The Use of Food Diaries in Food Coaching and Weight Loss Consultancy
It is important to remember that clients will only accept your advice if they are aware of their usual eating habits and accept where possible change can occur. Food diaries are a useful tool for you and your clients to identify their eating habits and one of the main tools used to modify eating habits to initiate weight loss. When you design a food diary to use with your clients it is essential to create a diary that is easy to use as clients may otherwise find it too time consuming to complete. You should encourage clients to complete the diary at a weekend as well as weekdays in case eating habits change and to record foods and drinks immediately after consuming them so that nothing is left out. A sample food diary is shown below:
Food & Activity Diary
Please record everything you eat and drink through the day, including quantities (e.g. slices, spoonfuls).
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Date: |
Date: |
Date: |
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Food & Drink |
Food & Drink |
Food & Drink |
| Before Breakfast |
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| Breakfast |
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| During the Morning |
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| Lunchtime |
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| During the Afternoon |
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| Evening Meal |
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| During the Evening |
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| Through the Night |
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Food diaries are also useful in helping clients to identify times when they may overeat and triggers for overeating. Therefore you may wish to add to your food diary by adding the following categories into the food diaries you design:
- Location: where food/drink was consumed e.g. at work, in the car, at a dining room table.
- Time when food/drink was consumed and length of time taken to consume it: This information can help you to identify any negative eating habits such as missing breakfast or eating too quickly.
- Quantity of food consumed: it is important here to encourage clients to be as specific as possible e.g. using gram weights or handy portion measures e.g. 2 slices of bread, 2 egg size potatoes.
- Type of food consumed: to include detail on cooking method e.g. were chips oven cooked or fried?
- Mood: encourage clients to chart any mood effect on food choices. Having clients track their moods allows them track connections between how they feel and what they choose to eat.
How to use food diaries with clients
Check each client’s food diary on a regular basis to ensure that they are using it. Use food diaries to provide useful suggestions to clients to help encourage better eating habits, remember not to be non-judgemental - highlight areas of positive change!
