Use a Journal to Stay on Track with Weight Loss
Remember when you were young and your journal was your bastion in the emotional storm known as adolescence? Even if you didn’t have a journal, chances are you wrote notes to friends or doodled on notebooks as a way to express yourself, solve problems and get things off your chest.
Journaling during your post-surgery weight loss can serve all the same purposes that teenage journaling, note writing and doodling served when you were younger—and can help ensure you have a successful weight loss. Yes, you heard that right, according to the National Weight Control Registry many people who journal about their food intake enjoy more successful weight loss because they hold themselves accountable for the food they eat. They watch the types of food they are eating and the portion sizes and can spot trends that may become roadblocks to weight loss.
Of course, your journal doesn’t have to be about the food you are eating, the exercise you do and nothing else. You can include inspirational poems, pictures and quotes in your journal so you have an ideal source of comfort and motivation when you are down. You can keep track of your thoughts and accomplishments so you can appreciate what an amazing journey you are taking and what a tremendous task you are accomplishing. You can track your progress, learn from your pitfalls and create an emotional safe-haven for all your thoughts.
As you start to journal, remember that a journal is only as effective a tool as you allow it to be. Since this is your personal, private place, don’t be afraid to let out all of your feelings and make sure you are always completely honest in your journal. Without honesty, the journal becomes more a work of fiction and loses much of its ability to be a resource for your progress.