How a Pencil Can Help You Lose Weight
This is a very cool, and little-known truth: People who keep journals lose more weight. It sounds sort of nuts that something so simple would result in proven weight loss, but it's no joke. And people who keep a food and mood diary don't just lose a little more weight. They lose TWICE AS MUCH.
There are several studies that examine the role of keeping a food journal in weight loss. One of the most widely quoted is a six-month study involving 1,700 people published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. Participants who kept a journal were more likely to stick to their diet, more likely to seek support, and lost double the weight of those who didn't keep a journal.
Here's another mind-blowing idea: It doesn't matter whether you write it on paper, type it into a computer, talk into a recorder, take pictures of everything you eat or use an app (like my Fast Metabolism Diet App for Android and iPhone). The idea is to hold yourself accountable and encourage your progress by keeping track of all the wonderful, healthful meals you've eaten.
One of the biggest issues I see with my clients is that they don't eat enough. Journaling helps them stick to a regular food schedule. It's something that ALL my clients do, and we look at it together.
So give it a try. Write as much or as little as you want, with a crayon, a pencil, or with an app, but at the very least, track your meals and snacks along with portions, note the times you eat, and how you feel every day. I guarantee it's going to be an amazing experience of self-discovery that has lasting effects!
This is a very cool, and little-known truth: People who keep journals lose more weight. It sounds sort of nuts that something so simple would result in proven weight loss, but it's no joke. And people who keep a food and mood diary don't just lose a little more weight. They lose TWICE AS MUCH.
There are several studies that examine the role of keeping a food journal in weight loss. One of the most widely quoted is a six-month study involving 1,700 people published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. Participants who kept a journal were more likely to stick to their diet, more likely to seek support, and lost double the weight of those who didn't keep a journal.
Here's another mind-blowing idea: It doesn't matter whether you write it on paper, type it into a computer, talk into a recorder, take pictures of everything you eat or use an app (like my Fast Metabolism Diet App for Android and iPhone). The idea is to hold yourself accountable and encourage your progress by keeping track of all the wonderful, healthful meals you've eaten.
One of the biggest issues I see with my clients is that they don't eat enough. Journaling helps them stick to a regular food schedule. It's something that ALL my clients do, and we look at it together.
So give it a try. Write as much or as little as you want, with a crayon, a pencil, or with an app, but at the very least, track your meals and snacks along with portions, note the times you eat, and how you feel every day. I guarantee it's going to be an amazing experience of self-discovery that has lasting effects!
