In this article I'm going to tell you about an amazing study into
a one of the very best ways to lose much more weight and diet
successfully - with just one simple step. This method is totally
healthy, doesn't involve exercise or a supplement or even a new diet.
Astonishingly, all you need to do in order to double your weight loss is
to keep a food diary! How simple is that?
Food Diaries Double Weight Loss
Does this sound too good to be true? Well, research has highlighted this incredible simple and easy way to double your weight loss success. All you have to do is record all the food and drink you consume in a daily food diary.
Self monitoring, as it is known, has had a great record in helping people achieve their goals for a long time. Over a long period, research has highlighted that people who are aiming to lose weight and who keep a record of everything they eat and drink (and their activity levels) are more likely to achieve diet success. I've always recommended keeping food diaries and many of my clients have found it works really well for them.
Now yet another study from the Kaiser Permanente Research Center, Oregon USA confirms just how effective this simple step is. The results are very clear and it's really very simple, so I'll explain exactly what you need to do.
Keep a Daily Food Diary
This study looked at almost 1700 overweight people who all followed a healthy eating and activity programme for 6 months. They were asked to keep daily records of what type of foods and how many calories they ate.
The most important and interesting finding at the end of the 6 months was that the more food records people kept, the more weight they lost. The average loss was 13 lbs - but the really interesting results were that people who kept no food records at all lost about 9 pounds - but those who kept 6 or 7 daily records each week lost about 20 pounds - that's double the amount of weight!
Why Does it Make a Difference?
So why does recording everything you eat and drink help quite so much with how to diet? According to Dr Victor Stevens (who was the main researcher) the most important factor is simply that it makes you accountable to yourself. When it comes to your diet for weight loss, this is your project and you are the boss. So you report to yourself. This helps you stay motivated to achieve your goals. And this is the key benefit of self-monitoring.
Writing down everything you eat and drink also gives you lots of information about your diet and shows you exactly where any extra calories come from, which you can then cut out or reduce. Often it's just very small amounts of extra calories that are all it takes to put on weight, or to slow your rate of weight loss. Did you know that just an extra 80 calories every day above what you need, will add almost 3 stone over 5 years?
How To Make Your Food Diary Really Effective
This study's findings also produce helpful and simple tips for making your food diary effective. So it recommends that you measure your portion sizes (as well as calories) as accurately as you can, when filling in your food diary.
It will really help you to be accurate, if you record what you eat or drink as soon as soon as possible after having it. So for example, if you are keeping your food diary records on your computer, then any time you are eating out or away from your PC or laptop, just make a quick note at the time and enter it into your computer diary later that day.
More Reasons Why A Food Diary Helps You Lose More Weight
Here are some more reasons why keeping a food diary is so helpful.
· Knowing it will go into your food diary helps make you think harder about whether to eat a particular food or not, so you tend to make healthier choices
· It highlights unhelpful eating habits, patterns and stress triggers which you have probably got into without even realizing. For example, missing meals early in the day and then getting so hungry later on that you eat whatever is available, however unhealthy. Or maybe having a couple of drinks after a stressful day at work - and then eating fatty snacks to go with them. Most people who fall into these patterns, do so gradually, over a long time
· When you've identified these unhelpful thoughts and triggers, it's so much easier to avoid or control them.
· It also helps you become more active on a daily basis - you become more conscious of your real activity levels (especially if you record your activity levels too) and the amounts of calories you are eating, compared with the amounts you are using up.
Be Really Honest With Yourself
At first, writing down everything you eat and drink all day can seem time consuming - and it can be difficult to track and record everything exactly. For some of us, the worst of all is having to write down those chocolate bars or mini binges...! You do have to confront what you eat on those bad days. Yes, it can be hard. But do remember that we all have days like that - and if you "forget" to record them, the only person you are fooling is yourself! And you are the one with something to lose - your weight!
Take Your Time
So, don't be put off. In my experience, most people find it can take a little time to get into the habit of doing their diary regularly, but they soon do. People on the study also said it got easier with time. Just do your best, find reminder systems which work for you - and you'll soon find it becomes part of your routine and you don't really have to think about filling it in, it just fits in to your day like clockwork.
Your Best Friend
If you're finding it hard, try and see your diary as your best friend - remember that it's helping you to lose weight at twice the rate! It's certainly not something to use to be tough on yourself with. The more honest you can be with yourself, the more it will help you to recognise and change any negative thoughts or problem areas.
