The first step to reaching your ideal weight in the New Year may be as simple as writing it down.
Putting a pen to paper and keeping a daily journal of meals and snacks is one of the best strategies of successful dieters, says Dr. Christopher J. Mosunic, a specialist in weight management and diabetes at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut.
"Keeping a food diary is like exercise, it will always help you lose if you do it consistently," says Mosunic, a licensed clinical psychologist and registered dietitian who trained at Duke University's famed weight loss clinic. More importantly, the writing habit "is one of the top predictors of weight loss success," Mosunic adds. No wonder some of the country's major commercial diet plans strongly recommend the write-what-you-eat journaling practice to their clients.
Journaling about food intake on a regular base seems to function as a form of cognitive behavioral therapy for Dr. Mosunic's patients, many of them Type 2 diabetics for whom weight management is critical to their health and well-being.
Dr. Mosunic explains:
"I can split my patients into two groups. The food diary keepers and the non-keepers. The people who keep diaries are usually very successful and I work with them for about 12 weeks. The people who don't are people I sometimes see for years."
In terms of the diary keepers' success he explains, "It's not much different than taking notes in class. The more your write, the better you perform."
The reasons for the success of journaling dieters have a lot to do with their willingness to acknowledge every bite of food they consume. "It can help you realize how many calories you are consuming each day really quickly," he says.
Honest journals also help weight loss experts such as Dr. Mosunic track patterns in eating and behaviors. "One of the key behaviors we can identify and address is how binge eating happens," he explains. "You can see by looking at something as simple as what people ate for breakfast, why their blood glucose goes low and they end up binge-eating in the afternoon. "
Ideally, a food diary is best shared with an expert on weight loss and nutrition, such as Dr. Mosunic, who can help patients identify overeating triggers and flaws in their nutrition.
Still, the practice can be helpful to a more casual dieter who just has a few pounds to lose or wants to break-thru a stubborn weight-loss plateau.
Here are some of Dr. Mosunic's food diary tips:
Do you know anybody who does not wish to get rid of the fat on one par
Helping people loose weight on a Celebrity cruise vacation is the new
There’s a perception that trainers get to work out all day. Oh,
Now, the questions are generally: is there any truth concerning the ma
When you are thinking about things that
Copyright © www.020fl.com Lose Weight All Rights Reserved