Revisiting Journalling ... Get Creative!

Journalling is difficult.  What makes it so difficult is that we have to admit to ourselves what we are putting into our bodies and then, question ourselves as to why we made those choices. 

If we eat a piece of cake (or cookies, or chips, or substitute your own particular food vice) because we were stressed having to write it down makes us face up to the fact.  If we ate a piece of cake (or cookies, or chips, or substitute your own particular food vice) because we were stressed having to write it down may also cause us to consider NOT journalling.

Struggling with a food journal takes some time and some self-development, self-control and self-discipline.  If we are struggling with weight loss then its obvious self-control is something we have not conquered yet.

A food journal can serve many purposes.  It can help us see what we are doing wrong in our weight loss efforts but, it can also help us SEE WHAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT!  Those who journal faithfully will tell us that there is no better feeling that looking at previous food journals and seeing the point in time when under the snack column you begin to see “apples” instead of “Doritos”.  Yes, at first it may seem like a lot of effort that can best be described as self-punishment, but there comes a time when we will begin to realize that we need to change the habits that we have lived with for a long time.

All the experts tell us that journalling works!  There are no ifs, ands or buts about it … time and time again studies have proven that writing it down works.  A recent study of 1700 overweight men and women showed that those who kept a regular food and exercise journal, along with eating a low-fat diet and exercising 30 minutes per day, lost 18 pounds in 20 weeks, compared to a nine-pound loss among those on the same eating and exercise program who did not journal.  Now I don’t know about you, but if carrying around a little piece of paper and a pencil will help me double my weight loss … I’m going to revisit trying it again!

Researchers believe journalling works because:

·        The journal makes us accountable

·        The journal can help us identify where extra calories are sneaking back into our diet

·        The journal can act as a deterrent – it is bad enough that we would have to write down that we ate a double fudge chocolate brownie – but if we have to write down that we went back for another piece, well, we just might not eat it?

·        Instead of being an evil chore the journal can provide a VISUAL and CONCRETE RECORD OF OUR SUCCESS!

Some tips for successful journalling:

·        Write down the portion sizes of the foods you eat – remember to make it in servings, not helpings

·        Write down other habits that are helpful such as the amount of water everyday

·        Sometimes it helps to write down other details about your eating experience, such as where you ate, who you were with, and how you were feeling emotionally at the time

The rule of thumb has always been to write down everything you eat or drink, including snacks and water immediately after you ate or drank it.  By looking at your journal frequently during the day it will give you an idea of how many calories you are allowed for the rest of the day.  You can clearly see when you go over your calorie limit, or sometimes when you’re eating too few calories over the course of the week (remember too few calories can derail your weight loss efforts as easily as too many).  Realistically, and depending on which method of journalling you prefer, writing it down as soon as you put it in your mouth is simply not feasible.  If it is hard to do it will not get done.  Some other options for successful journalling are:

Plan your day’s intake in advance … A food diary usually helps one account for what they have already eaten during the day … but if you feel some lack of commitment in admitting that you have overindulged throughout the day, consider mapping out the day’s intake in advance and just following the script.  Instead of writing down what you have eaten simply check off the things you've eaten that were written down already.  OF COURSE, you must add anything “extra” underneath.  This also helps you to compare what you thought you would want to eat with what you actually ate.  That comparison can be a powerful tool.

Do your journalling in the evening … Enjoy your day and then do your journalling in the evening after dinner.  Is this the best way to do it?  Quite frankly, it is not – but remember, even a little accountability is better than no accountability at all.  This could be a less stressful starting point to help you to get accustomed to doing the journalling and eventually committing to it.

(The next one is my favourite tip as far as keeping a food diary)

Document not only the foods you've eaten, but the foods you've turned down … When you “reverse journal” with foods that you turned down you will want to get things on that side of the list.  When you gaze back at this journal of foods that you turned down, you will be proud of yourself.  That in it self is a great motivator!

Get creative in how you journal …

Dieting success if obviously important, but how do we make journalling a success?  The easiest way is to find the method of journalling that works best for each individual.  What works for me may not work for you.  What had worked for you for 6 months may not be working as well as if used to and its time to switch things up a little bit. 

