subordinated to a single goal - to make the weight loss process as easy, effective and safe as possible. It remains to add that all the information on the site is scientifically substantiated and based on the most modern medical principles.

Availability of a mobile version: 5 points

You can easily access the “Bormenthal calorie counter” not only from a PC, but also from mobile and tablet devices - that is, the diary is actually available at any time and anywhere where the global network operates.

Possibility of consultations: 4 points

Consultations here are available only to VIP program participants. True, the fee for it is purely symbolic, although online appointments are conducted by well-known Russian nutritionists and psychotherapists.

Additional help: 5 points

The arsenal of help for losing weight on the “Calorie Counter” is very wide: there are trances, webinars, video tutorials, articles, quizzes, slimming recipes and instructions to help beginners.

Support of like-minded people: 5 points

There is a thematic forum on “Schitalka”, where people united by the goal of losing weight actively discuss any pressing issues, share successes and experiences, and exchange recipes for delicious and healthy dishes.

Reviews: 5 points

https://youtu.be/-GMLsHvCdJ4

The “Bormenthal counting machine” has many loyal fans who have personally attested to its indispensability in weight loss in the “Book of Reviews” on the local forum, in success stories on the “Doctor Bormenthal” website and in videos on the YouTube video hosting site.

Database: 5 points

The food diary is synchronized with the largest database in Russia - the online food catalog "GoodsMatrix". Therefore, the information about products and dishes in this diary is the most relevant and varied that you can imagine.

Why is it needed?

Modern man differs from prehistoric man in that he moves much less and eats often, even when he is not hungry. Today, food is consumed not only to provide the body with the necessary energy, but also simply for company or because “the time has come,” as well as out of grief, stress or joy, to experience new taste sensations or because there is nothing to do. At the same time, most people do not pay attention to the quality and quantity of the products they consume, unless, of course, there are strict restrictions for health reasons or a great desire to bring their weight back to normal. But even in these cases, it is quite difficult to constantly monitor the composition and volume of what you eat, since it is almost impossible to remember everything that goes into your mouth throughout the day. Keeping a food diary helps not only solve this problem, but also analyze your diet and take measures to correct it.

Important! The breakdown of fat deposits in the body begins only when there is an energy deficit, so during a diet it is necessary to take into account the amount of both consumed and expended calories. To do this, in a weight loss diary, along with nutrition data, it is necessary to record information about physical activity and other factors affecting health and figure.

In fact, this is the difference between a regular food diary and a weight loss diary. The first takes into account only the food eaten per day, and the second takes into account almost everything related to energy metabolism in the human body, including the amount of food, physical activity, rest, sleep and even emotions. The benefit of keeping such records is due to the fact that the more attention is paid to what a person puts into his body, the easier it is for him to give up unhealthy eating habits and other bad habits.

Studies have shown that this approach to the weight loss process not only helps to normalize body weight, but changes your attitude towards everything that can affect your well-being and appearance. In general, the reasons for starting to keep a weight loss diary can be combined into the following list:

The exact number of calories consumed per day will become known. As a rule, the actual calorie content of the daily diet is much higher than it seems, especially if meals occur outside the home. Therefore, you need to stop guessing and start counting what you consume per day.
It will be possible to give up unnecessary snacks. After analyzing the list of foods consumed during the day, it will be possible to exclude unnecessary items from the diet, for example, nuts eaten on the way to work or candy eaten while hanging out with colleagues.
The choice of products will become conscious and more meaningful. So, instead of the usual cappuccino, which contains 320 kcal, you can switch to natural coffee, which contains virtually no calories. After all, it is precisely such minor excesses in food that lead to the appearance of 5-6 extra pounds per year!
Mistakes in choosing a diet and the reasons for gaining excess weight will be identified. To overcome the craving for overeating, nutritionists recommend recording not only the food consumed, but the circumstances that usually provoke you to eat too much. For example, in the office there is a machine with nuts and chips, and on the way home there is a favorite cafe that sells ice cream. Having traced such a connection, you can break it if you take healthy snacks to work and choose a different route to home. Also, if you have a habit of eating stress, then when you feel nervous tension you should go not to the kitchen, but, for example, to the bathroom or for a walk.
It will be possible to count all physical activity, including walking, housework and other activities, not just those spent in the gym. Knowing the total number of calories consumed per day will allow you to calculate the energy value of food to properly create a menu for the day, week or even month, as well as adjust your diet so that weight loss is as effective as possible and without compromising your health.
The results achieved will become more obvious and will create additional motivation to continue what has been started. A weight loss diary will help you track your dynamics by comparing the number of kilograms lost in the past and this month, as well as correct mistakes by identifying the products that most effectively influence weight change, etc.
There will be a reason to reward yourself for endurance and patience. If you haven’t eaten a single harmful product for a month, you can arrange a holiday for yourself and eat something forbidden.

