Weight Loss Journaling

Beginning Your Weight Loss Journey Through a Journal

Figuring out where to start when getting back into exercise can often prevent people from taking that challenging first step. Feeling out of your comfort zone and overwhelmed is very common when trying to kickstart your weight loss journey, and having a guide to turn to step by step of the way has proven to be extremely helpful. Journaling your weight loss is shown to increase success rates to as high as 70%, which is why it’s something the FitFarms team highly encourages.

Motivation is essential for fuelling a progressive weight loss journey. Keeping a weight loss journal can benefit many factors towards achieving your end goals, especially when it comes to keeping perseverance high. Without perseverance, it’s easy to fall into a cycle of weight gain and weight loss, which makes it impossible to succeed sustainably.

What to include in your journal?

Identifying what has led you to start your weight loss journey and where you want to get to is key. Reminding yourself daily of all the benefits that come from taking this step will lead to a more achievable and progressive weight loss.

Ask yourself why, how, and when.

Start by thinking about why you are starting this journey and how it will benefit your life. For example, factors effecting your health, your social life, general lifestyle or even your career. Write these down at the start of your journal to help motivate and remind you along the way, why are you doing this and what positive impacts will this bring you in the long term?

When do you want to achieve your weight loss? Setting out a realistic timeline of weight loss is so important, and often an area people mistake in. Setting your goals too high makes them unrealistic, so if you don’t achieve them it’ll end up pushing you back even further and lowering motivation levels. Setting them too low will prevent you from pushing yourself and make it easier to fall back into unhealthy habits. At FitFarms we teach setting smaller aims towards your eventual end goal, which helps to motivate and stay on target. For example, if eventually you want to lose a stone, this shouldn’t be the only target your working towards as it won’t seem in reach at the start. Your first goal may be joining an exercise class and attend once/twice a week, or it may be losing your first 5 pounds through following a balanced diet and exercise regime. Choose your goals based on what is right for you and follow a realistic timeline. Celebrate your hard work by giving yourself credit for every small achievement along the way.

So, set out your first timeline of personal aims in your weight loss journal and target each smaller step rather than only focusing on your end goal. This will make a much clearer starting point.

Your journal can include whatever you like. Tracking your weight loss may be a good form for you to track your progress or maybe you’d prefer to keep track of your fat percentage, it’s entirely up to you.

Keeping a food diary in your journal is also proven to be extremely beneficial. Keeping a food diary helps to keep on top of your nutrition in each meal and away from processed foods. If you want to find out more about alternative healthy food swaps you can add into your diet, follow this NHS healthier families link

A weight loss journal can offer so many further benefits. Including a daily reminder to keep on track with your weight loss, a exercise diary or plan, a way to identify areas you’re struggling in and establishing new healthy habits. You can make it completely your own, and it’s proven to be a great way to initiate daily enthusiasm towards tackling weight loss.