Write it Down
Posted on January 6, 2009
A study came out last year that found that keeping a food journal can potentially double weight loss compared to those who don’t use a food journal.
“The more food records people kept, the more weight they lost. Those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. It seems that the simple act of writing down what you eat encourages people to consume fewer calories.”
– Lead author Jack Hollis Ph.D., a researcher at Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research
I wrote about food journals and even a photo food journal soon after the study came out, but I want to remind those of us resolving to create better habits for ourselves that writing it down, whatever “it” may be, is going to be helpful.
I use a food journal –it’s just a notebook (pictured below). I use it to see what I’m eating and how much of it. It was hard at first, but now has become part of what I do. I don’t always care about the calories either, it’s more about making sure I’m eating not-so-huge portions of healthy things. I also keep track of my workouts. I keep track of time, distance, etc. and I also have a place to write short notes about the workout (see below).
As you can see, pretty basic. Though, it does help me see my progress and help keep me on track. What works for you? Do you write stuff down?
Try it for awhile, see if you like it, and most importantly, see if it helps you. Remember, be honest. Don’t cheat yourself by “forgetting” about the cookies and brownies you ate! It only works if you write everything down, including drinks (besides water).
Remember, it’s all about creating healthy habits.
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» Filed Under Weight Control, healthy lifestyle
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Writing “it” down can help you with your health goals. http://tinyurl.com/89g9eo
I am a big believer in food journals! I encourage all of my clients to keep one and every single one of them report back positive changes. Thanks for the reminder!
Liz Rosenbaum´s last blog post..Apple & Banana Protein Shake
Uggg, I hate food journals. They always show me how crappy I eat and then I start to cheat (come on, does the mini snickers really have to written down?). I must work on my will power and ethics, lol.
Anya´s last blog post..Can I Conquer My Fears in 2009?
YES! YES! YES! I totally agree. This was the very first thing I did when I started focusing on fitness. For over nine months I used my foodlog (stored in a text file on my computer) to record everything. I attribute a lot of my weight loss motivation to my foodlog. This was one of my very first posts on fithacks.com: http://www.fithacks.com/index.php/2007/08/13/keep-a-foodlog-2/
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I definitely believe in all the science that supports the use of food journals for most people. For me, however, I just can’t do it anymore. I did it for years with attempts to lose weight and it causes me to become obsessed in an unhealthy way.
I find it better when I just get away from thoughts of calories, food groups and times and just eat when I am hungry, stop when I’m full and focus on real food. Maybe with studying the field it just has something to do with focusing on it too much for too long. I’m not sure.
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