What You CAN Do - Part IV

Considering this blog has taken me a lot longer to write than I anticipated, you should have had a lot of time to put the first 6 steps into action.  How have you been doing?  Remember nothing worth doing is easy but the payoff is BIG.  Take small steps and see huge changes.

Now it's time to talk about how you should be monitoring these changes and why keeping a log could make a big difference!

7. Weigh Yourself Regularly
You've probably heard a lot of conflicting information on this one, everything from "Throw the scale away" to "Weigh yourself daily".  So which is it?  Recent research out of the University of Minnesota compared those who weighed themself daily to those whoe weighted themself weekly to those that didn't weight themself at all.  Daily weighers lost an average of 12 pounds, while weekly weighers lost an average of 6 pounds and non-weighers lost an average of 4 pounds.  Those that weighed themself daily lost double the weight of weekly weighers and triple the weight of non-weighers!!  The results speak for themself.

Why is this?  It appears to be easier for most people to make small corrections in their lifestyle and behaviours when their weight is not going in the direction they had hoped.  It gives us immediate feedback and gratification. 

Is daily weighing for everyone?  Absolutely NOT!  Daily weighing can be encouraging when seeing success but can be discouraging for those reaching a plateau or not getting the results they were hoping for.  Weekly/regular weigh-ins should be sufficient for most people.  Excessive weight gain is virtually impossible within a one week period, therefore if you weigh yourself on a weekly basis you should still be able to make changes if needed. 

8. Log Your Actions
Another thing that research has shown is that keeping a food and activity log helps with weight loss.  It really works on one simple premise... your awareness for what you are eating and doing becomes heightened.  A lot of our snacking is done on the go or while we are preoccupied with other things.  When you have to actually account for what you are putting in your mouth, you may choose to not actually eat it.  Or have a much smaller portion. 

Even better, let someone see the log.  Your trainer, a friend, your spouse, someone who knows what your goals are and is willing to be supportive. 

Your food log should contain the time of day you are eating, where you are and who you are with (ie. driving in your car by yourself; at home at the table with family, etc.), your mood (happy, tired, stressed, bored, etc.), what you are eating and how it is cooked and the amount (actual or guesstimate).  It should also contain everything you put in your mouth, including liquids. 

After a couple days start to look for trends and make changes.  Maybe you notice that you aren't eating enough vegetables, start adding them in.  Or maybe you notice that you always eat when bored after the kids are in bed or while studying for an exam.  The point is by logging you are able to tweak your diet and start to really see some weight loss changes.

Next up the importance of planning ahead and tips for stopping the negative self talk!

Questions or comments, we would love to hear them!

In Health,
Jessica & Tristan Zapata