The Diet Dilemma: The What, How & Why Of Diet Diaries

For those of you who are about to read this, congratulations on making the first step. How do I know you're making the first step? Because I too started with reading up on different ways to ensure my diet was a success and searched Google for hours before finally deciding that a weight loss diary was definitely the way to go. Some of you may already be thinking that you just do not have the time to fit in a weight loss diary that you complete every day, but that is the beauty of it, its simple, quick and a great motivational tool.

What is a diet diary?

A diet diary is a simple way to be able to track not only your weight loss and measurements but also can include a food diary so you can see which foods are causing you to lose weight slower in certain weeks. A diet diary allows you to be able to take control of your eating habits making it possible for you to not only lose weight but to also learn proper ways of eating.

One of the main reasons we usually have such a hard time losing weight is because we go over the calorie limit we are allowed to effectively lose weight without even realizing it, a diet diary stops this from happening. We not only become aware of what times of day that we are eating the wrong foods and what foods make us bloated etc but we also can easily make sure that we stay well within out limit and get to our weight loss goal a lot sooner.

A diet diary can include what ever categories you want it to; it is made especially for you. A few examples of what you should definitely include are daily meals such as breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, a section to include what exercise you have undertaken for the day, your measurements, your weight and even a section on goals that you may want to achieve, short and long term.

How to get started?

The most common way today to keep a diet diary is of course online. It is so much easier to update and change and there are so many sites that provide sections such as blogs or forums where you can not only keep your diary but also talk with other people who are going through the exact same things as you are. Losing weight is not easy but is made so much easier with the help and support of people who are in the same boat as you. Statistically those who have support stay motivated for a lot longer than those who start and try to stick to a diet alone.

The best site I have found to date is the one that is mentioned in the resource box, it has a great community of people, allows you to keep your own blog for free, it also doesn't matter what diet you are on everyone can join. I know that being a member of the site helped me stay on track for a lot longer than I would have without the support and motivation I received from the members.

Why should you start a diary?

Well if you aren't already convinced that keeping a diet diary is going to assist you with your weight loss, keep reading! I have tried every diet under the sun and kept continuously failing, only to end up heavier than when I had started my diet, I had and still have a lot of weight to lose but this time I have stayed on track for over 15 weeks, my secret? I have been keeping a diary.

Each week I record what I eat, my measurements and my weight. Each week when I look at the figures in front of me showing how much I have lost I am motivated to keep on going for yet another week. While each week the amount might seem small when they are all added up in your diary it really shows how much of a difference you are making to your body. Try holding up a tape measure and showing how much you have lost off your waist and then telling yourself that it just isn't working.

Other positives are that it is free to do it, can be done in around 5 minutes or less a day and if you do it online you get to meet a fantastic group of people who you may even live near and be able to meet up for exercise groups with.

Getting started with your diary- Some fail proof tips.

1. Keep it simple. Make sure when you are planning out what to include or what to do for your diary that it is easy to maintain. We all know how it is so easy to run out of time and how most of us lose interest in things easily, so by making sure that we keep it simple and easy to fill in and keep up to date we are making sure it has continuity.

2. Be honest, if you have a bad day and eat things that you aren't supposed to, write them down too. But don't just include the food that you ate, write about how it made you feel. You will then be able to look back and make connections to what kinds of food you eat when you are emotional.

3. Include motivational pictures, whether they are of a thinner you or just of clothing that you would like to buy in a smaller size. Cut out magazine clippings. Make sure they are reasonable though and that you aren't trying to get to an unreasonable weight due to how body image is advertised.

The best thing about keeping a diary is that after a while you will learn the calorie count in most foods and it won't take you as long to complete each day. It will also allow you to see your progress and keep motivated. So if you are still sitting here reading this then you should visit the authors site and have a look at some blogs and posts that people have written about their weight loss so far and inspire yourself to get started on the same path. Good Luck with losing and maintaining your goal weight.