Some people find that a small notebook works best for them.  They are able to write down the foods that they eat in an informal manner possible including calories counts or other small tidbits of important information.  It can be very discrete to carry with you so you can pull it out, jot something down and slip it back into a purse or pocket.  It may seem like a small deal, but think about … pulling out your black moleskin journal to make notes – it’s kind of all mysterious and important looking!

Some people enjoy a larger, almost scrapbook like food journal.  They can let their creative side out … paste in bits and pieces of motivation found in newspapers, magazine articles or websites.  The example below includes some personal motivation doodling and recipe tips as well.  It doesn’t have to be neat.  It doesn’t have to be organized.  It is personal.

Some people are very tech-savvy and can use their computers, cell phones or other “gadgets” that are available on the market.  Some even measure the ingredients for you and give you a per-serving calories count.  Obviously there are many, many, many “apps” available.  I personally have not tried any cell phone or on line apps so cannot recommend or discourage any.

Tech savvy teens have even begun to use texting and Instagram as methods of journalling food and exercise.  An eight-week study of 31 families showed that teens were nearly twice as likely to stick to a diet plan if they could text-message about their diet and exercise choices.  The study’s authors concluded that an immediate response from a nutritionist helped keep them motivated.  You could achieve the same results by texting with a “diet buddy”.

Ever thought of keeping a photo-diary?  Most of us carry cell phones with us.  If it is too difficult to write everything down maybe snapping a quick picture of it will work?  And think about it – walking past the candy jar at work and grabbing a quick candy becomes that much more difficult if you have to reach into a pocket for your cell phone to snap a picture of it first.  That may give you just enough time to realize that you really don’t need to consume that candy after all.

Many people, myself included, find in difficult to journal food no matter what the method.  If there something out there for us too?  Well at http://voices.yahoo.com/weight-loss-food-diet-journal-writing-prompts-27183.html I found a list of *Writing Prompts* that get you thinking about why you are on this weight loss journey and what got you to this point.  If writing down every morsel of food is not up your alley, then maybe trying to write down (or even just think about) the answers to some of these questions will help.  Keep it in a convenient spot at answer one or two of the prompt every day.  When you get to the bottom of the list start all over again and see of your answers change.  If not * then maybe traditional journalling may be the only way to go.

CREATIVE JOURNALLING WRITING PROMPTS

Are you looking for creative writing ideas for your daily or food journal? Here are fifty journalling topics related to eating and dieting to inspire you. Have fun!

1. I love to eat my favorite snack because ...

2. If I quit snacking on junk food I ...

3. When I secretly snack I feel ...

4. If I quit snacking between meals I ...

5. Telling others that I am dieting makes me feel ...

6. I wouldn't mind dieting at all if ...

7. The most fun weight loss diet is ...

8. People who have to diet to stay slim are ...

9. Thinking about weight loss is stressful when … 

10. If I could lose weight once and for all, I would … 
11. Weight loss is important to my health because … 
12. Weight loss is important to my spirit because … 
13. I feel most attractive when I weigh … 
14. Writing in my journal about food and dieting would help me by … 
15. When I eat sweets my body … 
16. Eating sweets makes me feel emotionally … 
17. I can eat sweets if … 
18. To me - cake, cookies, and candy are … 
19. When I eat dairy foods my body … 
20. Eating dairy feeds makes me feel … 
21. Milk, cheese, and eggs are to me … 
22. Fermented foods like yogurt and buttermilk affect me by … 
23. I am afraid that is I lose weight my significant other will … 
24. I am afraid that if I lose weight others will think … 
25. My secret fear about diets is that they … 
26. What is most exciting about starting/maintaining a diet is … 
27. This time when I diet I hope to … 
28. This time when I diet I definitely will … 
29. My friends help me with weight loss when they … 
30. The person who inspires me most to lose weight is … 
31. When I lose a few pounds it will be fun to … 
32. I'd like to help others diet by … 
33. The thoughts that help me most with weight loss are … 
34. It's most helpful to my diet when people tell me … 
35. It helps me to lose weight by reading … 
36. After I lose weight, I will be more successful at … 
37. I will feel the perfect weight when … 
38. Next year at this time my weight … 
39. One year from now my body … 
40. One year from now the foods in my diet will be … 
41. Weight loss will always remain important to me if … 
42. Dieting will no longer be important to me when … 
43. If all foods were not fattening, I would eat … 
44. Sometimes I dream about eating … 
45. I watch people eating who are … 
46. My favorite drinks are … 
47. The beverages I shouldn't drink are … 
48. I feel wonderful in my body when I eat … 
49. I feel wonderful in my body when I drink … 
50. I am now a grand success at weight loss because …