Weekly Food Diary
Once you have achieved your target weight, a weekly diary may be enough to help keep you on track, together with checking your weight regularly - every week is what I recommend. Especially early on, when you move on to a maintenance phase, keep a careful eye on your weight - and any time you find you are putting weight back on, just go back to your daily diary. You'll soon find it's one of the real keys to healthy weight loss and diet success - and staying that way!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sophie_James
Food Diaries Double Weight Loss
Does this sound too good to be true? Well, research has highlighted this incredible simple and easy way to double your weight loss success. All you have to do is record all the food and drink you consume in a daily food diary.
Self monitoring, as it is known, has had a great record in helping people achieve their goals for a long time. Over a long period, research has highlighted that people who are aiming to lose weight and who keep a record of everything they eat and drink (and their activity levels) are more likely to achieve diet success. I've always recommended keeping food diaries and many of my clients have found it works really well for them.
Now yet another study from the Kaiser Permanente Research Center, Oregon USA confirms just how effective this simple step is. The results are very clear and it's really very simple, so I'll explain exactly what you need to do.
Keep a Daily Food Diary
This study looked at almost 1700 overweight people who all followed a healthy eating and activity programme for 6 months. They were asked to keep daily records of what type of foods and how many calories they ate.
The most important and interesting finding at the end of the 6 months was that the more food records people kept, the more weight they lost. The average loss was 13 lbs - but the really interesting results were that people who kept no food records at all lost about 9 pounds - but those who kept 6 or 7 daily records each week lost about 20 pounds - that's double the amount of weight!
Why Does it Make a Difference?
So why does recording everything you eat and drink help quite so much with how to diet? According to Dr Victor Stevens (who was the main researcher) the most important factor is simply that it makes you accountable to yourself. When it comes to your diet for weight loss, this is your project and you are the boss. So you report to yourself. This helps you stay motivated to achieve your goals. And this is the key benefit of self-monitoring.
Writing down everything you eat and drink also gives you lots of information about your diet and shows you exactly where any extra calories come from, which you can then cut out or reduce. Often it's just very small amounts of extra calories that are all it takes to put on weight, or to slow your rate of weight loss. Did you know that just an extra 80 calories every day above what you need, will add almost 3 stone over 5 years?
How To Make Your Food Diary Really Effective
This study's findings also produce helpful and simple tips for making your food diary effective. So it recommends that you measure your portion sizes (as well as calories) as accurately as you can, when filling in your food diary.
It will really help you to be accurate, if you record what you eat or drink as soon as soon as possible after having it. So for example, if you are keeping your food diary records on your computer, then any time you are eating out or away from your PC or laptop, just make a quick note at the time and enter it into your computer diary later that day.
More Reasons Why A Food Diary Helps You Lose More Weight
Here are some more reasons why keeping a food diary is so helpful.
· Knowing it will go into your food diary helps make you think harder about whether to eat a particular food or not, so you tend to make healthier choices
· It highlights unhelpful eating habits, patterns and stress triggers which you have probably got into without even realizing. For example, missing meals early in the day and then getting so hungry later on that you eat whatever is available, however unhealthy. Or maybe having a couple of drinks after a stressful day at work - and then eating fatty snacks to go with them. Most people who fall into these patterns, do so gradually, over a long time
· When you've identified these unhelpful thoughts and triggers, it's so much easier to avoid or control them.
· It also helps you become more active on a daily basis - you become more conscious of your real activity levels (especially if you record your activity levels too) and the amounts of calories you are eating, compared with the amounts you are using up.
Be Really Honest With Yourself
At first, writing down everything you eat and drink all day can seem time consuming - and it can be difficult to track and record everything exactly. For some of us, the worst of all is having to write down those chocolate bars or mini binges...! You do have to confront what you eat on those bad days. Yes, it can be hard. But do remember that we all have days like that - and if you "forget" to record them, the only person you are fooling is yourself! And you are the one with something to lose - your weight!
Take Your Time
So, don't be put off. In my experience, most people find it can take a little time to get into the habit of doing their diary regularly, but they soon do. People on the study also said it got easier with time. Just do your best, find reminder systems which work for you - and you'll soon find it becomes part of your routine and you don't really have to think about filling it in, it just fits in to your day like clockwork.
Your Best Friend
If you're finding it hard, try and see your diary as your best friend - remember that it's helping you to lose weight at twice the rate! It's certainly not something to use to be tough on yourself with. The more honest you can be with yourself, the more it will help you to recognise and change any negative thoughts or problem areas.
Weekly Food Diary
Once you have achieved your target weight, a weekly diary may be enough to help keep you on track, together with checking your weight regularly - every week is what I recommend. Especially early on, when you move on to a maintenance phase, keep a careful eye on your weight - and any time you find you are putting weight back on, just go back to your daily diary. You'll soon find it's one of the real keys to healthy weight loss and diet success - and staying that way!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sophie_James
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