Keeping a weight loss diary may seem difficult only at first. Very quickly this will become a habit, and to determine the calorie content or weight of a portion of most dishes you will no longer need to use a table and a calculator, since they will be easily remembered. The most important thing is to regularly make notes and be sure to draw conclusions by analyzing the data received.

Diets.ru

This is a specialized social network that offers those who are losing weight to achieve their desired weight through various diets.

Convenience and functionality: 3 points a

Once you open the site, it immediately becomes clear that advertising and marketing function well here. Right in the header of the site there is a call to join the gardening project, under the header - to ride reindeer, and in the left sidebar - to buy cats, shoes, jewelry, etc. It is not clear what all this has to do with weight loss. When navigating through the pages of the site, the user every now and then stumbles upon the ubiquitous Yandex Direct.

However - to the food diary! On the website, its menu is modestly located between gardeners and deer. Here, thank God, there is a calculation of the calorie content of ready-made dishes and products, and accounting for calorie consumption during a particular physical activity, and weight control statistics. But the direct functions of the weight loss diary are rather weak and are lost against the background of the general diversity.

For example, the fields for filling out the diary are initially designed for only one meal - users will have to “conjure” adding meals. But along the way - the name of the site obliges you to “comply” - there is a large number of unbalanced diets that are potentially dangerous, and besides, they are not needed for weight loss in principle: all that is needed is a balanced diet within the calorie range.

Availability of mobile version : 5 points

There is a mobile application.

Possibility of consultations: 4 points

The site has a column of free consultants, but among them there are no nutritionists - only psychologists.

Additional help: 3 points

In addition to the already mentioned diets and psychological consultations, you can only find thematic articles here. Well, and “joint purchases,” as usual.

Support of like-minded people: 5 points

But here you can’t argue: this is a social network with all the necessary “accessories” - vigorous communication in groups and through personal correspondence, competitions, photo galleries, the opportunity to speak out and receive comments in the “Diaries” section. Although in essence these are blogs, not food diaries, and the fact that different sections are called the same is somewhat confusing.

Reviews: 4 points

On the review site Irecommend.ru there are entirely laudatory reviews, although in style they are more reminiscent of professional journalistic articles. But the website has a photo gallery of the participants, clearly demonstrating their figures before and after losing weight.

Database: 2 points

The base is very meager: there is only food, and there are only 12 ready-made main courses, and their list includes mainly boiled vegetables. If we are guided by the saying “cabbage soup and porridge are our food,” then when searching for the calorie content of porridges, only ready-made porridges from McDonalds and Nestle “helpfully” pop up, and there is no trace of cabbage soup in the database.

Definition of a food diary

This is a document where all food consumed is recorded. It is important to take into account absolutely everything without missing a single piece. It is necessary to write down the names of products, dishes, their volume, as well as the amount of energy value.

A weight loss diary is an excellent tool for monitoring eating behavior. It will make it clear what kind of food you eat, what quality and in what quantity. It will show where the diet is going wrong and tell you which workouts are optimal (if any).

That is, a weight loss diary will clearly demonstrate your eating habits. Perhaps he will encourage you to change them.

Beregifiguru.ru

This Internet project is presented to users as “a site for calculating figure indicators, weight, proportions, ideals and consumption.”