After all that, if you are still ambivalent about journalling know that you are not alone.  I looked at several weight loss websites that wrote about journalling (many of which offered on line trackers to compile this and most of them had comments about journalling.  Most of these comments referred to using an on line tracker available at www.sparkpeople.com but I felt including some of them here might help us get on the food journal bandwagon.

RANDOM COMMENTS ABOUT JOURNALLING

I really dislike thinking about what I'm going to eat, and what I have eaten all day, but that's what got me here in the first place, mindless eating that is. Now, I am tracking and I am so much more mindful and accountable.*

*Tracking food helps keep me mindful of what I am eating. Does it help me to lose weight? Not so much.*

*It really does help. You have no idea how many calories you are actually eating until you write them down.*

*I been tracking my food for over 3 years now and can't lose any weight much. I might forget to track my food about 3 times a month, but it is hard to track my food when I am out to eat and then I don't feel like tracking it. So I just need to find a new way of eating.*

*I measure or weigh everything at home so when I am eating out I can better guess my portions and calories. You don't know how much you are eating, little bites add up, if you don't learn this. Let's face it...we wouldn't have a weight problem if we were doing this correctly to begin with, talk about portion distortion! I was going to make a large salad as a meal and when I started to calculate I found it had more calories and fat then I wanted so I made the changes before. When I had it made I knew exactly what I had and how much I should eat. This is the most important thing for me to do to lose weight.*

*Yes, tracking does work because when I see my total calorie intake for the day, I'm less likely to continue eating, or if I am hungry, I at least make a better choice (fruit over cookie). However, I must be consistent with tracking and that's where I tend to fail a bit.*

*Here's something that really made a tracking breakthrough for me. Track EVERYTHING, even when I go off the rails. There are several advantages: Tracking inserts a little intentionality so that when I eat those potato chips but not as many since I'm measuring them out. It limits my all-or-none thinking, too. The actual amount of calories I consume is never as much as my mind tells me it is (though I have been shocked) and I am more likely to think about how I can had exercise or plan for the future to avoid the problems that lead to overeating.*

*It takes less than five minutes to enter your food. What it does require is actually planning your meals. Once you know what you're going to eat, instead of trying to grab something when you feel hungry, then there is no problem at all keeping within the boundaries and still achieve your required weight loss and health improvements. I usually track after I do my workout in the morning and sometimes I find myself having to try to add food in order to fulfill my calorie requirement - no starving, no hunger and no misery. I actually eat more now than I did before and it's more of the right kinds of things.*

*I am grateful for the food tracker! It is like a mini challenge each day.*

*Everyone here gained weight for different reasons - mine was post-partum depression and inactivity. I found tracking my food did one thing quite well - stress me out. I also gained weight, felt miserable, and had very little energy and that is not good when you have a toddler wanting to jump and play with no rest. Once I stopped, I started losing and pretty steadily. I'm down over 12 pounds and feeling great.*

*It really does make a lot of difference in my weight loss. I never realized how many calories I was consuming a day and this has made a huge difference in my awareness.*

*It feels onerous at first but after a while it becomes a habit. It forces you to account for that little nibble and snack so you see what you're really eating.*

*When I'm thinking consciously of what I have to track, I tend not to be so vague about what I'm eating.*

*Keeping track not only shows how I got the way I am...(way too many calories) but also shows just how little protein I take in per day. Tracking now is and always will be part of my daily routine. I enjoy playing the numbers when planning meals to keep the calories and protein within the range set for me.*

If you are just getting started in your journaling efforts or if you are looking for some way to switch up your journaling efforts the following are several sites that generously offer printable food journals/diaries in many different formats.  Check them out, print on or more of them and see which format works best for you.

