What should you write?

[Penny]

I want to keep a weight loss diary because they say that it makes it easier to stay motivated and effective with weight loss, but I"m not sure what I should be recording.

Is it just my weight or all of my foods and exercises? That could be very time consuming. Any suggestions would be more than welcome because I want to do things right this time and not just end up giving up on my diet the first time I seem to be plateauing.

[lia]

Hi Penny,

That's completely up to you! If you're using it to monitor your calories, then you should write down the calorie count of everything you eat in a meal.

If you're trying to find out what types of foods you're eating and where your strengths and weaknesses are, you should write down everything that you eat (that's the type that I've had to use because I wanted to find out my carb vs. protein vs fat ratios, when I eat them, and how much).

A lot of people also write down how they feel after a meal so that they can start to make choices that will be less linked with guilt or that makes them feel energized for the day, for example.

Good luck with your own!

[KraftyJo]

write whatever you feel is meaningful to record and that you might find useful later on when you're trying to learn about your dieting habits. It's really handy for identifying patterns.