*Keeping a weight loss journal



*Measuring food portions

*Giving up favorite foods

The good news is that even making little changes in your diet can go a long way. One little change you can make is to keep a weight loss journal. Your journal can have a significant impact on the food choices you make. Keeping track of your food intake can help you start eating healthier and reach your weight loss goals.

Tips for Keeping a Weight Loss Journal

When you start keeping your journal, you may be a little surprised to discover what your daily intake truly is. Many people are surprised to see how many calories they actually consume in a day. Once you see the numbers on paper it is hard to ignore, the facts are right there for you. After looking at your journal you may be able to overcome the weight loss obstacles that prevented you from reaching your weight loss goals in the past.

Awareness

Awareness is a key factor to losing weight. If you don't understand what you are up against how can you change it? By keeping a record of your food choices you can evaluate your overall diet and identify your bad eating habits. You may also find patterns in your eating habits.

How to Keep a Weight Loss Journal

A weight loss journal is not nearly as difficult a task as you may be thinking. You don't need to spend hours looking up and recording your calories. But rather simply writing down what you are eating every day and how much you are eating.

Getting Started

Start by writing down everything you eat and drink. You don't need to look up the calorie count, but be specific in how much you are eating and drinking. For instance you would write down: for breakfast you had:

*2 eggs

*A piece of cheese

*Two pieces of toast

*A cup of grapes

After you have written down your eating habits for a few days you can then look at your diet and make some changes. You will start to notice how much unhealthy snacking you do or how much your diet lacks water or vegetables. A weight loss journal is an eye opener for most people and it helps to make the changes you need which will include losing inches in your waistline!

No one will read your journal but you, so don't cheat! And be consistent in your writing. If you can't consistently write what you are eating, how will you consistently eat healthy and reach your weight loss goals?

Meal Plans

Planning your meals ahead of time and writing it down in your journal will help you to eat healthier by planning. Most people end up eating fast food because it's quick and easy. But if you take just five minutes to plan what you will eat for lunch tomorrow, you can bring it with you or commit to eating something healthy. Not only will your waistline thank you, but so will your bank account! Eating fast food everyday is costly not to mention unhealthy.

If you can find a friend or family member who also wants to lose weight you can help each other. Having someone you can:

* Check in with

* Swap notes with

* Swap recipes with

* Look to for encouragement

can help both of you stay on track with your weight loss goals. This may make reaching your goals more enjoyable too.