9 Reasons Why You Must Keep a Food Journal or

“Oh, please! Not the Food Journaling thing again!”

By Michele the Trainer

Everyone is always telling you that you need to keep a food journal and it’s true. A food journal is the best way to learn accountability for food. We are so busy we might not notice that we’ve been eating red velvet cake for dinner all month. It’s time to take control of your relationship to food and lose weight more quickly!

You need to keep a food journal (track your food) if you really want to lose weight and get in shape. Oddly, mostly people never tell you why. Though there are many free apps and online journals, I created the Michele the Trainer Success Journal, because I still journal on paper, and the why is important. Get yours here and you can track with me:

http://www.amazon.com/Michele-the-Trainer/e/B0075W9PJI

 

But OH, the pain of having to track something! It makes it sound horrible like we have to clean the garage. We live in a world where we have to track everything (money, gas, thank goodness not cell phone minutes as much, etc.) Why why why must I track my food intake?

“Did eating lasagna leftovers for breakfast all week after Sunday’s dinner really cause me to gain weight?”

That’s one reason why J.

 

Once you make this a healthy habit, it’s easy peasy. Really.

 

Here are 8 Reasons Why You Must Keep a Food Journal:

 

1. YOU and only YOU know what you’re putting into your mouth! Tracking slows you down enough to take care of yourself. We use literally less than 5 minutes daily to journal our food, and our health is worth those few minutes.

 

2. Knowing your personal calorie and food intake is imperative. It is not possible to keep it in your mind how many calories you have had each day. Also, you are able to review those days when you felt really great and see what you ate that day or the day before. All calories are not created equal, and you can identify what works for YOU:

 

http://www.engineeringwellness.com/allcaloriesnotcreatedequal/

 

3. Learn your potential food weaknesses are . If you find that you binge every time you see chocolate or you gain weight after you visit your grandmother, you can take steps to avoid that trap the next time. Family visits can either encourage feasting with the family or emotional eating (before during or after), often more than trigger foods (chocolate). You can also fall victim to a potluck:

http://www.engineeringwellness.com/holiday-potlucks-pink-fluff/

 

4. Remember and find favorites that you can eat. If you lost weight 2 years ago, do you remember what you ate during that time? Do you remember what foods you were eating that you loved at Thanksgiving when you were losing weight 3 years ago? During your journey you will find many occasions where we ate something that we really enjoyed that was healthy and smart. Later we might forget what we ate and how much we liked it. A food journal can let us keep track of those positive things and help us reintroduce those foods.

 

5. Track weather and moods – Two major factors that surround your day that can affect your will and can cause you to unconsciously eat what you shouldn’t are weather and moods. By seeing (and remembering) the correlation between your surroundings and moods combined with your food intake, you can control your responses. Did you only lose weight on that tropical vacation? Well we might just have to go back there!

 

6. Note success! That’s why I called my journal the Michele the Trainer’s Success Journal . The scale might not be the only success you can track. Clothes that fit great, a compliment from a friend or simply a good feeling will stand out in front of you letting you enjoy your great success!

 

7. See patterns in the foods we eat – Most of us have a food type. We were taught by our parents what food to eat. The “meat and potatoes” diet or a Mexican food diet can all be traps that we are stuck in without knowing it. Seeing the patterns in our choices allows us to diversify, add more organic vegetables and increase our chances for success.

 

8. Track the connections between our exercise and food . Some people eat larger meals after a workout (rewarding). If you see this as a pattern for you, you can then take steps to break it, like having plant protein and a filling salad close at hand for your post-workout meal. Are you rewarding yourself too much?

http://www.engineeringwellness.com/will-exercise-make-you-fat/

 

9. Sharing is Caring! Use what you have learned to help others. – We are all individuals, but many of our habits and food issues are similar, part of our culture and society. Once you have a deeper insight into your food habits, you can help family members and friends to break those same habits.

Why did I create the Michele the Trainer Success Journal? I’m fairly geeky and technical, so why not use an app? Why do I still journal on paper? I know it’s an ancient technique to write with a pen, and not use our phones or computers. I have clients that are successful with free online tracking applications, but for me personally, slowing down to take a breath, find a pen and actually jot down a note, really focuses me on taking care of myself. I am never too busy to find that pen, and my health is worth it. That’s why I created the Michele the Trainer Success Journal and you can get yours here:

http://www.amazon.com/Michele-the-Trainer/e/B0075W9PJI

About Michele the Trainer

Michele the Trainer is your Wellness Expert, Motivational and Wellness Speaker, Published Author, Concierge Celebrity Personal Trainer, voted Best Fitness Trainer Los Angeles Daily News 2013/2014. Michele’s success losing 165 pounds holistically and keeping it off since 1998 is very inspirational. For more on Michele: Michele the Trainer 877-409-1758

www.michelethetrainer.com

www.michelethetrainerwellness.com

www.engineeringwellness.com

Here is Michele’s Amazon.com author page where you can find her book, Sexy Salads:

http://www.amazon.com/Michele-the-Trainer/e/B0075W9PJI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1