This will come as no surprise to most of you but weight loss isn’t just about exercise. Whilst exercise is important, kicking your nutrition into shape is vital!
The best results we see at Results by Design Personal Training are from our clients who focus on their nutrition and put the effort into getting it right.
So where do you start with nutrition? The first and easiest step you can take is to start keeping a food diary – you can’t fail. Regular tracking of what you eat & drink is THE best thing you can do toward achieving your goal.
Why does food tracking work so well for weight loss?
1. It’s YOUR Responsibility
Believe it or not, what you eat and drink is YOUR responsibility; not your partner’s, not your work colleague’s, not even your mum’s! It’s all down to you. You can read every book and article out there on nutrition but it doesn’t make a difference if you do not take responsibility for applying it.
Using a food dairy is the first step in taking responsibility and control of your nutritional and your goal.
2. Honesty is the best policy
Acknowledging what you eat & drink is hard but writing it down keeps you honest. You will be surprised when you review your food diary at the end of each day; it is amazing that you ‘conveniently’ forgot about that slice of cake you had after lunch!
Keep a diary for your own benefit; keeping track of everything you consume keeps you honest with yourself and focussed on your goal.
3. Education & Awareness
Tracking your daily food & drink intake is the best way to educate yourself about your body. Using a food diary allows you to see what’s going on. It’s hard to make any changes / break old habits if you have no idea what you’re working with.
Note down the basics of what you eat and drink, when you eat it and portion size (noting calories is the easiest way to do this).
Be sure to review your notes at the end of each day. If it’s been a successful day, don’t be afraid to congratulate yourself – you did well and you can do it again tomorrow. If nutrition hasn’t been on point, then find one thing that you can do differently tomorrow (perhaps refrain from the 5 biscuits at the 11am meeting).
Further education….
To make the most of your nutrition education, write down other factors – has it been a busy day? Are you tired? Are you in a good / bad mood? Do you still feel hungry after a certain meal?
Reviewing these additional notes allows you to see any nutrition habits that coud be related to emotions and feelings, which then allows you to come up with strategies for these times.
4.Keeps you focused and motivated
We have all experienced times when we lose sight of what we are trying to achieve and lose motivation. Completing a daily food diary serves as a good reminder of what your end goal is and keeps you focused on how to achieve it.
Ultimately, weight loss is all about taking in fewer calories than you burn off (a.k.a. calorie deficit). The easiest way to achieve this calorie deficit is to write down everything you put into your body – keep a food diary! Look back each day and pick 1 thing you could do better each day – it maybe something as simple as no longer having sugar in your tea.