Dear Diary…

You may be familiar with journaling but if you are not, journaling is a way to communicate to yourself your goals as well as to track your progress. Items to track include your food and fluid intake, exercise, and measurements of inches and pounds. Another important part of journaling is tracking your mood and feelings. Comprehensive journaling will help you get a better sense of your trials and successes. Dr Silvia Fresco, MD, Bariatric surgeon at NJ Weight Loss Doctors says, “Monitoring your progress can:

➢ Make you feel more involved and active
in the process
➢ Help you understand eating patterns
➢ Hold you accountable
➢ Remind you of your goals
➢ Help you make more mindful choices
➢ Help you identify problem areas
➢ Help health care providers see your habits, progress and continuing goals
➢ Help identify emotional triggers causing you to crave certain foods or want to eat”

The right way to journal successfully is to be consistent, this includes routine follow up with your medical and surgical team!

For the full article and a sample weight loss tracker go to HMHforU.org/weightlosstracker