Convenience and functionality: 4 points

The site is quite simple - a typical set of online calculators. And this is good, since the service is not “cluttered” with an abundance of varied information. Everything is clear: a fairly convenient and detailed food diary, calorie consumption tracking, statistics of weighings and measurements of body volumes, keeping graphs for clarity, etc. True, advertisements for foreign language courses hang over the header, advertising screensavers intrusively flash in the left sidebar, and Yandex Direct is spread out freely in the basement.

Availability of a mobile version : 3 points

There is no mobile application, since, judging by the administration’s assurances, “the site is optimized to work on mobile devices.”

Possibility of consultations: 3 points

Consultations are provided, however, only with trainers, and not with doctors. However, the website honestly states that it is “intended for informational purposes and is not a substitute for medical advice.”

Additional help: 1 point

Not observed - as they say, “the situation is strict, nothing superfluous.”

Support of like-minded people: 5 points

There is a thematic forum where, by the way, everyone can publish their personal weight loss diary for public viewing and discussion.

Reviews: 4 points

On the forum you can find that a number of users liked this resource, and their sincerity is beyond doubt.

Database: 5 points

The product base pleases with its breadth: for each product and dish there are dozens of varieties, including the same “cabbage soup and porridge”.

dietadiary.com

The goal of this site, as stated on the home page, is “to provide a simple, easy-to-use tool for managing your weight.”

Convenience and functionality: 3 points

The site is an example of a typical calorie counter with all the tools to automate the counting: food diary, calorie tables, calorie calculator, graphs and rulers. It’s a pity that the diary is “tailored” to only one product—you have to add the rest of the data about products and meals yourself. In addition, the service does not pay attention to movement, and, consequently, energy costs.

Among the most annoying disadvantages: in the header, the “carousel” of banners flickers so much that it dazzles your eyes, and when you navigate through the pages, advertisements for “cash loans” and other things that are inappropriate here pop up here and there. In general, the site gives the impression of overload, being essentially a simple calculator with an attached forum.

Availability of mobile version : 5 points

Diet diaries, as the site rightly claims, are “accessible to anyone, from anywhere.”

Possibility of consultations: 1 point

Not provided.

Additional help: 2 points

Plans and recipes

You can safely trust Yazio to create your diet for you. In a separate Plans tab, the application will offer dozens of different nutrition programs: for losing weight, for maintaining health in winter, for gaining muscle mass, and for those who like light diets, it will recommend a vegetarian menu.

For example, we choose the 2-week “Winter Survival” nutrition program. For each day, the application will create a collection of recommendations for your diet, for example, start the day with warm porridge, eat a cup of light soup for lunch, and drink vitamin teas throughout the day.

Here you will also find tips for specific dishes, such as porridge with mango slices for breakfast or lasagne soup for dinner. If you like this or that dish, you simply add it to your diet.

However, Yazio is not only a food diary, but also a pocket cookbook. In a separate tab you will find hundreds of recipes from Yazio nutritionists. Each will include calorie and nutrient counts, ingredients, cooking times and step-by-step instructions. There is a convenient filtration system. You can make a selection based on cooking time, fat content, quantity of products, and so on. If you like the recipe, add it to your current diet.

True, there is one not very pleasant nuance that plagues many food diaries for those who lose weight by counting calories. The Yazio application is only half Russified. That is, the main interface, product lists, analytics are in Russian. But descriptions of diets, recipes and plans remain in English for now.

Takzdorovo.ru

This is a very respectable representative of our review - the official resource of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, embodying the state program “Healthy Russia”. There is also a section with food diaries.

Convenience and functionality: 5 points

At first glance, the “official” food diary serves as an excellent illustration of the aphorism “Everything ingenious is simple”: the section menu is in plain sight, no diversity, confusion or annoying advertising (the Ministry of Health, of course, does not need advertising).

But upon closer examination, it turns out that initially the diary is designed for only one product or recipe, and the remaining products are added independently. But this is more than compensated for by many other interesting and useful options: a movement diary with a database of types of activity and energy expenditure, training planning, a weight chart, as well as tests, surveys and personal recommendations.

Availability of a mobile version : 3 points

We were able to find a mobile version only for those who want to quit smoking, and not for those losing weight. But on the website you can download a health diary to monitor your diet and exercise.

