Lose Weight with a Weight Loss Journal

Many people struggle with weight loss and often try many programs until they find one that ultimately works.  Weight loss is a personal experience since everyone has their own issues that have contributed to their weight gain in the first place.  By learning more about what is behind the excess weight you can more easily find a solution that will work the best for you.

Keeping a weight loss journal is an important part of dissecting the reasons behind your weight gain.  A weight loss journal is more than simply a calorie counter.  There are several main parts that should be included in your weight loss journal.

• Caloric Intake – You will want to see how many calories you're taking in per day.  Use a simple calorie counter chart to look up the calories that you ate for each meal.  The easiest way to do this is to write down all the foods and quantities that you ate all day as you eat them.  Then at the end of the day sit down and determine calories.  As you get more interested in your caloric intake you'll want to keep a running tally of calories throughout the day.

• Types of Foods – As important as the calories you ingest you also need to see where you're getting the majority of your calories.  Jot down the types of foods that you ate.  Use abbreviations if you prefer such as V for vegetables, RM for red meat and so on.  You will then be able to see at a glance the types of foods that you are eating regularly.

• Emotions – Our emotions may be responsible for the way we eat.  Some people eat more when they are depressed or stressed out.  You may eat certain types of foods that you use as comfort foods when you're trying to make yourself feel better.  All in all our emotions play a much bigger role in our food choices than ever thought before.  Make notes in your journal as to your current emotional state at each meal or snack.

• Exercise – Keep track of your daily exercise routines.  You'll want to write down structured exercise routines as well as simple exercise that you do during the course of the day.  For example if you walked to the school to pick up your child make a note of that.  Write down the type of exercise, the intensity of the exercise and the duration as well.

• Daily Events – Write down any major events that occurred during the day.  These may be any events that were significant to you.  Make a note of anything that happened that caused you to feel emotional including anger or hurt feelings.  Include happy events as well as any that were emotionally charged.

• Sleep Times – Enter your daily sleep and wake times in your journal.  If you had a sleep disturbance where you woke up in the night make a note of that as well.  Keep track of the amount of sleep you get as well as the quality of your sleep.

Once you have kept your journal for a week or more you can begin to take a look at it.  Look for patterns that show what you ate and why you ate it.  You may begin to see a pattern of eating certain foods when you have certain emotions.  You may also notice that you are using food as an emotional crutch.  Once you find out what you're doing you can set out to make the necessary changes to help you lose weight for good.