Most people find it helpful to keep a record of their progress. Weight should be recorded once a week only. To show progress accurately, the same scales should be used at the same time of the day. It is also helpful to make weekly notes of body measurements. Sometimes a person gets discouraged because, after a period of satisfactory loss, the scales show no drop for a week or more. But during these periods body measurements often continue to decrease. To know that another half inch has melted off the waistline is encouraging at such times. It stiffens resistance to the common temptation of saying, “Oh, what’s the use?” and stopping when success is in sight. Weight loss begins again if the diet is faithfully followed. The most important record to keep carefully is a list of the foods eaten each day, and the quantity. Such a list serves several purposes. It can be checked against the essential foods to make sure there are no omissions. It will help the doctor in adjusting a diet to slower or faster weight loss, as the need may be. It is useful as a reminder of slips and indiscretions in eating or drinking which must be checked. It helps to keep a person convinced about the number of calories he is really taking in. _Special Problems_ On a reducing diet many people find themselves eating more vegetables, raw fruits, and salads than they did before. Most of them benefit from the change. However, anyone who has previously had signs of ulcers, colitis, or other digestive disturbances should tell his physician. A person susceptible to such conditions may need to use raw fruits and vegetables sparingly, substituting fruits stewed without sugar, or perhaps using pureed vegetables. Constipation sometimes occurs when eating habits are changed suddenly. It can often be corrected by drinking more water and by using green, leafy vegetables more generously. The substitution of stewed, dried fruits for some fresh fruits may also help. The amount must be watched, because dried fruits are richer in calories than fresh fruits. They are often eaten in greater quantity and cooked with sugar. People who are on a diet and who eat in restaurants a great deal have a problem. Unless their budget runs to a daily steak diet, a good cafeteria is often a better choice than other types of restaurants. The foods are usually plainly cooked, without much fat, and can be chosen individually. The chief problem is to develop the habit of passing by all the display of foods which must not be eaten. The temptation to add something extra is sometimes greater than it is at home. If lunch is the only meal which must be eaten out, and there is no suitable eating place available, the problem may be solved by taking lunch from home. Some suggestions for a day’s menus, including low-calorie lunches which can be carried to work or school, are given on the opposite page. PACKED LUNCH for 1200 Calorie Diet BREAKFAST