One of the most effective way to improve your mindset about anything in life, including weight loss, is by journaling for weight loss success.
You’re probably getting a little tired of this tip every time you read about anything. But the only reason so many people recommend journaling is because it works!
If you haven’t ever journaled before, now is the perfect time to start! Part of finding success with healthy living and weight loss is to start with a healthy mindset.
This can be accomplished through journaling!
3 Ways to Use Journaling for Weight Loss Success
There are different ways you can use a journal for the intended purpose of losing weight. Not just for weight loss itself but journaling can improve your mindset and thoughts about what weight loss means to you.
Here are the 3 techniques to use for journaling:
1. Creating A Plan Of Action
Journaling allows you to set goals, create actionable tasks, and stick to them. For many, the hardest part of losing weight is sticking with it.
This might mean journaling…
-Specific diet plan that fits your lifestyle
-Writing down new workout routines and creating your own you can follow
-Making a list of habits you need and want to change
Write these things down in your journal and try to be as specific as possible. Write down exactly what your plan is and how you intend on accomplishing it.
You can also journal about the following:
2. The Details of Your Progress
You can also use your journal to record your progress along the way, both successes and loses. Depending on how you want to track your progress, you can keep a daily journal of…
-Your daily or weekly weight
-Inches you have lost
-Workouts you’ve completed and for how long you exercised
-Calories burned during specific exercises (with the help of a fitness app or watch)
-How many calories you’ve eaten for the day along with what your daily calorie allowance is
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3. Writing Out Your Thoughts and Feelings
Don’t forget about the traditional form of journaling! Writing down your thoughts and feelings related to everyday stressors and how you feel regarding embarking on a new healthy lifestyle.
Writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you discover what stressors you have in life that contribute to your weight gain (or loss), what causes episodes of binge eating or breaking your diet, and what you need emotionally to finish workouts and stay within your daily calorie budget.
Journaling for weight loss success is not easy. If it were easy everyone would do it and meet all their weight loss and healthy habit goals. It’s difficult to write down your weight loss goals and feelings toward life in general and weight loss.
But guess what? When you begin journaling for losing weight, you are holding yourself accountable to meet your goals for long-term success!
More Tips for Journaling Success
To make journaling work for you, here are a few more tips to keep in mind:
Skip Writing “Rules”
Don’t worry about HOW you write something or the way it sounds. Most likely you are the only person who will be reading your journal and checking in with it each day.
Skip the “rules” of writing like spelling, grammar, and punctuation. If you focus on this instead of actually writing you won’t reach the accomplishments you want to reach with journaling.
Switch Things Up
This is YOUR journal, to be used how YOU want! If you started with one method of journaling your weight loss progress, then decided on switching to a bullet journal, go for it! That is the beauty of something like a journal- it’s customizable.
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Try Out Stream of Consciousness Writing
When you do stream of consciousness writing, you write as much as you can, and whatever first comes to mind. One way to start stream of consciousness writing is to first put your pen to paper and begin making small circular motions with your pen until your thoughts begin to flow as written words.
You can set a number of pages to write or set a timer to help you along. The point of the exercise is to get all your thoughts out on paper without judging yourself.
Ultimately if you have any reservations or anxieties related to weight loss and healthy living, you will find them with stream of consciousness writing.
Make A Decision To Set Time Frames
What’s your big picture with weight loss? Do you just want to lose weight and get healthy or do you want to drop the weight by a specific date?
Either way you want to lose weight is fine and it all depends on you! Just be aware that writing specific goals like timeframes for your weight loss can either help or hinder your progress with weight loss.
First, if you set a specific date for losing weight and you meet your goal you will gain a sense of pride and may even motivate your further to write another weight loss challenge date and complete it. For some people, specific dates create a healthy challenge that holds them accountable.
However, if you do not meet your weight loss goal you journaled then it can leave you lacking self-confidence and increasing your chances of giving up on weight loss altogether.
The choice is yours but do keep in mind that weight loss is difficult enough without added pressure of specific dates for losing weight. Especially if you are new to healthy eating and exercise routines!
Conclusion
Journaling for weight loss is easier than you think! The biggest barrier people have with journaling is getting in touch with their emotions and thought processes related to weight loss.
Many people find writing down their day-to-day workouts, meals, calories, and more allows them to reach their goals faster and see the progress their making. But don’t fall into the trap of putting too much pressure on yourself to accomplish so many goals at once.
Too many weight loss goals or lifestyle chances at once often leads beginner dieters to create a yo yo dieting cycle.
Now, grab your pen and begin journaling for weight loss success!
