Former American Idol and country singer Carrie Underwood has revealed more of her diet secrets: she keeps a diet journal. The 26-year-old says she writes everything she eats down to help her see exactly what she’s eating, and where she deviates from her balanced diet.

Carrie has just released her third album Play On, but she’s not only improved her musical style since appearing on the reality TV talent contest, she’s also become healthier and slimmed down. The food diary definitely seems to be working for the Grammy Award winner as she considers herself a little obsessive-compulsive when it comes to noting down what she’s eaten.

Over the years studies have proven that a diet journal does in fact help individuals lose weight. A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine last year noted that keeping a detailed account of everything you eat and drink, as well as the amount of calories they contain is a great help and a powerful tool. Because you’re writing everything down, you can see exactly where you’re going wrong. Of the 1 685 middle-aged men and women who partook in the study, those who kept a food diary lost twice as much weight as those who didn’t.

So while Carrie’s weight-loss method may not be as extreme as some celebrities’, it certainly is effective.

Last month, model and TV show host Tyra Banks revealed her new body after losing four dress sizes (30 pounds). Over the past couple of years she was leaning on the chubby side but after hard work and dedication she looks like she’s ready for another Sports Illustrated Bikini Issue photo shoot. This week on her show she gets to the nitty-gritty of her weight loss secrets and the fact of the matter is that there was no crazy dieting involved. It was about her exercise plan and managing her eating habits. She says,

“This is a lifestyle change. It’s not about being skinny. It’s about getting in the best shape that you can be.”

During the show Banks confessed that she was having painful, chronic stomachaches that would have her in bed for days. So, she decided to enlist the help of a nutritionist to change her unhealthy habits into healthy ones. Nutritionist Heather Bauer had Banks keep a food journal to identify those foods that make her feel good and those that don’t. On the show this week, Bauer gives the audience some sample lunch and dinner menus and healthy fast food options. Banks chimes in,

“It’s about working with what you’ve got, and knowing and learning what’s right for your body.”

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One of the most effective strategies to lose weight is to keep a food journal.  When you keep a food journal or diary, you become more focused on weight loss and you begin to understand where those “stealth calories” are coming from.  So how much can keeping a food journal help with your weight loss?

In a weight loss program conducted by Kaiser HMO, individuals who kept a greater number of food records per week were more successful at weight loss.

At the end of five months, individuals who recorded:

• > 5 records/ week lost 18 lbs!!
• 3-4 records/ week lost 11 lbs
• 1-2 records/ week lost   8 lbs
• 0 records/ week lost      8 lbs

As these results show, the more you record your food intake the more weight you’re likely to lose.