When you are dieting it is all too easy to consume extra calories without realizing you are doing it. You can just have a few of those pieces of candy from your co-workers desk and not think anything about it. But if you take the time to write down your calories and foods in a diet and exercise journal you will have to face the music when you take a look at what you have eaten at the end of the day.

The physical act of writing down your foods can be all that you need to keep you on your diet plan. You don’t want to write in your diet and exercise journal that you just ate sixteen Hershey’s Kisses, so chances are you will think twice before you eat them. Sometimes the biggest obstacles to losing weight are the calories that you don’t remember having consumed. A journal makes it difficult to overlook these calories. It also gives you the opportunity to analyze where and when you are having your biggest problem.

If you find when you take a look at your diet and exercise journal that you tend to eat a sugary calorie laden snack in the late afternoon, you might need a healthy snack option at that time to keep you going. This is a normal time for office workers to hit the vending machine or store for a quick energy boost. Candy is a natural choice because the sugar will give you a lift in your energy. Unfortunately that energy boost will cost you calories and diminish your diet efforts. Plan to bring a high-energy healthy snack with you so that you can combat these low energy periods and avoid the vending machine.

Your diet and exercise journal will also show you whether or not you are achieving your exercise goals. Once you begin skipping the gym or your regular exercise routine it is easy to get into the habit of forgetting about exercise. If you make a decision to write down your exercise daily you will be unable to forget that you are not performing the exercise that you planned.

An online diet and exercise diary can quickly calculate the calories you consumed and the amount you burned off and give you an analysis of your day without you having to calculate anything. These tools are very handy for those who are trying to lose weight. Take advantage of all the online tools that are available for dieters. You can find an online calorie counter as well as an online diet and exercise diary. You should be warned, though, that they only work if you use them.