Create and Assess Your Food Journal in Six Steps

You may find it helpful to rate your hunger level before each meal. You should use a simple scale such as 1 to 5, with 1 being not hungry and 5 being the most hungry. Just jot down the number before you record what you eat. When you review your journal later, you will be able to see whether or not you often eat when you're not very hungry (out of habit or emotion), or if you're getting overly-hungry too often. If you find that you have a 5 before most meals or snacks, that could mean you're allowing yourself to get too hungry, which often leads to over-eating. Again, eating something about every four hours can prevent this.