One of the biggest problems with people who’ve started trying to lose weight is subconscious eating. Subconscious eating is just eating without realizing it or paying attention like when you’re watching TV or working, and you instinctively reach for some kind of snack.
As a personal trainer I see this all of the time with new clients. They start a new training program and without realising it they eat more than usual to compensate for the calories they may have burned in their workout that day.
Nutrition is the biggest component of losing weight, but it’s also one of the hardest to get under control, and part of controlling your nutrition is getting a handle on subconscious eating habits. There are a number of things you can do to help keep track of what you’ve been eating though that will help you understand what you need to work on.
The first and most effective thing you can do is to start keeping a food journal. A food journal may sound simple, but if you record everything you eat, when, and how many calories it was for a week you’ll be able to clearly see where the major faults are in your nutrition.
Here’s an example of what a very basic food journal might look like:
Name:
Time Food Item Calories
6:00
7:00 Eggs on Wholemeal toast 210
8:00
9:00
10:00 Banana 108
11:00
12:00
1:00 Ham & Cheese Sandwich 270
2:00
3:00 Apple and some Almonds 120
4:00
5:00
6:00
7:00 Steak and Veg 590
8:00
9:00
Total: 1298
You don’t need anything quite as formal as this. Actually I found the most effective food journal I ever had was just a simple notebook I kept in my pocket and wrote in every time I ate something. This way I had it on me at all times and it never got in the way so I never needed to leave it behind.
A more in depth food journal would include columns for protein, fat, and carbs. You only really need this if your nutrition needs a lot of work or your trainer requests it so they can get a better idea on how to advise you.
Keeping track of everything you eat isn’t quite enough either though. You need to act on the information you collect. It’s not enough just knowing that you’re eating too many potato crisps while you’re working you need to be able to act on that information and be more conscious of it next time you’re in front of your computer.
The other big factor in staying on top of subconscious eating and your nutrition is staying accountable for your goals. You need to have a reason for doing what you’re doing and you need to have something you can say to yourself to help you through those moments of weakness. You can’t rely on other people for this part of the weight loss process, it’s something you need to do for yourself and it’s one of the hardest and biggest steps you can take especially with nutrition.
So the key to controlling your subconscious eating habits and getting a hold on your nutrition is to keep a detailed food journal and to stay focused on your goals. Remember this it’s a lot harder to burn 500 calories then it is to eat 500 calories.