Possibility of consultations: 5 points

This service is at the highest level - doctors with academic degrees, researchers, and heads of federal medical centers provide free consultations via online conferences. You can also get feedback via a toll-free hotline or email.

Additional help: 5 points

In addition to the already mentioned tests, recommendations and online conferences, you can find many articles, news and expert columns on the site. They cover the topics of weight loss, proper nutrition, movement, healthy cooking, etc. And what is especially gratifying is that all this information can be confidently trusted, since it comes directly from the Ministry of Health.

Reviews: 4 points

There are few comments on the well-known review site Irecommend.ru, but they are all positive.

Support of like-minded people: 4 points

No forums, no chats, no blogs with comments can be found on this site. Here is an exclusive luxury - to receive online advice approved by the Ministry of Health itself!

Database: 3 points

But the product catalog let us down: there are not so many ready-made dishes. If we talk about porridges, there are only four types of them, as well as three types of cabbage soup and four types of soup. The only meat is rabbit and turkey. Apparently, knowing this flaw, the administration added a note: “If the required entries are not found on the site, enter the products yourself or write to us.” Or it is simply suggested to read the labels on food packages.

What are the benefits of keeping a weight loss diary?

It allows you to accurately calculate the number of calories consumed per day of food and individual dishes.
You can see unnecessary snacks (for example, on the way to work) and eliminate them from your diet if it is full of calories.
It's easy to figure out dishes or drinks that can be replaced with lower-calorie alternatives (for example, cappuccino with Americano).
The records make it possible to calculate the total energy expenditure for the day, including housework and walking down the street.
A nutrition and workout diary allows you to see how quickly you are losing pounds and gives you an incentive to continue working on yourself.
There is an excellent reason to reward yourself for the work done at the end of the week or month (in the form of cake or ice cream).

As an incentive and inspiration to achieve the coveted number on the scales, you can take on board a series of episodes of “Weight Loss Diaries with Anita Lutsenko.” This television program provides specific advice on exercise and nutrition. Here is one such video:

Having a template, example and tables in hand, creating a nutrition and training diary is not difficult. Within three to four weeks you will understand the value of this important document. Knowing the basics of how to keep a food diary for weight loss using a sample form, you can easily adjust your weight loss or weight gain program.

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Tvoytrainer.com

This is a resource with a sports focus, presented as a “site that trains.” In addition to sections about training, there is a food diary and a calorie consumption counter.

Convenience and functionality: 4 points

The interface of the local food diary is noticeably different from its counterparts on other sites. The main inconvenience is that initially only breakfast is included in the diary, and you have to add the rest of the meals yourself. But the control zone here includes not only calories and dietary fats, but also micronutrients, and fats are sorted by type. You can keep charts for weight loss and volume reduction.

An undoubted advantage is the presence of a detailed training diary, which contains many thoroughly described exercises for various muscle groups. There are practically no advertisements here, and this is encouraging!

Possibility of consultations: 4 points

When paying for a VIP subscription, consultations with fitness trainers and a nutritionist are provided.

Availability of mobile version : 5 points

There is a calorie counter application for Android and mobile operating systems.

Additional help: 3 points

Among the free services to help those losing weight, the website contains instructions on nutrition, training, journaling, etc.

Reviews: 4 points

Success stories confirm the presence of a grateful audience for this site. They are published by real users in the appropriate section and illustrated with photographs of them in the process of losing weight.

Support of like-minded people: 5 points

The site has blogs, communication in the feed, a competition for the best diets, and a database of dietary recipes for users, equipped with photographs of dishes.

Database: 5 points

The catalog of ready-made dishes amazes with its diversity: there are a couple of dozen types of notorious porridges alone, and even more cabbage soup! Plus, you can check the calorie content of foods, their chemical composition and nutrients with two reference books at once - Skurikhin and USDA.

Design options

There are several methods for creating a weight loss diary. Their essence is the same, and the difference is only in ease of use and accessibility.

On paper

Using a notepad or notebook to keep notes is considered outdated and not relevant in the world of modern technology. But this method deserves attention because it has several important advantages over the others. The advantages of paper media include the following factors:

speed of entry, the ability to make notes at any time and anywhere after each meal, as well as use your own abbreviations, enter additional data and various notes “in the margins”;
no recharging or connection to the network, constant readiness for use, impossibility of breakdown;
saving entered data for many years.

