Chart Your Weightloss

Writing down everything you eat and drink is one of the best things you can do to evaluate and improve your eating habits. It also makes you accountable for what you eat.

Ohh, I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!! – Not!!

When I give my clients this assignment I tell them not to make any intentional changes as I am trying to see what their current eating habits are. And usually, even though I tell them not to, they tend to eat a little less each day that they record and they get the motivation to make better food choices.

Create a Food Diary Journal where you can track the amount of food you eat, the degree of hunger, the time of day, and your mood when you eat. While you are charting your progress, you will get the biggest motivational boost as you see the results of your documenting.

You may feel a little stuck because you've been exercising for a long time, but you are still the same weight.

"Why aren't I seeing any results?” you scream at the scale (or your trainer).

Well, it's because the typical scale doesn't differentiate between your muscle, your body fat, and the fluid changes in your body. When you are working out, your body is making small changes every day, changes that can't always be measured by your bathroom scale. It's possible for your scale weight to remain the same for a while, even as you slim down, especially if you're losing fat and gaining muscle.

This is where a circumference measurement (tape measure) or body fat percentage test can be used to chart your weightloss progress.