Food Journal

I'm a firm believer that the success to losing weight is in keeping a food journal. You eat it, you write it, you own it. If you don't write it down a few things happen. Biggest is that you are lying to yourself. Do you really think by NOT writing it down and ignoring that ***insert binge food here*** that it magically disappeared? Then you are wasting your time and might as well buy the next size up in clothes because you're fooling yourself. Proof will be a continued weight gain or lack of weight loss—which ever way you want to look at.

Another thing that happens is that you closet eating. This is a road we've all been down. Hiding food, eating said food and then hoping no one notices the food you stuffed into your mouth is a pattern of self-destruction. And you know what? They notice. Because you are getting fatter by the day. Simple. Break the pattern and start writing down what you eat. Write it down even before it goes into your mouth. It keeps you honest, controlled and focused.

This is not maintaining mode. This is fight for your life to get to a healthy weight range. Staying there is not what we are talking about YET.

For one day keep a food journal. Take a look at what you are eating (and drinking) over the course of one day. Are you eating enough? Doesn't matter what healthy diet you are following, WW, counting calories, reducing portions, or following the new food plate from the government you eat, write it and own it. Only you are responsible for what goes into your mouth and I'm telling you every time I have lost weight it was because I keep a journal. Once I stopped the journal back came the weight (ten fold, twenty fold, etc).

Tomorrow I weigh in for week 10. Every week I have epiphany about my relationship with food. This is not easy. Many times a voice in my head tells me to just forget it, just EAT IT, no one will know. So easy to just listen to the smooth talking voice in my own head that's pushing the food at me. I have to almost slap myself to come to my senses and gain control. I chant. That's right. I chant in my head: "I don't want to be fat, I want to be healthy, I want to feel good." Okay, so I'm no song writer, but to circle back to the topic of the blog, the food journal is arming me against that seductive food pushing voice. Knowing what I ate at the end of the day and what else I could eat is stress reducing and relieving. And every weight loss journey needs tools, support and a goal set forth around you to keep it going.