How to Lose Weight on Weight Watchers by Journaling

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By Marilynda
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(4 Ratings)

Losing weight is hard but I learned to use this handy tool when I joined Weight Watchers.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

steno pad or something to record your daily food intake
pen or pencil
committment

Step 1

This isn't my first attempt at losing weight but every other time I'd lose and then wind up gaining back what I lost plus more.
Step 2

This time my Weight Watcher leader stressed the importance of journaling. So taking this seriously I decided to try it.
Step 3

I use a standard steno pad (you can get one at Staples or the supermarket or even the drug store). On the left side I enter all my food for the day (meals, snacks, water & my daily vitamin) On the right side I calculate my points starting with the amount I get at the beginning of each day and the subtract as I go through the day. It's an easy way to see how many points I've used as well as how many I have left.
Step 4

My journal also served as a useful tool to jot down my thoughts, mood & what was going on that day. It is easy to refer back to see if a pattern was repeating itself (say like the daily 3 o'clock slump)
Step 5

My journal is my written log to my inner self
Step 6

Each week I marked my weight & whether I lost or gained. On the weeks I had a good loss I was able to go back & see what I ate as well as what was happening in my life. Of course this worked even better on the weeks I gained. This way I could see if my gain was because of what I was eating (wrong choices or too much of something) or if maybe it was a hard week because of too much stress or a wedding or holiday events.
Step 7

Once I started journaling my weight loss picked up and I became more successful. To date I'e managed to lose 55 lbs. My journal proves the road had many a pothole (as well as detours)but with determination and a visual journal of my hard work I've been able to keep the momentum going and will reach my goal.

Comments

painthorse42 said

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on 1/24/2009 Congratulations on your loss! Great job! This is great advice. 5*

bossypants said

on 1/16/2009 Congratulations on your loss! You are an inspiration! Thanks for sharing your advice, and directions, for journaling as a technique to lose weight for good!

PajamaMommy said

on 1/13/2009 This is one of the best tools for weight loss. Great advice! I like the part about writing what is happening in your life each week, too.