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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Self-monitor by keeping record, a food record, that is! Studies show that if we’re trying to lose, we’ll lose more weight and keep more of it off when we self -monitor our eating. In a systematic review of 22 studies from 1993 through 2009, self monitoring was consistently and positively correlated to weight loss (Review published in The Journal Of American Dietetic Association, jan. 2011). In my experience, we don’t need to keep an extremely detailed record especially if we’re just getting started. But when we record the time we eat, and what we eat (we need to record our beverage intake too!), we are using an important tool that helps our weight loss efforts. Consistent research backs this up. How many of us who have been to a nutritionist for help to lose weight and asked to keep a food record? Weight Watchers and other such programs also ask their members to record all food intake. So, why is this so important?
Keeping a Record can
Force us to take responsibility for our food choices. Whether we write down our food choice before or after we eat it, it becomes more difficult to deny our food choices when we have to write them down.
Help us to identify when and why we eat and help us to learn more about our eating patterns. We might find that we’re eating because we’re bored, stressed, need a distraction, are upset and/or we may find an eating pattern of too much of certain high calorie foods.
Help us to keep track. We want to keep track of the amount of food and calories we take in because, ignorance and forgetfulness is not bliss (we do want to lose, don’t we?)! Of course, measuring and weighing our food is an important tool too when we keep a record, so that we are aware of our “Growing Portion Sizes”. Even when we don’t measure all our foods, it can be an especially important tool for those foods we tend to eat too big a portion of (On my program we can eat all the veggies we want unless we add fat!). Again as I mentioned above, start small and just record!!
Create Conflict. Keeping a food record can cause us discomfort because we need to record the food choices we would rather not. It can also help us to not choose a certain food (some of my clients agree to write their food choices down before eating). Discomfort means conflict, which in this case can be a good thing. Most change occurs when we feel a conflict between our goals and our behavior.
So, when we learn about our patterns and face our food choices, we can start to take action to change them. When we are reminded of the food choices we made that hinder our goals, the discomfort we feel can get us back on track. And let’s try to remember that accepting conflict does serves a purpose, despite that it feels bad, . When we feel conflicted, we are more likely to make changes. No conflict, no change!
Losing weight and maintaining a weight loss is never easy; it can be a battle. But, would we be working toward weight loss if we were happy with the status quo?
So, let’s keep a record, even if it’s only for a couple of days a week on a little notepad to start, so we can get in the habit. Let’s stick with it and soon we might be making more changes with less and less conflict.
Follow me Junefit on Twitter every Sunday for a new weight loss tool taken from my book, and follow my blogs at Voskos Greek Yogurt Click here http://www.voskos.com/fresh/
Here’s to keeping a record!
June M Lay M.S.
JuneFit
Click here to refer to the Food Pyramid for sample portion sizes http://www.junefit.com/food_pyramid_new.htm
Check out this site http://www.caloriecontrol.org/exercalc.html to calculate approximately, how many calories you can burn for lot’s of activities.
June is certified as an Adult Weight Management Specialist by the American Dietetic Association.
Junefit is included in Google’s top ranked women’s health resources http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Women’s_Health/Resources/
June is Lifestyle Editor at www.healthnewsdigest.com/
(c)junefit, 2011
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