Studies have shown that people who keep daily diet & exercise journals are more successful in losing weight and keeping it off than those who do not.

So why is it that so many people trying to lose weight don’t keep a journal?

The simple truth is…nobody has made them do it!

Keeping a journal is something that often is thought of as a side step or support tool — it’s not.  There’s lots of evidence that diet & exercise journals are helping people stay on track with their diet and exercise routines and identifies problem areas where people need to make changes in order to lose weight.

We’ve all got those demons – those emotional triggers that seem to beat us down when we’re feeling our most vulnerable — Diet/exercise journals will identify those problematic moments, help people to reflect, acknowledge certain emotional triggers and finally to overcome the obstacles.

Here are some top reasons why your clients don’t want to keep a diet and exercise journal:

• They’re embarrassed about their eating habits.
• Hopelessness – feeling like nothing will help them lose weight.
• It’s just downright inconvenient to write all that stuff down.
• No time.
• They look at journals as an option, not as a necessity.

Diet and exercise journals keep people honest and on track so they are not an option, they are a MUST!

Tips to help your clients keep a successful food journal:

• They must be accurate and measure their portions.  Show them how to read the food labels on packaging and how to measure their calories burned during exercise.
• They need to be honest and as detailed as possible, it’s important to document everything they eat, drink and how much they exercise on a daily basis.
• They need to be consistent by using the diet and exercise journal while at home, at work, during business trips and vacation time too.
• The journal should be used at least 5 days/wk but preferably, 7 days.
• At each weigh-in session, the clients should bring their journals to you, their coach. You should discuss successes and set backs and then make a plan for how to get back on track.
• Try tying in a reward to meeting certain goals and staying on track, this reinforces the pay off for hard work. This can be as lavish as a gift card for a spa treatment or simply a 10% discount on their program fee.

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Diet & Exercise journals are not just a support tool, they’re so much more. Journals keep us honest and accountable for what we eat and how much daily exercise we get. Studies have been done that show how much more successful a client can be in losing weight when they use one daily.

Daily Diet and Exercise Journals:

• Keeps clients honest about their eating habits.
• Helps clients identify problem areas and emotional triggers.
• Provides a snapshot of a client’s progress toward their weight loss goal.
• Helps you to better navigate discussions with your weight loss clients and points out areas where improvement is needed.