Renee has been blogging for two years and is the author of Cutie Booty Cakes. She loves fitness, family and fun. She’s lost 48 pounds and has shared her journey to healthy living to motivate others and stay accountable. She is currently training for the Nike Women’s Half-Marathon and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You can find her writing on BlogHer, The Special K Victory Project, EA SPORTS Active, and many other places around the internet.
Since the week of Thanksgiving 2024 I’ve lost about 50 pounds. People that hear about my weight loss immediately want to know my secret. I always answer honestly and say “diet and exercise.” I’m sure this is not the answer people want to hear but there is no magic bullet that will take away the pounds. Consistency in both diet and exercise are the key to healthy living and weight loss.
Now, there are tools that make the process easier. One thing that I highly recommend is maintaining a food diary. I can hear the collective sigh out there from folks not interested in chronicling every morsel that crosses their lips, however, food journals work! I admit I was not on the food journal bandwagon initially but once I started doing it, I realized that it truly helped me to understand not just what and how much I was eating but why I was eating.
In my journal, not only do I write down the things that I eat (the good, bad and ugly), but I also write the emotions that I am having when I eat. This provides me with so much insight. One day I was having an overwhelming amount of stress and decided I wanted a sweet treat. Instead of sabotaging my work, I had a small treat of marshmallows. Another day I had a serious craving for coconut milk ice cream, nothing was bothering me, I just wanted it. And so I indulged.
As a result of keeping a food journal I am more mindful of the things that I eat. And by using an online journal I am also able to ensure I am eating enough of all of my food groups. Once I was in the habit of keeping a journal it became second nature, I even have an iPhone app to track my eating!
Please don’t knock food journaling until you try it. You may find yourself enjoying it may more than you ever imagined!
Also read Renee’s previous guest video post, Diet Tips for a Busy Mom
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