The only disadvantage of this method is the lack of special tables at hand to determine the calorie content and amount of BJU in products. Therefore, you will either need to print them out and carry them with you, or enter only primary data, and then calculate the specified parameters on a computer. The second method is more convenient, since it eliminates the use of rather voluminous tables and a calculator necessary for the calculation.

In computer

Previously, there were special diary programs that were downloaded and installed on the computer. Today they have lost their relevance and are not supported by the latest versions of operating systems. This is due to the availability of free access to the Internet and the ability to perform such actions online.

However, many PC users prefer to keep various records, including a weight loss diary, using spreadsheets in MS Excel. They allow you to set your own formulas for calculating the calorie content and nutritional value of foods or dishes according to their weight, as well as calculate the total amount at the end of the day.

The disadvantages of this method include:

the need to refer to calorie tables and dietary supplements;
inability to make regular notes and bring in the slightest snacks, since the computer cannot be carried with you;
the possibility of losing entered data in the event of a PC failure.

Thus, the use of this method will have to be combined with recording primary data on paper. If you rely only on your own memory, much of what needs to be taken into account during the day will be lost.

On the website online

A huge number of sites dedicated to proper nutrition or weight loss today provide the opportunity to keep a weight loss diary online. However, you must be very careful when choosing such resources, since many of them offer very limited functions that do not allow you to take into account all the necessary data.

Also, the disadvantages of this option for keeping a weight loss diary include:

disadvantages of using the above spreadsheets in terms of the inability to make regular entries and enter the slightest snacks if the mobile phone does not have the Internet or there is no Internet connection;
unintended saving of record history on some sites where data is entered only for 1 day;
the possibility of losing the entered data if the site is blocked or another reason for stopping its operation.

In addition, it should be taken into account that the weight loss diary has a slightly different filling scheme than the food diary, a sample of which is most often found on such services.

In the mobile application

Smartphone owners are offered many special applications for keeping a weight loss diary. This method has the greatest number of advantages, including:

quick calculation of the calorie content and quantity of BJU in a product by its volume or weight (in automatic mode), as well as calculation of the total amount of calories and BJU consumed per day;
saving entered data in history;
the ability to enter information at any moment thanks to the constant presence of the gadget at hand.

In addition, most mobile weight loss diaries provide a number of additional features, such as:

determination of the individual calorie norm and BJU according to the specified criteria (age, weight, height, usual lifestyle);
calculation of the required amount of water drunk per day and a separate section for its accounting;
calculation of body mass index based on entered personal parameters;
drawing up graphs and diagrams for visual monitoring of calorie and dietary nutritional intake.

The disadvantages of using most of these applications include:

a limited number of dishes in the library, which does not always allow you to determine the calorie content of the menu (some programs offer you to enter them into the database yourself);
inability to enter data about training, emotions and other additional notes;
most of these services only work when connected to the Internet, which is not always possible;
If the battery is discharged or overheated, the smartphone will turn off and making entries will become unavailable.

Despite a number of shortcomings, today mobile applications are considered the most convenient for keeping a weight loss diary.

Calorizator.ru

This portal is dedicated to healthy eating. The closest attention is paid to calorie counting here.

Convenience and functionality : 5 points

The site presents a whole range of calculators-analyzers: individual products, recipes, dietary supplements, calorie consumption, etc. The recipe analyzer is especially convenient: in its field you can enter with one click all the products included in the dish being prepared, and adjust their specific gravity in the dish to the appropriate one calorie level.

As for the food diary, it is accompanied by statistics on BJU, a chart of weight loss and volume reduction, a nutrition calendar that shows the entered data for the week and month, and reports on all parameters regarding weight loss. Therefore, despite the dominance of Yandex Direct and other advertising, the diary as a whole deserves praise.

Possibility of consultations: 1 point

Unfortunately, consultations with specialists are not provided on the portal.

Availability of mobile version : 5 points

There is a mobile application.

Additional help: 5 points

The portal has a lot of information to help those losing weight: articles, videos, diets, illustrated recipes, etc.

