The Importance of Journaling

The Importance of Journaling

• Simply put….a food journal will help you recognize why you eat the foods that you do and give you a means to analyze the nutrient content of your diet.  Listing everything you eat helps you take a critical look at your eating habits.
• Don’t rely on memory: write down everything as you eat it.  If that’s not possible, write down what you ate at end of the day otherwise, plan your day and write down everything ahead of time.
• Keep your journal for at least 3 days of the week:  I recommend 2 week days and 1 weekend day.  Weekends are difficult for some people. They will actually sabotage all of their week’s effort in those 2 days.
• Let’s talk about the success rate of keeping a journal…..people who keep a journal lose twice as much weight and did you know that 90% of people that journal have long term weight loss success?
  
  

Now, how do we keep a food journal?

Start by trying to record what you eat and drink each day:

• Start by writing down the day of the week.
• Document all the food you eat and its portion size.   Be specific, some of us underestimate how much we’re really consuming.  I hate to tell you this but every nibble counts, yes, that also means taste-testing as you’re cooking too!
• Write down the time and place you eat it.  What were you doing while you were eating? Were you driving or sitting on the sofa watching TV?
• Write down your fluid intake and how you feel physically.  Are you tired or energetic and do you notice a correlation between your energy level and food consumption?  On a scale of 1-10 how hungry are you before you eat?  Do you notice any association with your hunger level and food consumption?
• Document how you feel emotionally.  Are you angry, sad, nervous, bored or excited?  Some people eat more when they are upset and less when they are excited.  At the end of each day, examine how your emotions affected your eating.
• Finally, document the amount and type of exercise or activity you perform.  You will notice that the more you move the faster you lose.
• A journal is a great record of successful days and weeks.  Use your journal as a reference tool and copy successful days when you find yourself “slipping”.
• Be honest.  Remember, it’s a journal not a newsletter.

Attend one of our Support Group meetings today to share ideas and learn more about tips for success.  Click here for more information.