How many of ye kept a Food Diary Post Op

Hey Fellas,  I'm preparing to have surgery the 20th, and as I pour over my Bariatric book, I was wondering how many of ye kept a daily food diary and exercise diary.   Did you write down times, amounts and what else? Thanks for helping me. Warmest Regards, BobM.

I did...... for about an hour. I just don't have the patience to track it that close.

Bob, It's great the surgery is finally going to happen for you.  Congratulations! I used fitday. com for the first 6 months or so. It's a free site that tracks your vitamins, protein, carbs, exercise, water, etc. I think you will find it very useful.

Hey Bob...I used FITDAY.com also.....first to check my protein, then my exercise, but now I found that on fit day is the only place I logged my weight loss....and even though I started 6 months out....i can track it week by week Russ

Hey Bob. First....WooHoo for getting your tool! Second...The best benefit I had from tracking my food was learning what did or did not make me ill.  It was useful in the beginning stages and as I progressed my stages.  I am now 6 motnhs out and don't track it anymore.  If I try something new, I will know within 15 minutes whether or not I'm gonna spew it. However......... For fun, track your food, water, and vitamin intake now and then compare it to your post-op intake.  You'll become acutely aware of the habits that got you where you are today. I also use and recommend FITDAY.com - it takes a little while to get set up on it but it's a great tool. Good luck.

I use Fitday in combination with dietfacts.com (both sites guys on here pointed me to) to track my food.  It's pretty easy since I work a desk job; computer is usually nearby, and I keep a digital scale in my desk and in my kitchen. I don't plan to do it forever, maybe through the end of this year.  I've done it before several times in 3-7 month stretches (during prior, semi-failed diets, in that I eventually gained it back).  The main reason I did it this time was to track protein intake, which I discovered was lower than I thought.  I also wanted to get an intuitive feel for what 400/800/1000/2500 calories looks like, so that eventually I can do this without day-to-day tracking (hopefully, for the opposite purpose, of eating enough to maintain). I was keeping an exercise diary until I started working out with friends at the gym.  Now it's pretty regular/scheduled so there's no need. I have an Excel spreadsheet that I update weekly with my average calorie intake (from fitday), total minutes exercised (estimated), weight, and body fat percentage.  It both tracks my weight loss and also uses formulas to predict next week's loss, when I'll reach my goal (<19% body fat, I believe approx. mid-March 2008), and how much I'll weigh when I get there (196 pounds).

I had tried fitday for a few days but I'm so anal about entering things right rather then estimating that I got frustrated. I think I might give it another try though... The spreadsheet idea sounds like an awesome idea! Would you be willing to share the template with your March '07 surgery buddy? [email protected]

Bob, I log everything I consume everyday.  I keep it in an Excel spreadsheet.  It is really not much trouble at all and helps me keep a handle on my diet.

I also use Fitday. I realized that I was so ignorant of nutrition info that I needed a tool to help me track all the carbs, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, water. Previously, I never gave thought to what I ate. Now I am learning about what to eat and why. Joe

Hey Bob! Congratulations on your surgery date. I logged my food. For the first few weeks I used a food journal and wrote everything out. It helped to make sure I was drinking what I needed to and ate when I was supposed to because I had no appetite at all for the first 3 weeks or so. When I got the OK to start eating real food at 5 weeks I used fitday.com for amount another 2 months. After a while, since I am a creature of habit and tend to eat the same variety of foods, I learned what was in what and now I only journal if I am trying something new. I highly recommend it unless you are really aware of what's in everything you eat. It's also great for keeping track of the foods that don't work that well for you. I've heard lots of people don't do beef very well after surgery - I was lucky and I can eat it-- but I can't do pork very well. It's really the only protein I have an issue with at this point.. On the 20th I'll be5 months.. so the 20th... it's a good day! Good luck and best wishes on your journey.. Looking forward to hearing from you on the losing side! Steve