Lose Weight By Logging

Since the 1970’s there have been dozens of studies showing that people who log what they eat end up losing weight.  That’s all they do!  They don’t buy special food, swear off of chocolate, pay loads of money to join diet groups, or start a 1200 calorie meal plan.

It started with a group of researchers who were going to conduct a study on a new diet plan.  The first instruction they gave the participants was to keep a detailed food journal.  The point was to gather information in order to have a good idea of what people were eating on their usual routine, then see what was going to have to change.  But the subjects came back in two weeks and surprised the team: they had already lost weight!

How does this work?  It makes you consistently aware of what you are eating.  Think about how many times you eat during the day without thinking about it: grabbing a cookie someone at the office has out on a plate; accepting a piece of birthday cake with a nod and walking off to another task; purchasing a candy bar at the quick mart and eating it on your drive to your destination; taking a second helping of mashed potatoes while chatting with your dinner companions.  The list goes on–we continue to ingest hundreds of calories and remain unaware, oblivious to the taste and feel of the food on our palate because our mind is wandering elsewhere.

If you decided to carry a small notebook and write down everything you eat, what would change?  Soon you would start thinking before you accepted, purchased, or served yourself food: “I’m going to have to write this down”.  Having two cookies or some leftover Halloween candy is fine, but if you start overdoing it, you catch yourself when you know it will be etched in writing.  “I don’t mind writing down I ate two cookies but, heck, I don’t want a permanent record reminding me that I kept eating them until there were seven to write down!”  It makes you aware; it makes you think; it stops you from overeating.

If this idea does not appeal to you, think about what is it that you don’t like about it.  If it seems like a lot of work you really need to take a second look at what you’re willing to do to lose weight.  Why would you try some crazy fad diet instead of just stopping to think before you eat?  It’s free, it’s simple, and it’s proven to work!  The more consistently people log, the better their results.  So if you can’t dive in to this 100% I encourage you to try for a partial version.  Here are some ideas:

1. Try keeping a log for 3 days a week (or 5 days) instead of every day
2. Decide to write what you eat at times you know are a problem for you; perhaps between meals or after dinner
3. Make it fun and log details of interest to you: how hungry are you when you eat; what you’re feeling like; how many calories you’re ingesting; or what you did not eat that you would have if you were not keeping your log!

Let us know what you tried and what you found

Written by Laurie Beebe

About The Author: Laurie Beebe has been a registered dietitian for 25 years and is certified in adult weight management. Laurie currently serves as a diet coach and life coach at www.mycoachlaurie.com

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