When working with my boot camp clients one-on-one to help them lose weight, I have a golden rule that helps them get even greater results: Thou Shalt Keep Track of Your Diet.
While I get a lot of moans and groans in the beginning, you can bet your muffin top there isn't one of my bootcampers who wasn't amazed by the results they got when they kept a food diary. What do I know that they don't? Writing down EVERYTHING that you eat and drink has been scientifically proven to DOUBLE YOUR WEIGHT LOSS!
In one weight loss study of 1,700 people, two-thirds of the subjects lost 9 pounds or more over the course of 6 months. But those who tracked everything they ate, lost TWICE as much weight as those who didn't track every day.
Think you're eating "healthy"?
Many of my boot camp clients think that a food journal won't work for them. They "don't eat that bad" or "eat pretty healthy". But the truth of the matter is there is ALWAYS room for improvement. Keeping a food diary helps create awareness of what you're actually eating. Not what you "think" you're eating, but what you're REALLY eating. The calories from the orange juice you had with breakfast, the dressing you put on your salad and the "few bites" of your partner's dessert can add up to an extra 300 calories per day. Multiply that over 365 days and you could gain four and a half pounds in one year!
Hidden Calories Revealed
Do you know how many calories are in your favorite cocktail? What about your go-to energy bar or your famous lasagna? When coupled with counting calories and nutrients, food diaries become an important educational tool. That's why I'm an advocate of weight loss programs like Weight Watchers. They educate you about the quality and quantity of food you're eating. But you don't need weekly meetings to start empowering yourself today. Keeping a food diary can help you make healthier food substitutes and navigate through the grocery aisles as an informed consumer.
Mindless Eating
Did you REALLY just sneak back to the conference room to eat the last cookie from your earlier meeting?!?! Maybe not, but I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I have! With the abundance of available food in America, we don't think twice about heading to the fridge...even if we aren't hungry. Stress, boredom or the need to take a break (RE: the "cookie incidence" above), can lead us to mindless eating. Writing down everything you eat, every day, helps you think twice about the food choices you might subconsciously be making.
If you find that a food diary alone isn't enough to help you reach your goals, seek support from professionals in your neighborhood. Weight Management Coaches and Nutrition Counselors can help you develop a food plan that works with your schedule, tastes and lifestyle. And since you're already keeping a food diary, you'll have a head start! If part of the reason you're keeping a food diary is medically related - to help reduce bloating, diarrhea or stomach discomfort or regulate disease - seek the help of a Registered Dietitian or Physician. They have the tools and knowledge to get you on track and double your weight loss!
Jill Tomich is is a Certified Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach and co-founder of New England's Ultimate Bootcamp. She clearly has a sweet spot for sweets and is going to keep a food diary for the next 2 weeks to see how she can improve her own diet!
