TheDailyWeight.info

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by Alan Turnberry

They say that the pen is mightier than the sword. Well the pen may also be mightier than the scale: dieters that keep journals actually lose more weight than those who don’t. Keeping a journal is an excellent habit to get into. It is easy to keep a journal and you’ll find that this can lead to successful weight loss.

Just use a cheap notebook; you don’t need a fancy journal. Some people think that journaling involves a fancy journal. Just get a ninety-nine cent notebook and call that your journal. Here’s why: many people feel pressured to write "perfectly" in a fancy journal. But a cheaper notebook they know that they can write in as they used these for school. This somehow makes it all more approachable.

For best success, track everything you eat. You’ll find that you eat less and eat healthy foods if you track everything you eat in your journal. Make your journal convenient so you can write down your meals as you eat them. Try also writing down your moods as you are eating your meals or snacks. Any time you eat anything, try to identify the mood that you are in. Tracking your moods will be helpful for your journal.

Make your journal a safe place you can write anything. Most of us live with other people — or have other people into our homes. Keep your journal a private thing that you — and only you — read. Consider sharing it with your therapist or counselor if you need to. Don’t tell family or friends you are keeping a journal as some may be tempted to want to read it. Don’t leave it out anywhere where they could see it as they might want to read it. You want to keep your journal a safe place.

Let your feelings flow in your journal. You’ll discover that sometimes you are writing about food and other times you are writing about other things. That’s okay because often our food issues do not have much to do with food at all. We are eating out of anxiety, depression, fear, anger and other emotions. Discovering these emotions helps you eat less. The more aware you become of your emotions, the less you will eat the unhealthy foods.

Consider seeing a therapist or trained counselor for support. Sometimes a journal is not enough. Your journal can be a springboard for your weight loss work. Consider seeing a therapist or a trained counselor to support you through weight loss. This professional can help you with weight loss in a way that a journal simply can’t — as the professional can respond to your thoughts.