A good weight loss programme can be put in place simply by keeping a food diary. Begin by consuming your regular diet for seven days. Write down everything you eat and drink (be honest!) throughout the day. When a week has passed, analyse the contents of your diary. Try to identify any patterns where poor food choices are more evident.
If it’s evident you’re eating fast food meals and too many cakes, then those should be the first to go. It’s possible that you are eating good food - but just too much of it. Whichever it is, your dietary record will help to identify what you need to change.
Make notes about how you intend the following seven days to pan out. This should include food, drink and exercise. If some foods are to be forbidden or limited, write that down. And follow on with the food that you will be eating plentiful supplies of.
If you enjoy alcohol, decide on a small quantity that you will allow yourself at the weekend, and write it down. Sugary fizzy sodas are banned! And on to exercise - make a note of the daily activities you plan to fit into your week.
Accurately weigh yourself the morning your regime starts. Each week, repeat the process, modifying your plan according to the results you’re achieving. Make a note of your weight in your diary once a week.
A plan such as this will allow you to manage your weight loss programme and adjust it to suit yourself. Make comments as you go - keep the diary as a working document. Also enter the exercise you’re doing, to make sure this isn’t getting left out. A diary is a very simple way to monitor your progress - and a remarkable tool for staying with the program!
It won’t happen overnight though. Changes may be hard to detect in the early stages, but clothes will start to become less tight, and your energy level will increase after a few short weeks. Remember patience is a virtue! Don’t think about what you’re missing out on; think about what you’re going to gain as a result of your weight loss.
Don’t beat yourself up if you get off-track - it can be easily reversed with a bit of focus. Maybe you need to modify your plan a little. Additional physical activity can help you catch up. Are there any fitness classes you could attend in the evening?
Be proud of your achievements. Your efforts will be much more sustainable if you do. New clothes may need to wait until your goals have been reached. But what about booking the best seats in the house when you’re quarter or half-way there?
(C) Scott Edwards. Visit WeightLossDietWar.com for the best diet tips on diet food and quick weight loss diet.