Keeping a food diary is a proven way to help people take off the weight, teaching portion control and accountability. Though you can buy a food journal online, you don't need to, and a pre-made food diary won't be customized to your unique needs. Instead, why not try making one yourself?

About.com has some simple instructions for making your own food journal, including pages that you can print out and put into a three-ring binder. BBC also has printable pages that you can use to make your own food diary. And Celiac Travel has some examples of a homemade food diary done on Excel (though hers is for food allergies, not weight loss).

One thing to keep in mind when you start tracking your intake is that less is more. It's a big commitment, writing down everything you eat, so pick just one or two things to start. For instance, maybe you want to count calories or track your fruit and vegetable servings. As you get more experience, your tracking will become more sophisticated, and soon you'll be tracking "pounds lost" as well!

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