Stuck?

You've been exercising a lot, 2 to 3 times per week and watching what you eat, but you don't seem to be losing weight anymore. Nothing seems to work, you've decided to add another day to your exercise plans and are eating even less and still no significant loss. Frustration reigns......

The first thing you need to do is look at what you've been eating, so get out your food journal and, oh, wait...You have been keep a food journal right? Right?? (crickets chirping...)

Keeping a log of your training sessions is important. It allows you to see your progress and to make sure your training is on track to meeting your goals.A food journal is just as important. You must be honest and write down everything you eat. A recent study showed significant weight loss in those subjects who kept an accurate food journal.

If your daily caloric intake is supposed to be 1450 calories you need know if you exceeded it or not . Keeping this much detail may seem to be overkill but it is worth it. You will know exactly how many calories you took in on any given day or at any given meal. A few calories here and there add up over a day and over the week. One hundred calories a day above your daily allotment means in a few weeks you could have gained a pound (3500 cals=1lb) unless you have increased your training to compensate.

in addition your trainer and/or nutritionist needs to know what your caloric intake is in order to design an effective weight management program for you. Without accurate information they can only guess at your caloric intake and  can only guess as to how much to decrease (or increase if you are trying to add muscle mass) it.

What do I track??

Time: Write the time of day you ate the food.

What kind: Write down the type of food you ate. Be as specific as you can. Don't forget the "extras," such as salad dressing, mayonnaise, butter, sour cream, sugar and ketchup. Don't forget to include alcohol, sodas (diet & regular), coffee, tea etc. If you eat a spoonful of peanut butter it goes in the journal. If you grab a handful of almonds it goes in the journal

How much: Record the amount and calories of the particular food item you ate.

Where: Write what room or part of the house you were in when you ate. If you ate in a restaurant, fast-food chain or your car, write that location down.

Helpful Hints:

1. Be Honest. Your trainer can help only if you record what you really eat.
2. Record what you eat each day. Keep your journal with you all day, and write down everything you eat or drink.
3. Do it now. Don’t depend on your memory at the end of the day. Record your eating as you go. Be Specific. Make sure you include "extras," such as gravy on your meat or cheese on your vegetables.
4. Avoid eating out if possible. Otherwise ask if the restaurant has a nutritional breakdown of their meals. Some, such as Panera Bread and McDonald's, have online dietary information on their various foods

 Most people are really surprised at just how much they actually eat during the day and keeping an accurate food journal will give you the information you need to lose weight and keep it off.

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