Purpose Of A Food Diary

Lose twice the weight

The purpose of a food diary? Long term weight loss.

A food diary is not complicated. It simply means that you make a few helpful notes about what you eat.

But when you use a food diary you can LOSE TWICE AS MUCH WEIGHT with the same effort.

Twice as much weight? That's right. Ask any fitness trainer. They'll tell you.

The evidence that it works

Or look in the August 2008 issue of The Journal of Preventive Medicine. Researchers at Kaiser Permanente found that when people used a food diary they lost twice as much weight.

And that's without making any other changes. Just the diary.

The secret to success

So here's the real question: Why does it work so well?

It's because if you're overweight you are not facing what you are eating.

In fact, when you're overweight you have a hard time facing anything about being overweight.

And what you can't face you can't control.

Facing facts

I see it in all my patients. I have treated lots and lots and lots of overweight patients. I never find any who are able to face being overweight.

It's just hard to face. The way your clothes fit. The way people treat you. The way your arms jiggle. The fat around your waist. Your hips. Your thighs.

Nothing about being overweight is easy to face.

The obesity epidemic

And all of the "lose weight overnight while you sleep" diets are just a symptom of a society that has lost all track of what a real diet is.

They've forgotten what normal portion sizes are. What's good food and what's junk food. What real activity is. And what makes a healthy body.

And almost nobody -- including the "experts" -- can really face any part of it. This probably includes you.

Is it too much work?

Now, I am going to tell you two things about yourself. One, you are not going to want to write down what you eat.

And two, you are going to say that's because it's too much work.

But the real reason you will not write down what you eat is that it's hard to face. You don't want to face it. You can't face it.

Too much work? Taking up a pencil and writing a few lines on a piece of paper?

Write it down

So what happens when you write down what you eat? You face what you are doing. You face your weight head on.

Keeping a food diary isn't keeping notes. It's THERAPY!

Once you face the facts -- whatever those facts are -- you will be able to take control. To some degree you have not taken control up to this point. If you had taken control you would not be overweight. Do you see that?

Do this and it will help you stop overeating.

Get it under control

And once you write down what you eat you are facing the facts. Facing facts -- the purpose of a food diary.

You'll understand more about food and nutrition than you ever did before.

You'll be able to find a simple diet that works for you.

And you can take control over what is happening to you and to your body -- the real purpose of a food diary.

You won't be so tempted to use diet pills or some other harmful practice.

Now, if you tell yourself that it's not your fault that you're overweight, well, it's time to get that out of your head.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not blaming you. And I don't want you to blame yourself either. But facts are facts. And you are overweight because of what you are doing.

Are your genes making you fat?

It's not your genes. And it's not your husband. Or your wife. Or the kids. Or the job. Or not enough time. Or bad luck. Karma. Gravity waves. The evil eye.

It's just you and what you are doing. If you face that you have a chance to lose weight. If you don't you never will.

The bright side? Since it is what you are doing, then you can do something about it. When you're ready to lose weight you can take control, which is the purpose of a food diary.

And nobody can stop you. Not your genes. Your husband. Your wife. The kids. The job. Time. Bad luck. Karma. Gravity waves. Or the evil eye.

Doing it the easy way

Now, here is the wonderful part of this whole thing. Most people that start to write down what they eat lose weight. Without doing anything else they lose weight!

And they lose a lot. In some studies they lose about 20 pounds (about 9 kilos.) That's a lot of weight!

Do you see now why I think it is so important for you to do this? You have so much to gain. And nothing to lose, except those extra pounds.

This is one of the basics of weight loss, like getting enough sleep, exposure to sunlight, and plenty of water.

It's one of the key tools you need to use if you want to be successful. That's the purpose of a food diary.

So start writing it down. How much can you lose?

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