Keep A Journal And Lose Weight

It is really easy to underestimate the number of calories or unhealthy fats that we habitually consume, our minds have a way of ignoring those minor diet transgressions that eventually mount up to a whole lot of extra fat on those thighs.

A diet journal can make all the difference by bringing these extra calories to your attention. Studies have shown time and again that by simply recording what you eat your calorie intake will be reduced.

Many people fail to keep a diary because it can seem an onerous task, but very quickly keeping a food diary will become natural to you and you will rapidly see the benefits in lost pounds and inches.

How to keep a diet journal

Its really up to you what you want to put in your journal, but the more information you put in the more helpful it will be to your weight loss.

1. The first thing you should do is write down your weight loss goal, make a contract with yourself that you are going to do everything you can to achieve this goal and sign it. Have a look at our free Weight Loss Success Planner, which has everything that a successful diet journal needs.

2. Record where you are now in terms of weight, measurements etc. and update this every month. It is also helpful to keep a photographic reference of your weight loss so you can really see progress.

3. Make sure you record everything you eat and drink, and I mean everything, even tasters while cooking, or a bite of the kids' sandwich - it all adds up and these are the excess calories that we tend to forget about if they are not written down.

4. It helpful to write down what time you are eating foods, drinks and snacks so you can get an accurate pattern. Do you tend to consume sugary snacks at certain times of the day? This is all helpful information when altering your eating habits.

5. Also if you write down how you are feeling at those times of the day when you feel the impulse to eat you can become aware of emotional eating patterns. You could also record what you were doing when eating, for example; do you habitually eat potato chips which watching tv? With awareness you can bring rapid change to your lifestyle.

6. Set yourself a daily goal, rather than going crazy and planning only to eat vegetables for a week or try and stick to impossibly low daily calorie intakes, break your weight loss goals up into bite size pieces. Write down your target for the day or even for the morning and then the afternoon, sticking to an eating plan for one day is a heck of a lot easier than a whole week, then you can adjust the following day. Taking things one step at a time always works better.

So now you have an accurate assessment of what you are consuming, how you feel when you consume those foods, where you are and what you were doing. You have a precise roadmap of what you want to achieve and how you are going to get there, and you have a motivating visual record of your journey.

If you stick with your diet journal, you a much more likely to succeed at losing the weight you want by making a permanent and natural lifestyle change.

by Dianne R Maurer
Weight Loss Success Coach