by Howard Farkas

Created on: February 24, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

You have decided to make changes in your eating behavior in order to lose weight. How do you know what needs to be changed? You have to make an honest assessment of your current eating patterns. The first step in this process is to apply the five W's of journalism to your eating: What, When, Why, Where and Who. Here is a guide to assess your eating.

What: When you try to recall your usual eating patterns, it may be easiest to go through the day chronologically, and write down as honestly as you can your typical meals and snacks that you eat throughout the day. What do you eat for breakfast and what are the portion sizes?

When: Are you eating at scheduled mealtimes, or do you graze throughout the day? When do you usually eat the first meal of the day? When in the day do you stop eating? Are you a late night
snacker? Think about whether your total food intake is spread out through the day, or is it more packed into the latter part of the day. Do you eat infrequently in high volume waves or in more frequent but low volume waves?

Why: Next, write down what typically prompts you to eat at each of those opportunities: is it the time of day or do you respond to hunger cues or do you eat food simply because it's
available? Are you an emotional eater who responds to stress with a snack or even a binge? If your eating has no discernible pattern, then that's your pattern. Record the cues that prompt you to eat when you do.

Where: Now think about where you are at each of those occasions. Are you standing or sitting? At a kitchen or dining room table or at a coffee table or TV tray? What are you doing while you eat? Are you reading, watching TV, working at the computer? Or are you simply focused on the experience of eating whether alone or with others? Make a note of that information for each of the times you eat.

Who: Do you prefer to eat with others or by yourself? When you eat around other people do you tend to make better choices and limit your eating or are you influenced by the choices of others? Does eating influence either your choice of food or the quantity you eat? Are there circumstances, such as being alone or with others, coming home after a full day of work, relaxing after dinner, or any combination of these or other circumstances that make it more likely that you will overeat?

Before you can change your behavior, it's helpful to know what kind of behavior you're dealing with. Just like a good investigative journalist, using the five W's will help you get a more thorough understanding of your eating patterns so you will know what you need to change.

Learn more about this author, Howard Farkas.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.