newjerseynewsroom.com

BY FRANCES WEISS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Want to lose weight? The key, according to a new study, is to write down what you eat and exactly how much in a food journal.

Keeping track of everything you eat helps to monitor calorie intake, say researchers at the Fred Hutchinston Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Wash.

Other tips published Friday in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics are to stay away from restaurants and never skip a meal. Evidence from randomized trials showed that restricting total calories is more important than the components of the diet, such as low-fat or low-carbohydrates. “Therefore, the specific aim of our study was to identify behaviors that supported the global goal of calorie reduction," said the study's lead author, Dr. Anne McTiernan, according to the Huffington Post.

The biggest obstacle to losing weight is setting unrealistic goals, Mctiernan told ABC News.

"If you weigh 250 pounds, you won't get down to 125 overnight," she said. "That might take a couple of years, or you might need medical help. The good news is that you get major health benefits by just reducing by 5 to 10 percent of your starting weight."

There are many online resources, including free printable diaries, for keeping a food journal.

According to FamilyDoctor.org, it is important to be very specific about what and how much you eat, including sauces and gravies, as well as to note where you were, the time of day, what else you were doing (such as watching TV), whether you were alone or with someone, and what your mood was.