10 tips on how to make a weight loss journal

Making a bullet journal can be the first step towards building an organized life. A bullet journal can be used in a variety of ways. And, if you are worried about that extra weight of your thighs and hips and planning to lose weight, a weight loss journal can actually prove very effective.

A weight loss journal is simply the journal to keep track about what you are eating and drinking all day. You can count the food intake, count calories and also track every other information related to weight loss in the journal. While you can create your own weight loss journal on paper, buy one from the store or use various phone websites, making a weight loss journal can be a little difficult. If you are using weight loss journal, these are the 10 tips and ideas that you must follow to make your progress towards a better body more effective :-

Add a step tracker to your journal

One important thing while trying to lose weight is to walk. And, one thing that will make you moving is counting your steps. And, keeping track of the steps you move is quite easy these days. You can download any step counter app from your App Store or can make use of a smart watch having this feature. Note down the step count on your weight loss journal to readily know about your steps. You can easily analyze if you’re making some progress or not.

Set goals

Set a goal according to your body’s need. Follow the SMART goal approach. Study your body and design goals accordingly. It can be something like losing 5 kg in 6 months or fitting into that 28″ jeans in next 3 months. Your goal should be measurable, achievable and time bound. Remember to make a goal that is realistic. It shouldn’t be something like losing 10 kg in 3 weeks. Write these goals in your weight loss journal to let things working. To be more accountable, you can also create a tracker for your goal.

Maintain a water tracker

As we already know that drinking water can prove very significant in weight loss. Water detoxifies your body by releasing out any waste, promotes your immune system and can reduce the urge to eat more. Water is also proven to boost metabolism rate. As such, you should keep a track of the water you take daily. Create a water tracker in your weight loss journal and analyze how many glasses do you take water. You will be able to increase the water intake if it’s less than the usual eight glasses of water.

Record your measurements

One crucial tip to know about the progress you’re making in your weight loss journey is to keep track of your body measurements. While you begin your weight loss process, write down your body weight, fat percentage, chest, hip size and other body measurements on your journal. As you keep working on to lose weight, keep writing down your body measurements after certain intervals. This interval can be of a week or month. You will be able to know if there’s a significant change or not and make necessary lifestyle changes if required.

Plan your meals

As rightly said, you won’t lose weight simply by exercising. Abs are made in the kitchen and if you really want to lose weight, you should keep track of what you’re eating. You won’t lose weight if you keep eating donuts and fries all day long. A weight loss journal can help you in this. You can use the journal to plan your meal for the week ahead. You just have to sit down and plan everything you will eat during the week with the help of this journal. You can include healthy food and even stuff like calories and nutrients.

Track your exercise

Exercise is always considered the best way to lose weight. A good diet combined with a good exercise makes you lose desired weight in a matter of few weeks. Working out makes you feel energized all day long and avoids any chance of illness. It’s very good for your muscles and bones. You can add a workout tracker into your weight loss journal. The tracker will act as an incentive for you to exercise more. When you analyze the progress you make in exercising, you also get a sense of accomplishment.

Enter food data at exact time

One useful idea for your journal for weight loss is to enter food data at exact time. You should write down the data related to food right after your mealtime. Write down the nutrients, calories and any other data about your food after taking it as it is very easy to remember such information later in the day. Also, you don’t have to eat every meal in your journal. If there’s a column of snack in your weight loss journal and you haven’t eaten it, you don’t need to eat snacks.

Take your journal to the supermarket

Taking your weight loss journal to the supermarket can prove very helpful in losing weight. If you go to the supermarket unplanned, you may buy something unhealthy and against your meal plan. So, the best tip will be to either take your journal to the supermarket while going for shopping or to make a grocery list according to the meal plan in your journal. Stick to the things listed in your shopping list and don’t be tempted to try something delicious as you’re feeling hungry. You will also be able to save some money in this way.

Record your feelings

One important tip to make your weight loss journal more effective is to also record your feelings and emotions. As your feelings and emotions can affect your whole workout and eating cycle, it is advisable to also keep a track of them. We also associate feelings with eating, like eating ice-cream when feeling sad or drinking cold drink when feeling angry. Keeping track of your emotions will make you find out such eating patterns that can eventually affect your weight. You can plan ahead and will be able to stop this emotional eating.

Be patient

The last tip while making your weight loss journal is to be patient. The plan that you have prepared might not work exactly as you wanted. Don’t lose your mind. Analyse again, find out if something is wrong in your lifestyle and introduce some necessary changes if demanded. It is also advised to use your journal on a daily basis so that you can study your daily habits. Start your journey slowly and as simply as possible. Gradually make the progress with the help of your weight loss journal. It can be as sophisticated as you want, but don’t rush into making it too complicated.

Purpose of a weight loss journal

If we ask you, “How much calories did you take this Sunday?” You might know that exact answer to it. While you are planning to lose weight, it becomes important to know about how much calories you are consuming and how much you’re burning it. That’s where the role of a weight loss journal comes it. The purpose of weight loss journal is to make you focus on your weight loss goals. You can break down your goal into manageable parts, find out your actual activity, eating patterns and sleeping patterns, track your BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar level. This will make you know the correlation between healthy eating, exercising and weight loss.

Losing body weight starts with introducing some simple changes to your lifestyle. You might be required to amend your daily habits, increase the intensity of your exercise and focus on healthy eating. A weight loss journal has a very big role is making such puzzling activities much simpler. You can keep track of your eating habits, your exercise, your body measurements and your water intake with a journal. You can also use it to plan your meal in advance. Follow the 10 tips shown above to effectively organize your weight loss journal. Use your journal on daily basis for best results.