Write down what you eat on three weekdays and one weekend day, using the following guidelines:

• Record everything you eat and drink immediately.
• Note what you're doing while you're eating―driving, watching TV, etc.
• Describe how you felt while you ate: angry, sad, happy, nervous, starving, bored?
• Be honest. It's a journal, not a newsletter, and no one has to see it but you.
• At the end of each day, examine how your emotions affected your eating.

Every day, try to make sure that you're getting at least:

• 9 servings of whole-grain cereal, rice, or pasta (1/2 cup) or bread (1 slice).
• 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (1/2 cup).
• 3 servings of low-fat milk, yogurt, or cottage cheese (1 cup).
• 8 ounces of lean meat, poultry, or fish or a nonmeat equivalent (1 ounce of meat = 1 egg, 1/2 cup beans, or 2 to 3 ounces of tofu).

Use the Food Journal Worksheet to keep it all organized.