Get Write to It!

Okay, corny title...can't help myself!

I had some travel time (riding in a car) this weekend and so that means...more magazines! I know that you have all heard it before, but journaling your food is an easy way to increase your weight loss chance of success.

From Shape, November 2008 (yes, I had some magazine catching up to do!)

Just because you don't have time to keep a proper food journal doesn't mean your slim-down efforts are doomed. According to researchers at Kaiser Permanente's center for Health Research, simply jotting down meals and snacks on a Post-it or texting yourself a list of what you eat encourages you to take in fewer calories by forcing you to reflect on how much you're consuming. "When you become more conscious of your choices, budgeting your calories gets easier," says Jack Hollis, Ph.D., a senior investigator. The researchers found that dieters who scribbled down what they ate for six months lost about 13 pounds--double the amount of those who didn't catalog their daily diet.

I know this has worked for me. I've even had the luxury of having to turn my journal over to another set of eyes. THAT will really make you think about what you eat! Now, I only journal my food for short periods of time if I feel that I am getting into bad eating habits again. I like the idea of just writing it on a Post-it or texting myself--just acknowledging what I have eaten in writing is the key. If you want extra accountability, have another person look at your food journal. Or do like Christi has and create a blog to record all of your food. Who knows how many people view her food journal! That is a lot of accountability!

Bottom line is that writing down what you consume works for weight loss/control. Take the time for this...it's the write thing to do!