10 Weeks At a Time Weight and Measurement Tracker

http://www.freebiefindingmom.com/free-printable-weight-loss-chart/#_a5y_p=1153714

One Week At a Time

http://www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/Healthy-Living/Weight-Management/Article-Viewer/Article/230/food-diary.aspx

One Week At a Time Including Calorie Tracker

http://www.wikihow.com/Sample/Food-Diary

One Day At a Time Including a “Burn & Brag” Section for Exercise Tracking

http://www.deliciouslywell.com/daily-health-tracker-free-printable/

One Day At a Time Including a “To Do” List

http://www.mommysideabook.com/health-and-fitness/online-calorie-calculator-for-homemade-recipes/

One Day At a Time Including Exercise Tracker and “Note to Self” Section

http://backonpointe.tumblr.com/image/25934653770

One Day At a Time Food Diary

http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/2014/01/printable_food_journal/

ONLINE RESOURCES

US Government “Supertracker”

https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/default.aspx

Helps you track food, nutrition, physical activity and weight management.  Also has links to save recipes and set weight loss goals.

TOPS Excel Spreadsheet

http://www.tops.org/TOPS/Member/MemberDocs/General/TOPSfooddiaryMar2013.xls

Allows you to enter your daily calorie allowance, and then enter calories consumed and the food you ate … it does all the math for you subtracting calories from the daily allowance as you journal.

Why now?

It’s true …being fat is hard.  The hardest part is saying “fat”.  So many euphemisms we use, but the truth is its fat we store inappropriately on our bodies and its fat we have to get rid of.  Weight is a battle I have been fighting for most of my adult life.  I’ve gotten to the high ground a few times, but always slid back down that treacherous slope covered in chocolate, rich food and laziness.  Every weight loss tips article I read, every television show I watch and every person I speak to about successful weight loss all say the same thing.  They say it in a variety of ways but it all boils down to the same thing … Keep a food diary.  You must journal what you eat.  It helps you see where you went off track and helps you avoid the same pitfalls in the future.

I have a personal problem with keeping a food journal.  I lie!  I do not want to write down everything I eat because it looks horrible to see it all written down on paper.  And … OMG … what if I accidentally leave it lying around somewhere and someone else happens to see what I’ve eaten that day, or that week?  I would be mortified.  I know that is the precise purpose of it, but I simply cannot do it.  Besides, I also know where I went wrong.  I started to slip up about the time I had the first bite of the chocolate doughnut that I should never have bought in the first place.  Chocolate could become a recurring theme here because it is most definitely my downfall … my food addiction.

So, because I HATE keeping a food journal but I do like playing around with putting words on paper I have decided to keep an information journal.  Hopefully writing things down will help.  Even if no one but me ever reads it, putting it “out there” might be the push I need to get “back on track” and finally make it this time.  If nothing else, it’s difficult to type on a keyboard and place food into my mouth at the same time.  That alone could save me hundreds of calories in a given day.

Now that I have made my mission statement let me tell you a little bit about myself …

I have just turned 54 years old.  I am mother to two amazing young women, have a close group of people in my life who love me and am secure enough to realize that the number on the scale does not reflect my self worth.  Secure in my mind that is … in my heart … I desperately need that number to be lower.  I work full time.  I am addicted to food, cigarettes and books.  I fully understand that two of my addictions are life threatening, but this is a case of picking my battles and right now weight is my priority.  I can only handle one fight at a time.  I belong to a weight loss group called TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) but more on that later.

That’s me in a nutshell.  If you happen to follow along on my journey you will no doubt find out more about me, but for right now that’s probably enough.

Oh … I guess to make some sort of sense out of why I am writing this … I currently tip the scales at mumble, grumble, and mumble pounds.  And WOW, that was hard to write down.  You see no one besides me and my weight recorder know that.  So please, don’t share the information, okay?  I know that’s a cop-out and maybe someday I’ll share, but right now – no can do!

