Journaling for Weight Loss

Posted by Nadine Bells

I'm a journaler. It's an impulse. I can't bear to see paper remain blank. And I have a lot on my mind at all times. So there are half-filled notebooks everywhere, packed with thoughts, lists, lyrics and schedules. Apparently, this habit of mine could also benefit my waistline.

A recent study showed that those who diligently recorded what they eat (a food diary, essentially) lose twice the amount of weight than dieters who don't. It makes perfect sense, really, as the journal would then become a silent accountability parter. It's easy to mindlessly eat a cookie; it's not so easy to snack on off-limit treats when you're aware that you'll have to record the consumption. It also forces you to look at portions (I'm the queen of portion distortion) and to evaluate the reasons for your eating.

Karen Donato, the coordinator for overweight and obesity applications at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in Bethesda, Md., thinks one of the big effects of the diary is that it can help people realize when they’re just eating out of boredom or stress.
“A lot of times people do mindless eating, under stress, at their desks, bored, just eat things without thinking about it,” she said. “This strategy can help people avoid that.”

Read the article here.

To get started, you can download your own food and activity diaries here.
FitSugar also has printable food and fitness journals. There are no rules in journaling. Except honesty. No one will judge you, so spill the good with the bad.

Crack out those notebooks, ladies. It'll be a great cathartic exercise in thinking about what you eat and why. And maybe you'll fall in love with journaling in the process. For the truly courageous, start a blog and share your journey with all of us! (And be sure to let us know about it. I'll read it. Promise.)

( Add your comments )

Recent Entries:
· The Pill's 50th Birthday
· Superwoman of the Day: Hungry Girl
· Breast Cancer: Reduce Your Risk

[ READER COMMENTS ]

Journaling for Weight Loss

Add your comments...

We kindly ask that you keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Abusive or inappropriate comments or comments that are specifically promotional in nature may be removed.