Tracking your eating habits can be a game-changer, especially for women navigating weight gain in peri and post-menopause. 

We know the first step to successful change is awareness so developing a really detailed understanding of what we’re doing and all the circumstances that surround these choices is important. 

Only then can we understand where to focus our efforts. 

Recording and monitoring our habits can help us get in touch with what we’re doing which is important given many of our habits occur on autopilot when we’re distracted by work, TV, or social media. Eating while multitasking can lead to more food being eaten with less satisfaction and tracking has been shown to be a helpful approach in weight management programmes.  

Some women find tracking enlightening, while others find it frustrating or pointless and as a registered dietitian when I first meet clients and discuss their experienes, I get very mixed reactions about whether this has helped in the past. 

“Yes, I’ve tried it before, and it was really helpful” 

“I only managed to do a food diary for a few days, and it made no difference” 

“I hate writing down everything I eat; it’s just pointless.” 

So why the mixed results? 

Because why and how you track matters, and this is not a one size fits all approach.

So, how do you know if it’s right for you? 

Let’s explore the why and how of food tracking to help you decide.

Why Track Eating Habits?

Understanding the purpose behind your food journal is crucial. Without a clear ‘why,’ it’s just another chore. Tracking can put you in the drivers seat, help you notice patterns and reflect and understand the ‘why’ behind your eating so you can make focused effective changes.

The Power of Noticing 

The process of recording our habits puts us in the driver’s seat and enables us to slow down and begin to notice the when, where, how and why of our eating as well as what we might be eating. 

1. WHEN we eat

“I didn’t realize how much I was picking in the late afternoon until I started to write it down. It made me see how much I was tasting food and eating without thinking when I was making dinner.”

2. WHERE we eat & WHAT we’re doing

“I already knew I snacked in front of the TV, but I was really surprised by how often I ate in my car and at my desk. How can I miss what I didn’t even notice!”

3. WHY we eat

“This was such an ‘aha’ moment for me. I can’t believe I didn’t realize my sugar cravings happened the day after a terrible night’s sleep.”

4. HOW we feel before or after eating

“I’ve noticed how bloated and sluggish I feel after a big meal.”

“After a tough day, when I’m really fed up, a glass of wine just takes the edge off—for a bit, anyway.”

5. HOW we’re progressing

“When I write everything down because I’m more mindful of what I’m doing, I eat differently and I can look back over time and see how things have changed.”

The Potential Downsides

While tracking has clear benefits, it can have downsides depending on how it’s done. Understanding these challenges can help us limit their impact and take advantage of the positives. 

Here are some common struggles:

1. Increased worry & self criticism:

“I felt like I was under a microscope and had to justify every bite of food. If I ate something ‘bad,’ I would be so hard on myself.”

2. Perfectionism and overfocus:

“Keeping a food diary quickly became all about getting it perfect. If I didn’t write something down or I had an ‘off’ day, I’d feel really bad about myself.”

3. Triggering unhelpful behaviours:

“Tracking everything made me too aware of every little thing I was eating, and it started bringing up old feelings of restriction. I realized it was doing more harm than good.”

It’s important to remember that when we start tracking our eating habits, we bring into the process all the thoughts and ideas we may have collected over the years about food choices and managing weight. If some of these are unhelpful—like thoughts of what we ‘should’ and ‘shouldn’t’ eat or the concept of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods—this may negatively impact our tracking experience.

We may begin to judge ourselves for eating ‘bad’ foods or having a ‘bad’ day, with our inner critic going into overdrive. Tracking becomes uncomfortable, as it’s when we judge ourselves for the decisions we make. As a result, we may skip recording on days when things go ‘wrong,’ or stop altogether.

What we miss by doing this is the valuable insight that lies in the days when everything goes ‘wrong.’ Understanding what’s happening at these times is what will move us forward. What are the thoughts, beliefs, situations, and feelings that lead to the choices we are working to change? So its often helpful to work on our mindset, and what we’re bringing to the process of noticing our habits, either before or alongside the process of tracking. 

