Journaling for Weight Loss - Monitoring Progress One Step at a Time
By
Meghan Vivo
July 08, 2008
An Interview with Bob Rice, M.A., and Christopher D’Andrea, M.A.
Millions of Americans are trying to lose weight. They cut calories, hit the gym three days a week, but still can’t seem to knock off those extra pounds. What’s missing? The experts at Wellspring Academy in California, the nation’s first weight loss boarding school for children and adolescents, believe most weight loss plans are missing a critical component: self-awareness.
Most of us lie to ourselves in even the most subtle ways – forgetting the extra dessert we ate after dinner, underestimating the calories we consume, rounding up the number of miles we walked, and so on. In order to become more honest with ourselves, the top weight loss programs like Wellspring recommend keeping a daily “self-monitoring journal.” From the morning walk to evening activities, students at Wellspring Academy track every activity, meal, and weigh-in in their pocket-size journals.
The Wellspring program is elegant in its simplicity. The camps and academies, located throughout the United States as well as in the U.K. and Australia, teach skills and habits that are sustainable, based on 30 years of scientific research. The basic rules are: reduce fat intake to no more than 20 grams per day, and increase exercise to more than 10,000 steps a day. Every aspect of the program is designed to enhance self-awareness through the use of daily journals and pedometers in order to develop a “healthy obsession.” When students leave Wellspring, they have learned the tools to set realistic, achievable goals and stay committed to health and long-term weight control.
A Source of Motivation
Most people understand the health risks of overweight and obesity, and most know that diet and exercise are the solution. “When people fail in their weight loss efforts, it’s not because they don’t cognitively understand what they should be doing; it’s because they lack the motivation to change,” says Bob Rice, M.A., a behavioral coach at Wellspring Academy in California. “That is where the self-monitoring journal makes a difference. It turns motivation into action.”
Like everyone else, Wellspring students have good days and bad days. “Rather than punishing or blaming students for making poor choices, we simply ask that they record their food intake and exercise levels in their journal,” explains Christopher D’Andrea, M.A., a behavioral coach at Wellspring Academy. “This way, when the student gets discouraged by the numbers at the next weigh-in, he can go back in his journal, identify where he went wrong, and resolve to do better next time. After a few weeks of journaling, students begin to see the unmistakable connection between calories in, calories out, emotions, and weight loss.”
Better Information, Better Choices
According to Rice, a clinical psychologist with more than 15 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults, all of the top athletes, performers, journalists, and business icons do self-monitoring of some kind. The pro-baseball player watches videotapes to analyze and improve his swing; the actress practices her lines in the mirror; the CEO reviews reports of the company’s annual progress and earnings.
“A weight loss journal is almost like a database,” he says. “When people have good information, they make better choices. Our students look back at their collection of data, identify and analyze trends, and set goals based on their honest assessment.”
D’Andrea adds, “The self-monitoring journal is all about mindfulness – being aware of what you’re doing and why. By keeping a daily record of their actions and emotions, students take a critical look at the behaviors that have contributed to their weight problem and recognize that only they can control their eating habits. Rather than blaming their parents, grandparents, friends, or teachers, students take responsibility for the problem and get motivated to do the work.”
Built-In Rewards
It is human nature to thrive on positive reinforcement, according to Rice. “When people go to the supermarket with a grocery list, they get satisfaction from checking off the last item,” he explains. “If the same person created a list but left it at home, she is still more likely to remember what she was supposed to buy and feel good about purchasing those items only. If the person goes shopping with no list at all, she is far more likely to buy whatever suits her fancy at that moment. When she fails to write it down, she robs herself of the satisfaction of setting and achieving her goals.”
“The same is true in weight loss,” he adds. “Students ask, ‘Did I reach my goals this week?’ When you commit your thoughts to paper, you memorialize your experiences into a solid, lasting form. There’s no way to escape the truth about your goals and progress when it’s staring you in the face. With a journal by your side, there’s no need to reach back in the recesses of your memory to recreate your eating patterns and fitness levels for the week. Each day, you have instant reinforcement – I did well and am proud of my accomplishments, or I didn’t do so well and I need to do better tomorrow.”
Broader Perspective
Even though the weight loss journal records daily behaviors and emotions, it is also a resource students can use to get a broader perspective on how they live over a span of weeks or months.
“It’s easy to get bogged down with the stresses and pressures of everyday life – how many calories did I eat, how many steps did I take, how many pounds did I lose,” says Rice. “To see the most important developments – the psychological, emotional, and lifestyle changes – it can take weeks, even months. By looking back through their journals, students can reflect on their successes and see exactly what it took to get where they are today.”
Lovingly referred to as “Think and Ink” by D’Andrea, the private journal is an opportunity for students to explore how they’re feeling each day, how food fits into their lives, and to connect those feelings to their behaviors. It also can help relieve stress and anxiety by boiling down the chaos of daily life to a few manageable issues.
“After a couple months at the academy, students not only use their journals for daily reinforcement and weekly weigh-ins, but they also begin to see the bigger picture,” D’Andrea states. “If they don’t make changes now, their poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyle will spread out over weeks or months or years. Before they know it, they are full-grown adults with firmly rooted unhealthy lifestyles and potentially life-threatening health conditions.”
Get Started
Keeping a weight loss journal, like a daily life journal, can change the way a person sees herself and her life. By setting aside time for yourself each day, you remember to put your health and well-being first. If you’re struggling to lose weight, try sharing your story with yourself. You may be surprised to learn what you do, what you want, and what you can do to get there.
Comments
I can testify to the fact that this really works. I lose track of what I ate (or underestimate) if I don't keep track. Writing it down makes you aware of every morsel!
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