Boot Camp and Personal Trainer Weight Loss and Fitness Tip of the Week
This week I wanted to bring to attention the importance of tracking your exercise and nutrition into a journal. We have found two of out past tips that lay out all the information you need to get started today. Please let us know if we can help or you have any questions.
Dallas and Coppell Boot Camp and Personal Trainer Weight Loss and Fitness Tip of the Month – Food Journaling
In the August 2009 Issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, a study was carried out regarding food journaling. US researchers found that keeping a food diary can double weight loss as part of a managed program. They said that the more consistent the records the more weight the participants lost. Here’s why:
“It seems that the simple act of writing down what you eat encourages people to consume fewer calories. Those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records “
This statement was made by Dr Jack Hollis, a researcher at Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon.
Dr Keith Bachman, a member of the Weight Management Initiative, said that the food diary doesn’t have to be a formal thing:
“Just the act of scribbling down what you eat on a Post-It note, sending yourself e-mails tallying each meal, or sending yourself a text message will suffice.”
The fact is, is that writing it down requires that you reflect on what you are consuming. This makes us more aware of our tendencies towards food and provides us with the information we need that will help us change our habits and lifestyle for the better.
”Every day I hear patients say they can’t lose weight,” said Bachman, but “this study shows that most people can lose weight if they have the right tools and support. And food journaling in conjunction with a weight management program or class is the ideal combination of tools and support,” he added.
The Weight Management Initiative from Kaiser Permanente’s Care Management Institute has been recommending food journals as part of weight loss maintenance since 2002
Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com
The bottom line is:
Those who keep food journals on a consistent basis lose more weight!!!
There are MANY food tracking websites and even SmartPhone applications.
We suggest the one from livestrong.com call www.TheDailyPlate.com We have had great success with people using it as it works with almost all phones, is easy to use, and you can also export it to an excel.
Like Janet mentioned in her story, you can write in down on paper and then log it in at the end of the day. It is easier than you think and the education AND results are amazing!
CLICK HERE TO SEE and HEAR JANET’S SUCCESS
Boot Camp Tip- How Nutrition and Exercise Journal Can Help
Hi, I’m Julie Smith, a trainer with getyouinshape.com. For this week’s tip I’m sharing my favorite smart phone app that makes accountability and goal tracking easier.
One of the most important things you can do to achieve your weight loss goal is journaling. A study from Kaiser Permanente found that people who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. The simple act of writing down what you eat encourages you to eat less.
Journaling is good habit but like most other things, if it’s not convenient or easy, we’re not likely to keep up with it. That’s why I recommend and use the LIVESTRONG.COM Calorie Tracker app. No matter where I am, I can log my food and fitness activities into my iPhone or Blackberry. You can also go online to LIVESTRONG.COM to access the tools and lots of great information on nutrition.
It’s easy to get started. You enter your age, weight and activity level, then set a weight loss goal and it will calculate your daily calorie target.
Then you simply enter your food. The app will tell you how many calories you’ve consumed and how many you have left for the day. This helps you make better decisions as you go through the day.
For example, based on my personal information, my daily calorie target is 1500 calories. Right now it is 7:00pm and I’m ready to cook dinner. I check my progress and can see that I’ve consumed 66% of my calories for the day. The good news is that I have about 500 calories left for dinner.
The LIVESTRONG app also allows you to track your fitness activity and it subtracts the number of calories you have burned from your daily calorie intake. In this one app, you are able to track calories consumed as well as calories burned. If you stick with it, and stay under your caloric goal, you’ll lose the weight.
If you have questions about journaling or need help analyzing your results, just ask any of the trainers at getyouinshape.com and we’ll be happy to help. Good luck with your journaling!
For more information on the Kaiser Permanente study:
