Is Food Journaling the Weight Loss Secret?

Keeping a food diary sucks. I know, I’ve done it. It’s annoying to have to add up calories and write down every single thing you put in your mouth but if you do it you can lose twice as much weight as people who don’t bother. Don’t believe me? Well, the American Journal of Preventive Medicine published a study which found, though it wasn’t the focus of the study, that those weight loss participants that kept journals lost over twice as much weight as the other participants.

Let’s go over that again, it’s worth repeating:

They Lost DOUBLE THE WEIGHT, Just by Keeping a Food Journal

Seriously? Who saw that one coming?

What do you think now? Want to give a food journal a try?

The great thing about keeping track of what you eat is that it helps keep you honest. It makes you think twice before you have that piece of cake. It means that as soon as you realize that an entire days worth of calories is in that Big Mac meal, you may opt for the homemade salad instead.

Making Food Journals Easier

I am all about more results with less effort. I like short cuts, so long as they don’t short cut my results. So, since food journaling is so important, how can we make it easier to do?

1. Ultimate Fitness Tracker

My food diaries are always kept on THE UFC spreadsheets because they do all the work for me. Ultimate Fitness Tracker adds up all of my calories, tells me how many I have left for the day and all I have to do is fill in the blanks. It also means that I have a record of previous meals so I can copy and paste if I eat something I’ve already written down. Easy, right?

2. Calorie “Recipe” Cards

We all have those meals that we eat on a regular, if not daily basis. Most of us eat the same breakfast every day, the same mid-morning snack, or the same dinner once a week. Take a few index cards and write down the nutritional information on these meals so you’ll always have easy access and avoid always have to add them up over again.

The great things about keeping a food diary is that it gets easier.

Sure, it’s a pain at first, it’s time consuming at first, but after about two weeks of practice it becomes second nature, just another habit you do without even thinking about it. So, if two weeks worth of work meant you could lose double the fat, wouldn’t you do it?

Where Should I Start: Fat Loss or Muscle Building?

This is a common question and one that’s really confusing because you have to realize that when it comes to fat loss vs. muscle gain, we’re talking about the same thing.

A lot of people, when they first start trying to lose weight have only one thing in mind: fat. Believe me, I know, I grew up fat. I know how terrible it looks and makes you feel about yourself, but the first step on the road to weight loss is to reevaluate what it means to be fat.

It’s really important not to get stuck in fat mode.

I know it’s tempting to want to focus only on those things that are going to help you lose that fat. Taking fat burners, cutting calories, cardio workouts. All those things can help, but they’re only part of the solution.

Just imagine trying to ride a see-saw by yourself. You can push yourself off the ground alone but, without a partner (the other half of the equation), you’re not really doing it properly and you’re only expending more energy to get less.

If you combine fat loss with muscle building resistance exercises, you’ll start to see an explosion in physical changes. As you push your body and build muscle, you’ll naturally raise your resting metabolism and burn even more calories.

What if I’m REALLY Overweight?

Then you’re actually in a great position for weight loss. You’ve heard that it’s the last few pounds that are the hardest to lose, right? Well, the reason is that fat is stored as fuel for later. When you have a lot of stored up fat, your body will happily burn it, as it has enough to spare. When you have a little fat, your body won’t want to give it up.

If you’re significantly overweight, don’t worry about fat loss or muscle building. Right now, simply focus on moving more. Go out for a walk. Stay in for a walk. Whatever you have to do to get more active, do it. Every little bit will help.

If you get just a little more active and cut back on your calories by even 100-200 calories per day, you’ll see excellent results very quickly.

The more you have, the faster you can lose it. Don’t let being significantly overweight stand in your way. It’s going to be even easier for you than for anyone else.

The Bottom Line

I know it’s tempting to focus on fat loss before overall fitness, but remember that your body works synergisticly. Everything must work together or you’ll end up unhealthy and unhappy. If you focus only on losing fat, your results will be disappointing. Focus on overall health and your changes will skyrocket.

Fat is Like a Bank Account – Seriously

When it comes to burning fat, it’s important to understand the nature of your opponent. Fat isn’t something that your body produces to punish you for eating too much or make you feel bad about yourself.

Fat is an evolutionary tool and once you understand why it’s important, you can learn how to beat fat naturally. No struggle and very little work.

Why Most People Fail at Fat Loss

Ever wonder why so many people can’t seem to lose weight? Or lose it and then gain it all back again? It’s because they have no idea what they’re dealing with!

These are the people who try to lose weight by not eating. I mean, it does make a certain amount of sense. You eat too much – you get fat. Therefore, eating less must equal fat loss. And if eating less means some fat loss, eating nothing must mean massive fat loss!

Right?

NO!

Your body stores excess food as fat because it thinks that it may need that fat energy down the road, when food is scarce. Remember that your body isn’t used to a world in which food is readily available. It still thinks were hunting and gathering on the dusty savannas. As far as your body knows, it may not get any food tomorrow, so it saves up excess food for when that day comes.

Think of Your Body Like a Bank Account

When you have excess money, you put it in the bank for those times when money is scarce. Now, what if your spouse decided they no longer wanted that feeling of security and wanted to withdrawal all that money and give it away?

You’d freak out! You’d guard that bank account with your life.

That’s How Your Body Feels!

When you try to lose weight by not eating, it feels like you’re trying to rob it of all it’s nest egg. It closes off the bank account and hordes all those fat stores until the last possible second when it’s forced to burn them for energy.

You Need To Make Your Body Spend Like a Millionaire

Why does Donald Trump pay thousands of dollars for a pair of shoes?

Because he can!

Because to Donald Trump, a thousand dollars is a pathetically small amount of money. It’s pocket change. He spends money freely because he knows there is always more money rolling in.

To get your body to lose fat easily, you have to prove to it that there is always food rolling in. In other words, keep eating! Would it surprise you to know that a lot of people are fat because they are eating too little? It’s true.

Your body will begin to drop fat, as soon as you show it that it has nothing to fear from starvation.

Don’t Fear Fat

I know what you’re thinking: what if I’m wrong? I know how you feel, but that kind of thinking is just irrational fear. You can’t be afraid of being fat. Fear will only keep you sedentary and make you fatter.
Fat isn’t a permanent state of being. Fat is a survival mechanism. It is your body’s way of protecting you. Accept the fact that right now you might be overweight but that you also understand that your fat is a message from your body, telling you that it is time for a change.
Your current habits have gotten you here. Now you must find the courage to face your fear of being fat and make a change in the way you treat your body.