Number One Diet Tip: Write Down What You Eat

There are many people who are willing to put in the work that it takes to lose weight, but just can't figure out where to start. I am by no means a diet expert, but I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember, and have learned a lot about how to lose weight. When I was in high school I lost 30 pounds, by simply partaking in one specific action. I set the number of calories that I would consume each day, and wrote down everything I ate. Sounds too simple doesn't it? Well, it takes discipline, but it is pretty simple, and it really does work.

So here's how you do it.

-First of all, I believe that dieting is 80% mental and only 20% physical. Meaning you put way much more effort into thinking about the process than you do actually doing it. Also our minds are our worst enemy when it comes to dieting. I have found that when I set my mind to dieting, I go all out, but as soon as I slip up, my mind starts playing tricks and I quit dieting all together. Well, by writing down what you eat, it is very hard to slip up. You either eat it and write it down, or you don't- simple as that.

-So after you set your mind to dieting, you should figure out the proper number of calories that you should consume each day in order to lose weight healthily.

-Next is the actual part of writing it down. Get a little journal- it can be a piece of paper, or a small notebook, or even an index card. Make columns along the top that say date, breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. Then each day you will simply fill in the date, and write down what you eat. At the end of the day you will total the number of calories. By doing this, you can keep track of exactly what you put in to your body.

-So why does this trick work? My logic is that you are less likely to gorge and eat that extra brownie or piece of pizza if you have to write it down afterwards. One bad choice can make your daily calories skyrocket, and when you are actually looking at the results, you want to do well. If you think this is dumb, that's okay- but if you really want to lose weight, I suggest giving it a try. After all, it worked for me- and if you do it right (and really write down everything you eat), it will work for you too!