- Image by Lost in Scotland via Flickr
How is your weight loss journal coming? What journal you say? Hey, we are on a journey, we need a journal to document the trip. A recent study coordinated by Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute’s Weight Management Initiative showed that those who kept a journal lost as much as twice the weight as those who did everything right except write it down.
What goes in this journal – everything. You put down what you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat it. Rate your hunger at the time your scheduled meal or snack, tell how you felt after eating – satisfied, still hungry, etc. Write down what exercise and activity you did, when, how long. Write down your emotions during the day. Write down any revelation you got during the day. Knowledge and actual realization are two different things.
How does keeping a journal help? First, it keeps your weight loss journey in the front of your consciousness. It is hard to keep your eating plan up if you do not remember you are on it. Second, it gives you an opportunity to listen to your body.By writing down what you notice, you become more aware of trends. As you notice trends, you can find alternate ways to change habits and attitudes. Third, you can look back and see how much you have progressed.The weight loss journey is one of changing habits in your physical activities/exercise, changing habits in your eating, and changing habits in your mental attitudes.
If you are courageous enough, you could take a picture of yourself as you reach goals – such as 20 pounds, 10% of your initial weight, or just every other month. For as long as possible, wear the same clothes when taking the picture and be in the same position in the same place. That will give you a true picture comparison.
An extra reward in writing the journal is to avoid mindless eating. I know sometimes I eat just because I forgot I had eaten something earlier. This is usually the little cheats like a donut here, a few M&M’s there, taking a sample at the grocery store of pudding, cheese, or other goodies.
Now, it is hard to keep a notebook with you at all times to write in. If you use a computer at work, send an email to yourself or text yourself listing what you ate when, or if you have internet access, use a google doc or spreadsheet to write things down. Then you can spend a few minutes at night gathering and incorporating these bits into your journal.
What help do you think a journal would be for you? Leave a comment.
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