Mitra
08-07-2006, 06:30 AM
Make the commitment that if it goes into your mouth, it goes into your journal. Studies have shown that people who commit to keeping an honest and accurate diary of nutrition and exercise are as much as four times more successful than people who will not.
This week's tip from the Staying Power journal section.
I think I used this one last year, too - but that was on the other board, and cmcole's new personal journal made me think it might be worthwhile to revisit the idea.
After my first couple of weeks on intervention, I'd pretty much learned what I could have lots of, only a bit of, or none at all of, and didn't bother journalling. Then I reached goal, relaxed a bit, and regained about half a stone :rolleyes: (that's seven pounds). That was when I started journalling. I did it for a few months, lost those pounds, and stabilised. A few months later just a couple of pounds had crept on, and this time I did six months of recording everything - calories, carbs, protein, fat.
I stopped towards the end of last year and so far have maintained my weight without recording it, but my experience does agree with the Eadeses' recommendation to journal for at least a year. It really helped me to see what effect variations in my food had. I found that increasing my carbs much beyond 60-70g per day or eating more than one small portion of wheat per day bring on tiredness, despondency, and that tight feeling in my feet that indicates the start of fluid retention. More than one or two glasses of wine, or drinking wine if I'm already tired or stressed will do it too. My weight seemed more affected by calories than carbs, though if I eat more carbs I'm generally eating more calories as well, so they're not entirely independent. I was also able to match the amount of food, the way my weight was going, and the level of hunger I experienced. Amazingly enough, if I feel hungry a lot of the time my weight goes down; if I never get hungry at all, it goes up; if I'm getting hungry as meal time approaches, I stay the same.
I liked having all those numbers in my spreadsheet, but I stopped journalling because I wanted to feel as if my eating was more natural, and less obsessively controlled, but I'm glad that I established the baseline, and I'll do it again any time either my weight or health indicates a need to review what I'm eating. I've actually noticed that just the act of recording what I eat makes my trim my portions slightly :rolleyes: , so I generally start to lose a bit of weight just by starting the journalling!
Do you record your food? Carbs? Protein? Calories? Do you do it all the time, spot check (like monitor Mondays)? For a while when you need to get back on track?
This week's tip from the Staying Power journal section.
I think I used this one last year, too - but that was on the other board, and cmcole's new personal journal made me think it might be worthwhile to revisit the idea.
After my first couple of weeks on intervention, I'd pretty much learned what I could have lots of, only a bit of, or none at all of, and didn't bother journalling. Then I reached goal, relaxed a bit, and regained about half a stone :rolleyes: (that's seven pounds). That was when I started journalling. I did it for a few months, lost those pounds, and stabilised. A few months later just a couple of pounds had crept on, and this time I did six months of recording everything - calories, carbs, protein, fat.
I stopped towards the end of last year and so far have maintained my weight without recording it, but my experience does agree with the Eadeses' recommendation to journal for at least a year. It really helped me to see what effect variations in my food had. I found that increasing my carbs much beyond 60-70g per day or eating more than one small portion of wheat per day bring on tiredness, despondency, and that tight feeling in my feet that indicates the start of fluid retention. More than one or two glasses of wine, or drinking wine if I'm already tired or stressed will do it too. My weight seemed more affected by calories than carbs, though if I eat more carbs I'm generally eating more calories as well, so they're not entirely independent. I was also able to match the amount of food, the way my weight was going, and the level of hunger I experienced. Amazingly enough, if I feel hungry a lot of the time my weight goes down; if I never get hungry at all, it goes up; if I'm getting hungry as meal time approaches, I stay the same.
I liked having all those numbers in my spreadsheet, but I stopped journalling because I wanted to feel as if my eating was more natural, and less obsessively controlled, but I'm glad that I established the baseline, and I'll do it again any time either my weight or health indicates a need to review what I'm eating. I've actually noticed that just the act of recording what I eat makes my trim my portions slightly :rolleyes: , so I generally start to lose a bit of weight just by starting the journalling!
Do you record your food? Carbs? Protein? Calories? Do you do it all the time, spot check (like monitor Mondays)? For a while when you need to get back on track?