How to Track Eating Habits: Making it Helpful for You

If you’re open to trying food journaling/tracking but want to do it in a helpful way, here are some tips:

1. Use curiosity, not judgment

Building curiosity is an essential skill. It helps us learn, explore and be creative about what we need and how we care for ourselves. While we often think ‘being tough’ on ourselves is necessary, it usually leads to self blame and guilt rather than lasting change. 

2. Build compassion

Showing ourselves kindness goes hand in hand with curiosity and its crucial during peri and post menopause when challenging symptoms and the multiple demands of family and work life can leave us feeling frazzled and fed up. It can be a time when our inner critic comes out in full force chipping away at our confidence with a stream of unhelpful comments or beliefs. Being kind to ourselves helps supports motivation and builds resilence and isn’t about letting ourselves ‘off the hook’. 

3. Be clear on your reasons

Start by understanding why you want to track. Is it to notice patterns, to understand why you’re eating in a certain way or measure progress toward a goal? There’s no right or wrong answers here. 

4. Ensure your journal/app/diary feels like a safe place 

It’s important to feel comfortable writing or recording whatever you want, without worrying about others looking at your records. So if it helps put a password on a document or carefully squirrel away a diary. Sharing your insights from tracking with a health professional can be helpful so you can work together to understand what’s happening and develop a plan of action, but the decision to share is always yours.

5. Choose a recording method that works for you

The recording method should suit you best, whether that’s a paper diary, an app, photos, or a spreadsheet. Experiment to find what’s easiest and most convenient.

6. Consider noticing beyond what and how much you eat

For some women focusing specifically on what they are eating or how much may be helpful particularly when working towards a certain goal like eating more high fibre foods. But for others it will be helpful to look beyond what is eaten and focus on the WHY. This will be particularly important if we’re regularly eating in response to how we feel. 

7. Stay flexible

Don’t aim for perfection. You don’t need a 100% accurate picture of your food choices. If you miss a day, don’t be hard on yourself—just notice and be curious about why. You’re recording to understand yourself better and not to be perfect and huge amounts of learning can happen when things don’t go to plan. Tracking also doesn’t need to be rigid – there are no rules, or right or wrong ways of doing it, just options to experiment with. Some women track every day for a period of time, while others log only certain meals or focus on weekends. Some will journal for a few days, others for a few weeks or months; finding what helps you personally is the key.  

“I don’t track everything, just meals where I’m trying something new or want to notice a specific pattern. It takes the pressure off but still gives me insight.”

8. Review your records. 

This may be something that you do as you go along or you may want to consider setting aside a time say once a week to go through and see what you can learn from the process. Remember to use curiosity and compassion. Look at things that worked well, give yourself credit for these achievements and see if there are ways of spreading these to other situations if appropriate. Look at aspects where change is still needed and use the information to help you understand what changes might be helpful. 

9. Get support and stop if it’s not helping

If tracking starts to feel unhelpful it’s okay to stop and this absolutely isnt a ‘failure’. It may mean it isn’t the right time for this strategy and it may help later on, or it might be you need some support from a health professional as you go through the process. If you have had an eating disorder in the past recording your eating habits may be best done with the support of a health professional. 

Reviewing Your Food Diary 

If you’re working with a health professional, it’s helpful to track for a week or so and then review your observations with them to gain deeper understanding. You can also look over what you’ve written down on your own. 

Look for any obvious patterns. You may spot them straight away or it may take longer to understand them. Its okay if you cant work it out – its really common and having unanwered questions about what you’re doing that isn’t helping or why youre doing something is part of the process. Often our understanding improves with time or you may have a lightbulb moment when you least expect it. 

Here are a few questions to consider:

1. What did you learn about yourself or your patterns?

2. Has your eating changed because you were tracking?

3. Are there areas that would be helpful to explore in more detail?

Final Thoughts

Food tracking can be a powerful tool, especially during peri and post-menopause when new symptoms can impact eating and weight. Approach tracking with curiosity and compassion. Recognize the thoughts and beliefs that are brought to the process and strive to develop a supportive inner coach. This practice can reveal crucial insights into your relationship with food and highlight areas for positive change.