Do/did you keep a food diary?

I was reading in a wls book today about the importance of keeping a food diary. I have done that in the past and it was helpful but it was never mentioned to me for my rny. I'm thinking about doing it so I can see trends in my eating and monitor the food quality/quantity I eat. Does anyone else do this and has it helped the process? I would love to know. Thanks.

I plan on keeping a food journal from the start! We were even given sheets to get started with in our package of paperwork from the nut. I think that way at first I can keep up with how much protein and fluid I get in and then later to make sure I am keeping with in the limits set for me as it becomes easier to eat.

 I tried, but honestly, I don't have time most days to do it.  And in the beginning, it was pretty much a waste of time - I ate the same things, and so little, it wasn't like I couldn't remember what I ate!!

I'm pretty good at tracking my protein, since that's all I eat, but I do find that it helps to keep track of calories...

I did it for about a month, but I simply did not have the time or inclination to do it every single day.  My surgeon's instrictions were to focus on protein not calories or carbs or fat.  Quite honestly, wen you eat almost exclusively protein, and can eat so little at one sitting, I really see no need to track your food. By the time I was about 4 months out, I was eating the same kinds of things every day so I knew the numbers by heart, anyway.  I am 4 years out and now only periodically track a day or two just to make sure I am not getting in too many carbs.

For some poeple it provides a sense of control and accountability.  For me, it was just an unnecessary PITA.

Lora

Prior to surgery, I wrote everything down. I had a little black book. In fact, I remember starting to eat and putting the food down so often to write it down first.
It worked. I lost 81 pounds.
I have not done it in quite a few months. It may be a good idea to start.
I am thinking it would help me see where my trends are and how I am eating.

Linda 

 I eat so little and mostly protein. I eat 6 small meals a day. When I wake up in the morning I always plan what I am going to have throughout the day. But for me I  don't see a reason to journal.

i have been tracking my food since the day of surgery.  At first I would just put a post it note on my laptop since that seemed to go with me everywhere, but now I track it through the website at my gym.  It helps me, and I really rely on it (though that website also calculates carbs, fat, sodium calories, protein, cholesterol.  So it is nice be to see if there are areas I should cut back...but mostly find that I need to eat more.  It is also good for when people on this website, I can look back and give advice to newbees.  It is pretty easy for me to remember since I work on a computer all day.

I know tracking isn't for everyone, my sister had the same surgery a year before me and never tracked anything.  I track food, weight, measurements and BMI.   In my job I am a project manager...maybe that's why I track things.

I keep track of what I eat and how much I eat yes. Same with liquid intake AND activity like exercise. I started doing that months ago and I plan on keeping on with it even after my surgery. As for there being no time- make up a menu and stick to it then you can use that to log at the end of the week.

Yes,  I use sparkepeople.com 
I used it prior to wls to track everything on my 3 month pre-approval diet.
I use it now to be sure I am getting in enough protein.

Before WLS I saw a nutritionist for years. I kept a food journal and we would discuss it at my appointments. That was helpful for trends - why I was eating, when I overate etc.. After WLS I use an iphone app (fatsecret.com) to track what I'm eating. I like to make sure that I stay within my calorie range and I get in all of my protein. Plus, it allows me to keep track of exercise and my weight. It can sometimes be a pita, but I feel it keeps me focused. I live in NYC, so I am frequently updating when I'm on the bus or subway. As with so many things in this process, you have to do what helps you.