The power of self-reflection

Even after 10 years of nutritional counseling, I continue to be amazed at the power of writing a food log or diary. Everyone who keeps a food log discovers something.

I didn’t realize I eat so much…

I feel so much better when I eat…

I got headaches when I ate…

I barely had any vegetables…

A new study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine showed people lost twice as much weight when they kept food logs. Moreover, the logs need not be fancy. They can be jotted on scraps of paper. Some participants sent themselves emails or text messages with what they ate. Another study showed great results from simply taking a picture of every meal with a cell phone camera. The importance is the self-reflection and monitoring.

Try keeping a food log for 1 week. You can find a sample log form on the “resources” page of www.betterliving.biz.

Share your self-discovery by responding to this post at www.betterlivingnewsbites.blogspot.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

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_{Hollis, Jack F., et al. Weight Loss During the Intensive Intervention Phase of the Weight-Loss Maintenance Trial. Am J of Prev Med. Vol 35 (2), August 2008.}