Weight Loss Journal

You can also record thoughts, feelings, and emotions in your journal. This will allow you to analyze and correct any connections to emotional eating.

How to Start a Journal

• Decide on what you are going to use to record in. Are you going to use a diary or workbook off-line? Will you be recording on your PC with word or excel? Or will you be using an on-line tool?
• You should begin by recording your weight loss goal. Declare something definite and make it realistic. Unrealistic goals only make you frustrated when you don’t achieve them. Losing 10 lbs in 12 weeks is a realistic goal and achievable.
• Decide on what items you are going to track. Are you tracking just calories or are you looking for a breakdown of fat, protein, and carbohydrate intake? Are you going track exercise and the calories burned? Your daily or weekly weight?
• Decide on the format of your journal. Do you want to set up columns and rows, or are you recording in written format? Keep your record-keeping uniform, so that you can review each day in the same format.
• You should leave a comment section for recording your thoughts and feelings. What’s going on with the kids? Are you under stress at work? Anything that is going on that may help you identify possible eating triggers.
• Now you can start recording. Review your journal daily, at first, as it will give you an idea of where you’re starting from. Calculate your weekly results and make any necessary adjustments that are required.

An effective on-line weight loss journal will:

Track your calories
Calculate calories burned from exercise
Log your weight
Calculate your macronutrient intake
Set a weight goal and deadline
Provide graphs and charts
Calculate your daily nutrient intake

FitDay is an excellent on-line weight loss journal for tracking your dietary intake and exercise program. They offer a basic free plan and a desktop PC program that offers more features.

My-Calorie-Counter.com is another on-line weight loss journal. That provides you with a blog for recording your weight loss results. It counts calories and calculates the calories you burned during exercise.

It works in conjunction with leading diet plans such as

Atkins
South Beach
Weight Watchers
The Zone Diet

A weight loss journal will provide you with the motivation to move on to the next step. As you become successful, you will be able to pinpoint what works and what doesn’t. Studies show that those people who write down their goals are more likely to achieve them.