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Why Keep a Food Diary?

Research shows that monitoring your eating behavior is one of the most important components in keeping your weight down and continually off. A food diary has proven to be a powerful tool for weight management. Many studies show that persons who keep a food diary not only lose more weight than those who do not keep one, but they also keep the weight off longer. There have been numerous studies that show how food diaries were more effective in keeping weight off than any other techniques. In fact, people who track what they eat lose weight on an average of 6 lbs./month. Those that don't keep food diaries gain back three pounds on average after fad dieting.

The key to keeping a diary is to let go of being perfect and acquiring patience. By pacing yourself you are able to focus more and achieve one goal at the time. It is important to not overdo it by taking everything on at once. That is just a way to set yourself up for a failure. Remember, behavior change is a long-term project. It took you your whole lifetime to learn the behaviors you now want to change. The unlearning of these behaviors takes time. Try not to beat yourself up if you are not immediately reaching your goal. Keeping an accurate eating log can be tedious at first and the process is slow. Being open to re-evaluation is helpful especially if you begin working with a weight-loss coach. They can help you at every turn see how far you've come and show you that you can do it!

Once you accomplish your goal, don't reward yourself with food. It is best to write down those things that bring a smile to yourself. A back rub, a foot massage, a magazine, a pedicure, or a facial are just of few examples of prizes. Despite this list, the best reward is when your coach says "Now give yourself a big pat on the back for a job well done!" It is important to establish rewards with your coach for each of your goals. Your coach will help you set up a reward program and show you how to make the reward's size consistent with the achievement.

By monitoring your progress at regular intervals you can see how far you've come towards accomplishing your initial goal. After a month of progress, you might not have to put as much effort into tracking your intake as you did before. Working with your weight-loss coach can of' course help with stabilization and also when things aren't going well. A weight-loss coach comes in very handy when you need to rethink the strategies you are using and try something different.

Here are some things a food diary along with your weight-loss coach can do:

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© Arlene Unger, Your guide to positive Stress, Relationship, Life and Weight Management.
www.MyPrivateCoach.com: Life Coach - Life Coaching
Arlene Unger is the Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of experience and additional certifications in Nutrition, Sports Psychology, Executive Coaching, Addiction, Nonverbal Therapies, and Communication Disorders Coach at My Private Coach. She can be contacted at info@myprivatecoach.com.
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