Using Food Journaling as a Stress Management Tool Around Food

Food journaling as a stress and shame management tool.

Sounds weird, right?  It totally works though.

(I am aware that for some people that tend towards disordered eating, food journaling may not be the best thing. Please honor your body and journey above all else.)

For years I hated food journaling. I never stayed in the recommended calorie range (because it was way to low) and it seemed the more I weighed and tracked my food the hungrier I was and hated everything about eating. It felt as though tracking was a daily reminder of how I was failing at my goals and how my body hated me. I felt at war with myself. Calorie counting created a shame cycle for me.

Knowing I had limited calories in a day and that family dinner was the biggest meal of the day, I would skimp on breakfast, moderate lunch, ignore my 3pm cravings (or eventually give in and hit the vending machine) and eat double what I wanted or needed at dinner because I was so hungry, I couldn’t control the urge to go back for a second plate. I ended every day feeling like a failure.  

After taking a nutritional therapy certification course, I gave up on tracking, weight watchers and so on. If my body was going to do its thing anyway, I might as well not stress about it and learn to accept it for what it wanted to be. I began to eat intuitively. Knowing that salads where healthy, meats honored my body and over time I cut out the things that caused my stomach and joints to hurt. I began to put together that of I ate a hearty breakfast and lunch, then had a chocolate protein shake at 3pm, dinner was a non-issue. I could eat a small serving and even pass on dessert. Even if I ate out with friends, the temptation to overeat wasn’t there. Sometimes I did overeat while out with friends, but that was simply because I would get lost in conversation and not realize how much I had consumed, not because I was starving. It took a few years to figure out what worked best for my unique genetic makeup.

In the past few months, I have revisited journaling my food and tracking calories. Simply because my waistline was growing, and the adipose tissue (fat) around my belly hurt when I would go into a forward bend while teaching or practicing yoga. Why does no one talk about fupas (fat upper pelvic area) being painful when you bend over? Lol!  It’s truly a thing.

And with my family history of diabetes and heart disease, additional thickness around the midline is something I pay more attention to than a number on the scale.

I was eating good, clean, and healthy foods. I was, as it turned out, eating way too much on some days then under eating on other days setting me up to ever eat on the next. And with the added stress of COVID and moving to another state, I was drinking WAY more wine than I normally had in the past.  None of these actions meant I was failing, it simply meant that things needed to be tweaked a little to accommodate new life and stressors.

Which meant more walking, more naps, less wine so my quality of sleep was better and then being more conscious about portions. 

At this point, tracking food is a way I collect data. There is no attachment to was I “good” or “bad” at the end of the day. It was a simple way to build awareness around my habits.

When I look at my days end information, I ask myself a few questions:

·        Was I hungry today?

o   If yes, did I eat enough protein, and veggies? Did I eat to many sugary foods that burn up as fuel quickly?

·        What were cravings like?

o   If I had cravings, I look at macros. Did I eat to few carbs or not enough protein, maybe too few vegetables? What was sleep like the night before? Is there a conversation that needs to be had and I am attempting to eat my words instead of facing that situation?

·        Did I have energy or was I tired?

o   If I was tired, I look at number of calories taken in that day and the day before as well as water intake and sleep quality.

·        Did I feel deprived?

o   If yes, why? What was causing that feeling or emotion?

·        What are my emotions and thoughts around this data? Am I being triggered? If yes, why? What’s the story behind those feelings?

How food journaling reduces my stress around food:

1.      I can see if I am eating the right amount of macro nutrients for sustained energy.

2.      I am not wondering if my blood sugar is getting out of hand.

3.      I know at the end of a day if wine or tea is going to be my end of the day ritual.

4.      I know if I am going out to eat with friends at the end of the day, what my meal choice will look like. Dessert anyone?  

5.      It reduces my brains need to conjure up stories about how much I have or have not eaten. Facts are facts and they are in front of me. 

6.      It ensures that I am eating enough without overeating and adding additional stress to my digestive system. (Did you know that over or under eating can be interpreted as stress by the body?)    

7.      I know that if I need to see a doctor or dietician about my metabolism or any other condition, I have some good data and they know where to start with me.

What are your feelings around food journaling? If you have had a negative experience before with food journaling, could you re-visit it with new eyes and a spirit of non-attachment and to gather data?