Should you keep a food journal to lose weight? The answer is yes.
Research from Kaiser Permanente showed that those who kept a food journal lost twice as much weight as those who did not.
In addition, my 20 plus years of experience as a Nutritionist has also showed that clients who keep food journals tend to lose more weight. How does keeping a food journal help you lose weight? Journaling helps in many ways:
1. Helps to keep us more mindful and conscious about our food choices.
2. Provides accountability and helps us stay on track.
3. Provides data to help us learn more about what works and what doesn’t to help us make the right food choices.
4. Improves the quality of our diet.
5. Allows us to track nutrient intake such as vitamins, minerals, etc. to improve intake.
6. May deter us from eating less healthy.
7. Taking time on journaling increases positive time and attention on food and nutrition.
8. Reinforces our commitment to a healthy lifestyle.
9. Eating takes an extra step with journaling, requiring us to think which can break the cycle of less healthy or unconscious eating
I highly recommend you keep a food, exercise and weight journal. Using a digital journal on an app can also be quick, easy to use and is right on your phone or computer.
One last point about journals. Make a commitment to journal. Keep it simple, fast and create a habit about where, when and how you do it. Pick a time or times daily to journal and stick to it. Some journal after each meal. Some at the end of the day. I actually journal my meals ahead of time at the beginning of each day as a way of planning and to set a mental track to follow. I then make adjustments the next morning should anything differ and then journal again for the day ahead both at the same time.
Some individuals stop or never start journaling for the following reasons:
1. They eat something less healthy and don’t want to journal it.
2. They get ‘too busy.’
3. They think it’s too hard.
4. They get out of the habit.
5. They don’t like it.
6. They say it’s repetitive or eat the same things and don’t need to do it.
7. They say it takes too much time. This is the big one.
There are a variety of reasons not to journal. However, remember you have goals you are going to accomplish. Journaling will help you accomplish those goals with greater likelihood. It only takes about 2-3 minutes per day, and helps with improving weight loss outcomes. Don’t let self sabotaging thoughts (see above) derail you from journaling, keep it simple, fast and make it a mini habit.
Have a healthy day!