Reviews: 4 points

On the review site Irecommend.ru there is an abundance of admiring comments, and not all of them are custom-made.

Support of like-minded people: 5 points

In addition to the forum, where a lot of pressing topics are discussed, there are blogs of participants about losing weight, exchange of recipes, a lottery, gifts and awards, competitions, surveys - in general, a lot of interesting things.

Database: 5 points

The grocery list is very rich - this applies to both individual products and ready-made dishes.

Errors

The main mistake is to quickly get bored with daily journaling. In this case, we must remember that there is no need to carry it on for the rest of our lives. Your diet and lifestyle will be clear and available for analysis within two to three weeks.

Having forgotten to register only one meal, do not rush to forget to record everything else. If you remember what was eaten, write it down, even if it is only approximate. And be sure to continue writing the remaining techniques. If you don’t remember at all, please indicate in the comments that there is one entry missing. The best weight loss diary is one that contains detailed information regarding your diet and lifestyle.

Don't forget that boiled foods have a different calorie content than dry foods. Therefore, there are two calculation options. The first option is to determine the weight of the food before cooking. The second is to use information on websites to find a lot of already prepared food.

There will be no disaster if for a day or two over a period of two weeks you are not able to record all the calories you consume in your diary.

Results

And now, as promised, we will summarize all the ratings of the most popular online food diaries for all significant parameters into a single rating table.

Name of the site	Convenience and functionality	Possibility of consultations	Availability of mobile version	Additional Help	Reviews	Support of like-minded people	Database	TOTAL
Bormental.ru	5	4	5	5	5	5	5	34
Diets.ru	3	5	4	3	4	5	2	26
Beregifiguru.ru	4	3	3	1	5	4	5	25
dietadiary.com	3	5	1	2	4	5	3	23
Takzdorovo.ru	5	3	5	5	4	4	3	29
Tvoytrainer.com	4	4	5	3	4	5	5	27
Calorizator.ru	5	1	5	5	4	5	5	30

professional Bormental.ru and Takzdorovo are deservedly in the lead in this list . ru , however, the “amateur” Calorizator.ru also has something to be proud of. There are no obvious outsiders in this rating - other similar portals also have certain advantages, and you are free to choose the virtual diary that suits your taste as a companion to your slimness.

We hope that the diary you love will support your enthusiasm, make the weight loss process easy and fun, help you find new like-minded friends - in general, it will mean much more to you than just a calorie calculator!

Add it to the wall!

Sample

An example of how to fill out a food diary for weight loss will help you organize your own notes:

date – 05/13/2018;
personal details - 24 years old, height 176 centimeters, weight 81 kilograms, hips, waist;
target – 65 kg;
period – 2.5 months;
The diet is low-calorie, 2000 calories were eaten today.

Notes: you need to reduce your daily intake to 1500 kcal, then the weight loss process will go faster. I have a huge desire to eat sweets, but I overcome it with drinking water, rosehip decoction, and tea. The physical activity is small, so I added moderate intensity exercises. Total: no more than 1500 kcal per day, sports - at least 10 minutes of jogging every day. Make it a rule to go for an evening or morning jog.

Data must be entered daily. The next day's entry might look something like this:

date – 05/14/2018;
personal data - weight 80.7 kilograms, hip circumference 103 centimeters, waist 75 cm;
result – +0.3 kg;
daily diet - oatmeal, boiled chicken breast, vegetable soup, cottage cheese, lean cookies, ate 1478 calories in total;
drinking regimen – 1.5 liters of clean water, green tea.

Notes: It’s very difficult to hold on, so in the evening I allowed myself to eat 2 sweet apples. I tried to work out everything with physical activity: twirling a hula hoop, jogging.

Don’t be upset if you don’t immediately see big dynamics. For the desired weight loss process to begin, time must pass and the body must react. The third day:

date – 05.15.2018;
personal data – weight 80 kilograms, hip circumference 102 centimeters, waist 74 cm;
result – minus 1 kg;
menu for the day - on an empty stomach I drank water, buckwheat porridge, chicken breast, cottage cheese casserole, light cookies, I ate a total of 1498 calories;
Drinking regimen: 2 liters of water, green tea.