The Journal Effect (Dieting)

The Journal Effect (Dieting)

I recently started a new habit and soon came to the realization of its power. I call this “The Journal Effect.”

By using a journal to record current actions, one can reflect honestly on what's causing current and future results,

Keeping an exercise log is nothing new...people have been doing that for decades. The problem is that while we tend to record our training with precision, we tend to be lazy with logging our diet, and thus, miss out on the same benefits of progress tracking. As a group, those wanting to gain weight tend to overestimate their caloric and protein intake, and those wanting to lose it tend to underestimate how much they eat. The result is that while our training is near perfect, an inaccurate picture of our diets will keep us from reaching our goals. The solution is to use a paper or electronic journal to record our eating with the same discipline we [should] use to record our training. It allows us to get a clear picture as to our current diets, and how we must change them to reach our fitness goals.

Here's how to do it the way I did it. I used a paper journal, though it may be easier to use a smartphone app so that you can record your diet on the spot, without carrying additional equipment.

Step 1: Purchase a marble cover journal notebook (or download an app like MyFitnessPal Calorie Counter).

Step 2: Write your name on the front of the journal, followed by "Meal Log" or whatever you wish.

Step 3: Every single day, start off on the top of the page with the date. Underneath, state where you are, how much sleep you received the night before, and what body part you will be training that day.

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

At home, 9 hrs sleep, Shoulders

Step 4: Every time you eat something, start out by writing the time, along with every detail of what you had to eat. Including vitamins, supplements, and meds. For a more accurate journal, write down nutrients such as calories, carbs, fat, and protein. (Phone apps can look up any food and tally daily intake for you.)

9:00am- (I enter supplement pills here)

Cellmass

Myofusion Protein Shake w/ oats

4-eggs

2-wheat toast

1-glass skim milk

Step 5: At the end of the day, state your weight , how much water you drank that day, along with what time you are going to bed.

1.5 gallons of water

190lbs (in gym)

1:00am

*There is only one IMPORTANT rule to this theory, it is what will make or break you. “Always be faithful to your journal!” Your journal's ability to help you is dependent on your honesty to it. If you were honest about everything you did, you now have a clear picture of how your eating habits are affecting your goals. If your goal was to eat at least 3000 calories/day, and you only downed 2000, you now know how much you have to boost your consumption the following day. If you think you drank a lot of water, but on paper you see that you only had a few glasses, then it's obvious what has to change.

Now, you may read this and ask yourself, “Okay Kevin, other than seeing what I did that day, how ELSE is this going to help me diet?” I DARE YOU to make a commitment to the journal, even if it’s only for one week. What you will realize, is that you will subconsciously start to eat healthfully, and it all falls back onto that one rule. You will start to feel proud of yourself for eating healthfully, and in seeking that reward of personal pride, healthful eating will go from being a task to being a habit. You will notice that the next time you look at food that may not be beneficial to your body, you will think of your journal, you will feel humiliated if you have to write “Wendy’s Cheeseburger,” “6 beers,” or "20 Four Lokos" into your journal (well, you might be proud of that last one). because you know it's not contributing to your success. For more accountability, you can share your journal with your workout partner.

THAT is the amazing “Journal Effect,” now I encourage you to try it. By showing yourself real records of real behaviors, you will steer yourself toward real results. It truly can have an amazing effect on you, as long as you make the commitment. YOU GOT THIS!

For your fitness,

-Kevin Lisak

#Diet