Joan O’Keefe, RD
It’s amazing how many people say to me, “I’m doing everything right and just can’t figure out why I’m not losing weight.” Have YOU ever said these words? I’ve got one word for you: Honesty.
It’s not that people are lying or trying to cover-up their diet and exercise mistakes, it’s simply that they’re not aware of their dishonesty. The only way to be absolutely honest with yourself about what you’re truly doing for your health is to journal. A diet and exercise journal is a requirement of all of my clients. Journaling forces us to be honest with ourselves, especially when we’re trying to live healthier lifestyles. Studies show that those who journal lose more weight and keep it off better than those who do not. So, what are you waiting for?
A nutrition and exercise journal should be simple. Carry it with you everywhere and every time your fingers go to your lips with food, write it down. Journal everything you eat, drink, sip, or taste-test. Write down your physical activity and how much sleep you’re getting. Then when you say, “I just can’t figure out why I’m not losing weight,” we can go back, look and say, “Oh yeah, I see it now.”
Losing weight:
Diet has a lot to do with it. Make sure you’re getting plenty of color and protein in your diet. I recommend CardioWhey and CardioTea daily for all of my weight loss clients. Write down absolutely everything you take in. Record your physical activity. Do something every day. You will not reach your goal if you are not active every day. Even if it’s just 20 minutes going up and down the stairs in your house, make sure it’s something every day.
Sleep: Don’t underestimate the value of sleep. You need 7.5 hours every night. If you’re not sleeping enough, stress hormones will increase and so will your appetite. Record your sleep in your journal and you’ll be able to spot patterns.
The only way to know if you’re on track to reach your goal is to journal. When you don’t lose weight one week, we can say, “there’s the extra cookie and glass of wine, a missed workout, etc…” Journaling is the best way to stay honest with yourself.
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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 28th, 2009 at 10:40 am and is filed under Joan O'Keefe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Like your post. Keep it going !!!