Losing weight is always a struggle for many as there are many factors that can hinder their progress in shedding excess pounds. There are those instances where you go and dine out with family or friends, the endless snacking on sweet treats because you are stressed, and even the occasional drinking on Friday nights. Unfortunately, if your clothes seem tighter than before and your weighing scale showing the needle hitting the upper numbers, you really need to take stock of what you are at risk of and start doing something about it.
One of the best ways to get your weight loss program started is to start a food journal where, basically, you should write down the food that you eat on a daily basis and how much of it you have consumed. Of course, you have to be honest with every entry in your food journal so that you will know whether you are in heading the right direction or not. To help you get started, here are some food journaling tricks that can help you lose some weight right away.
Be honest. Like it was mentioned before, when starting a food journal, you need to take a vow that you will tell the whole truth. Remember that the food journal is for your own good so it should bear witness to all the good and the bad that you have eaten throughout the day.
Write as you eat. Some people who have a food journal swear by keeping their notebook by their nightstand so they can write down what they have eaten during the day before they go to bed as this was the time when they were least distracted. If this seems like a tedious task to you or you feel that you won’t be able to maintain it for long, you can always write on your journal whenever you had something to eat. This way, there won’t be any chance of you missing jotting down what you’ve eaten.
Don’t forget the ingredients. Food journaling isn’t just about writing down what you have eaten but also the ingredients that you have used or contained in the food. This includes the oil that you have used, the spices that added the flavor, and so on. This is important if you are using a calorie counting app to help you measure the amount of food that you have consumed so far.
Snap some photos. Another way for you to get your weight loss program off to a good start is to take a photo of yourself, a full body if possible. Take a photo of you every week to see if there is any difference. A nutrition clinic from Columbia found that those who take weekly photos of themselves are more likely to lose weight compared to those who don’t. So do try it out to see if it works for you.
Measure your portions. In your food journal, it is important that you list down the portion you’ve eaten. This means bringing out the measuring spoons and cups in your cupboards to get a better idea on how much you’ve consumed. This may sound complicated but if you really want to stop your weight gain, this might be one of the best ways to do so.
These are just a few tips that you should take into consideration if you are trying food journaling for the first time. It may take some time to get used to writing down your food entries but it will be worth your while especially when you see a huge improvement in your weight.
