Tennessee Offers Free Online Food Journal To Help Residents Lose Weight

New health statistics show 67% of Tennessee's adult population face weight issues -- or obesity.  The state now hopes to shock some residents into healthier behaviors, by showing them exactly how much they eat each day.

If you counted every calorie you consume, would you stop eating when you hit your suggested daily limit?  Jackie Rogers, a registered dietician with Memorial Health Care System, says "many of us do mindless eating, we actually don't see what we're eating or keep track of what we're eating, we're familiar with our meals but we may not capture the things in between."

A recent study found middle-aged adults who regularly logged meals and calories, lost about twice as much weight as those dieting who didn't keep a journal.

The findings convinced Tennessee, one of the least healthiest state's, to provide a on-line food journal, free to all residents.  Susan Cooper, Tennessee's Health Commissioner, says "if you journal, you actually write down what you eat every single day you will lose more weight in the long run, because A your paying attention, but B you can find those hidden calories in things you happen to be eating."

Here's how it works.  Simply search for the food or beverage consumed, enter the quantity, and add it to your food journal.  The site searches the USDA database to download the calorie count.

If you don't see an item listed, enter it manually as a favorite.  Cooper, "I happen to have a turkey sandwich that I like a lot at lunch so I just put it in as a favorite meal and it pops up."

The site only counts calories, not fat and protein.

Rogers says this weight loss tool does help, but wont lead to results on its own.  "Some people are doing a great job in other areas and just need a little extra help with the food."

Exercise, water, and fruits and vegetables remain key to that.  But Rogers says food journals identify unhealthy patterns, and for some people -- seeing is believing.

Visit these site for free food journals:

• Get Fit Tennessee
• Nutridiary
• SparkPeople
• Daily Plate