Losing weight needs to be more than good intentions- without possessing some sort of action plan it is going to be extremely difficult to keep of all the changes that need to take place in order to achieve your full weight loss potential.
Think about all the different things that are needed to be done in order to lose weight - it can seem quite daunting.
We all know that a good weight loss routine needs to include things like changes to diet and exercise but that is not the complete picture.
For instance, we also need to be thinking about what time we eat- where we are going to go to exercise.
Are we likely to be dealing with any high stress situations like an important deadline at work? In addition to this it is also necessary to keep track of our current weight and body mass index (BMI) our thoughts on how well things are going, and any other information like contact numbers for groups that may be come in useful.
In short we ideally need a single resource that gives us all of the above.
A journal or plan is the single best proven way of achieving this.
A journal should be both a route map and a record of your achievements and failures and can have more benefits than you might think.
Every thing needs to start at the beginning and in the case of your journal this means getting hold of all the relevant information.
Get hold of some simple statistics that are easy and useful to refer to.
Such as- your current weight, your current body mass index, your current average calorie daily intake and your current average levels of exercise activity.
Your body mass index can be obtained from a visit to a doctor and is highly recommended as it is the single best measure of your current fat levels more so than your actual weight.
This is because muscle weighs more than fat so it is possible to weigh a lot but to actually have very little fat as a proportion of your total body weight.
The journal should also include more abstract measures like where you see yourself in 6 weeks.
The dreams and aspirations that losing weight will help you to achieve.
Include things such as dress sizes or waist sizes you are aspiring to reach.
Don't hold back on being creative - this is your journal after all- include pictures of an item of clothing you will treat yourself too once you have reached your preferred weight.
Find some motivational sayings or verses from a poem that inspire you to go on the front cover.
The journal really should be a reflection of your new mental attitude.
Whilst on your little fact finding missions you should have accumulated as much information on things like diet and different forms of exercise to try out.
It is now time to form a weekly plan that takes into account your own lifestyle commitments.
Remember, your journal is YOUR journal.
Whilst help from professionals should be sought after to develop a framework it is important you take control of your own routine.
That's another important and amazing aspect of keeping a comprehensive journal.
By customizing your own plan based around your own judgments you are assuming control over an important part of your life.
This will help to avoid the feelings of helplessness and submissiveness that can happen to people who feel like they are not in control of a situation.
A journal is an excellent resource to decide how to reward yourself appropriately For instance, you have had a good week you have lost weight but are unsure as to how this works our relative to other weeks.
Have you earned that DVD or special night out? Well by looking at the journal you have a scientific basis from which to base your judgments on.
You can take this even further by putting reward days into the planner to act as an extra bit of motivation.
By breaking your routine down into a series of short term goals you will have more fun and experience a greater sense of accomplishment along the way.
Of course this will only work if you are honest and open with yourself.
Your journal should never lie otherwise you are only telling lies to yourself and defeating the object of your goal.
Think about all the different things that are needed to be done in order to lose weight - it can seem quite daunting.
We all know that a good weight loss routine needs to include things like changes to diet and exercise but that is not the complete picture.
For instance, we also need to be thinking about what time we eat- where we are going to go to exercise.
Are we likely to be dealing with any high stress situations like an important deadline at work? In addition to this it is also necessary to keep track of our current weight and body mass index (BMI) our thoughts on how well things are going, and any other information like contact numbers for groups that may be come in useful.
In short we ideally need a single resource that gives us all of the above.
A journal or plan is the single best proven way of achieving this.
A journal should be both a route map and a record of your achievements and failures and can have more benefits than you might think.
Every thing needs to start at the beginning and in the case of your journal this means getting hold of all the relevant information.
Get hold of some simple statistics that are easy and useful to refer to.
Such as- your current weight, your current body mass index, your current average calorie daily intake and your current average levels of exercise activity.
Your body mass index can be obtained from a visit to a doctor and is highly recommended as it is the single best measure of your current fat levels more so than your actual weight.
This is because muscle weighs more than fat so it is possible to weigh a lot but to actually have very little fat as a proportion of your total body weight.
The journal should also include more abstract measures like where you see yourself in 6 weeks.
The dreams and aspirations that losing weight will help you to achieve.
Include things such as dress sizes or waist sizes you are aspiring to reach.
Don't hold back on being creative - this is your journal after all- include pictures of an item of clothing you will treat yourself too once you have reached your preferred weight.
Find some motivational sayings or verses from a poem that inspire you to go on the front cover.
The journal really should be a reflection of your new mental attitude.
Whilst on your little fact finding missions you should have accumulated as much information on things like diet and different forms of exercise to try out.
It is now time to form a weekly plan that takes into account your own lifestyle commitments.
Remember, your journal is YOUR journal.
Whilst help from professionals should be sought after to develop a framework it is important you take control of your own routine.
That's another important and amazing aspect of keeping a comprehensive journal.
By customizing your own plan based around your own judgments you are assuming control over an important part of your life.
This will help to avoid the feelings of helplessness and submissiveness that can happen to people who feel like they are not in control of a situation.
A journal is an excellent resource to decide how to reward yourself appropriately For instance, you have had a good week you have lost weight but are unsure as to how this works our relative to other weeks.
Have you earned that DVD or special night out? Well by looking at the journal you have a scientific basis from which to base your judgments on.
You can take this even further by putting reward days into the planner to act as an extra bit of motivation.
By breaking your routine down into a series of short term goals you will have more fun and experience a greater sense of accomplishment along the way.
Of course this will only work if you are honest and open with yourself.
Your journal should never lie otherwise you are only telling lies to yourself and defeating the object of your goal.