Now, back to TOPS.  This would be a good time to put a disclaimer in here.  This blog has nothing to do with TOPS officially.  I mention it only because it has been a huge help to me personally as it has been for many other people around the world.  It is a non-profit weight loss organization that stresses healthy eating, smart choices, portion-control and education about real food.  It does not promote any particular weight loss program, sells no food products, vitamins or supplements.  I am currently a group leader so quite obviously (or I would not be writing this blog) consists of real people helping each other on their journey.  I will only be referring to TOPS in the context of a group I belong to, and possibly might pull some information occasionally from their website or the free magazine I receive with my membership fee.  If you would like more information you can visit www.TOPS.org

Now, back to TOPS.  When I first walked through the doors of my first meeting on a Wednesday afternoon so many years ago I stepped on the scale for my first weigh-in and promptly started to cry.  I had not weighed myself for a long time and found I tipped the scales at 275 pounds.  That was a shock.  I was very good at kidding myself.  I think most of us are.  I was a stay at home mom so wasn’t shopping much for clothes.  I lived in sweat pants and oversized tee shirts and sweaters.  My life revolved around my kids and their activities.  When one of the moms on my daughter’s T-ball team talked about TOPS I stored the information away but did nothing about it right away.  I couldn’t afford a weight-loss program, I didn’t have time to go to meetings in the evening and I REALLY did not want to step on a scale.  Oh yes - I had all the excuses.  It's scarey admitting you have a problem and even more frightening to make the decision to do something about it.  When I finally got up the courage to walk through the door I found a supportive group of people and, whew, I never had to state my weight or share my weaknesses.  This whole group was about positive support. 

I did well in that group losing close to 75 pounds.  By the time the weight had come off my youngest daughter was in school full time, my life circumstances had changed and I found myself needing to go back to work full time.  So, Wednesday afternoon meetings no longer fit into my schedule.  I, very regretfully, left the group.  If you have ever been out of the work force for a long time and then jumped back in full time you know that it takes some adjustment.  Tasks that were completed during the day now had to be completed in the evenings … it was a huge time adjustment for me.  I did not look for an evening TOPS group to join again right away.

Guess what happened.

Yup.  That weight started creeping back on again.  I needed the accountability of weighing in every week.  I fell right back into the old habits and let’s face it … if you are not accountable it really doesn’t matter if you eat that extra piece of chocolate cake.  Well, too many pieces of chocolate cake add up pretty quickly.  It took me three years to walk back into a TOPS meeting, but I finally took a deep breath and did it.  The scale was not quite as traumatic as the first time, but I had managed to gain back a substantial amount of the weight I had lost.  Once again I started being responsible for what passed my lips and I dropped almost all the weight I had gained. 

Once again life happened and I could not stay in that group any longer either.  I had to deal with my father facing dementia and eventually full blown Alzheimer’s.  I still had two daughter’s who needed me and still worked.  My hours had been cut at my full time job and my financial obligations depended on a certain level of income, so I took a second job.  You would think with all that going on I would not have time to overeat.  Not so.  Not so at all.  It’s not that I overate … I ate on the run – in the car going from one workplace to the next, in the car or at sports venues when my daughters were playing rep sports, and in the car driving to see to my father.  You get the idea.  You may even identify with the circumstances.  Needless to say, not a lot of wise choices were made in the food department.  Funnily enough, I always insisted my girls eat properly.  I just did not take my own advice.

Then many roads merged.  My father passed away, my full time hours at my first job were reinstated and my girls became a little less dependent on me for transportation. 

It was time to look after myself again.  Once again I rejoined TOPS.  This time I would make it stick and for awhile it did.  As I said at the beginning of this, losing weight it a slippery slope and last year, despite staying with my group (and being group leader no less) I started to backslide.  I have not yet been able to get my head in the game again.

And that’s where this blog comes in.  I’m hoping it will keep me focused.

A burning question would be “why right now?”  It’s a month to Christmas.  Crazy!  Setting myself up for failure?  Not the prime time to choose to start a diet.  True enough.  But keeping everything totally honest here, let’s face it … when your underwear starts to feel too tight … it’s time!  When you have more clothes that do not fit, than clothes that do … it’s time!  When you stop looking at yourself in a mirror … it’s time!  I won’t go on because I’m sure you get the picture.

I do have a plan … some fun things and mind games to keep me on track this time.  Will I slip up?  No doubt!  But I won’t beat myself up over it … I will get back on course and this time … I know I’ll get to my goal.

Join me, won’t you?  It’ll be fun!?!?!