Log It And Lose It

Herbalife
June 01st, 10:34 AM

By: Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD

Think keeping a food diary is a waste of time?  You might want to think again.  Study after study consistently tells us that self-monitoring - that is, keeping track of what you eat, how much exercise you get, and how much you weigh - is one of the key components to successful weight loss.  In a recent review of 22 studies1. on the subject, the authors concluded that, across the board, there was "a significant association between self-monitoring and weight loss."

What the studies tell us is that when you're accountable to someone - not just to yourself, but also to a healthcare provider, a life partner or a friend - you greatly improve your chances of losing weight and keeping it off.  And, the more often you keep track, the more successful you're likely to be. 2. In one study involving nearly 1700 people, those who kept food diaries six days a week lost double the weight of those who kept records only once a week or less. 

Why does this work?  Because it's one of the best tools around for helping you to monitor - and change - your behavior.  You can't change your behavior until you analyze - and acknowledge what you're currently doing.  Once you've got a clear picture of how much you're eating and  how much (or how little) you're exercising, you're in a much better position to figure out what you need to work on. 

And there's more to it than simply writing it down.  What's even better is to record not only what and how much you're eating - it's also good to note why.  Were you hungry?  Or was your eating triggered by fatigue, boredom, anger or stress?  This honest self-appraisal will help you see where you're eating appropriately - and where a little behavior modification is called for. 

There are all sorts of ways to keep track - anything from low tech paper diaries to high tech apps for your phone - but no matter how you keep tabs on yourself, there are a few things that will help ensure your success:

• Be honest. Just keeping track of your 'good' days isn't going to help you. You need to come face-to-face with your behavior - the good, the bad and the ugly - before you can make positive changes. Write it all down, and give yourself a pat on the back when you're good. But don't beat yourself up when you're not. Tomorrow is another day.
• Log your eating as you go, or even beforehand. Some people like to write down what they plan to eat and how much exercise they plan to do each day, and use the diary like a checklist. If you can't do that, at least keep track as you go. For one thing, if you pull out your diary each time you eat - or get the urge to eat - that little delay might make you think twice before you indulge. And, if you wait until the end of the day, you're unlikely to remember everything you ate - and by then it's too late to change it!
• Hone your skills when it comes to calorie counting and estimating portion size. Your food diary is a great tool, as long as the information you're logging is accurate. So practice, practice, practice! Weighing and measuring your foods at home will help you better estimate what you're eating in restaurants, too.
• Don't forget the details. The cream in your coffee, the butter on your toast, the dressing on your salad and the mayo on your sandwich - all those calories add up. 
• Analyze your food carefully, to make sure you don't forget any of those 'extras'.

1Burke et al.  J Amer Dietetic Assn.  111:92, 2011.

2Hollis et al.  Am J Prev Med. 35:118, 2008

I modified parts of this post to accent some of the most important things to do.  If you would like to use iChange to Track your self, it is FREE and comes with a Coach, me, #Koachkay;) Just click on the link above & it will take you directly to our group.

Do You Really Want to Change??

Action for today:
Do you really want to change, improve, grow, & get to the next level?
If so, let me give you 5 steps to consider:

1. Get mad.
I’m serious, you have to really get mad. You have to significantly increase the pain of NOT changing.
Staying the same, maintaining status quo, going on as is has to be WAY more painful than the process of change is.

The biggest reason you haven’t changed is staying the same is easier and less painful than changing is.
Your brain will alway seek the path of greatest ease and least resistance. It is your job to take control of your brain and apply some serious pain to NOT changing.

What is that going to take?
You figure that out.

Write out the bleak scenario of your life 10-15 years from now if you don’t change.
Take a picture of your naked self and tape it to the mirror.
Take a snapshot of your financial statement and tape it to the mirror.
Tape up your sales results, or lack thereof, and your standings of being #48 out of 50 sales people.
Embarrass yourself.
Punish yourself a bit.
Induce pain on yourself.
Now I am not talking about any mortification of the flesh or self-flagellation for penance, but maybe some emotional whipping is in order.

“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.”
-James Allen

2. Create massive disruption.
You have to interrupt every previous pattern that induced or triggered your weakness.
I suggest doing a massive sweep of your environment.
If changing your diet is your desire, clear out every shred of junk food from every environment you linger.
Make every person you dine with swear to an oath that they will not allow you to eat crap food.
Make it nearly impossible to fall off course.

If you are trying to rid yourself of distraction, take everything out of your office.
Clear it clean.
Then only put back what is essential and non-distracting.
Even stacks of old projects, file drawers of needless material will weight on your subconscious mind - eradicate it all.

3. Create public humiliation (if you fail).
Declare your new behavior publicly.
Write a letter to your granddaughter apologizing for the lack of character you have shown and your plan and promise to change putting your integrity on the line.
Don’t be the only one to hold yourself accountable.
Recruit as many people as possible to hold you to account.
You’ve already failed yourself many times.
You’ve lied and let yourself off the hook repeatedly.
That isn’t working. It’s time to call in reinforcements - to enforce yourself.

4. Track visually.
Put your progress up on the whiteboard at the office.
Tape up a big desk calendar on your wall with the red X marks of progress.
Find a way to track every daily step and make it physically visible - for you and those around you to see.

5. Plan for failure.
After all, you ARE human. Humans are weak, by nature.
So you are going to fall. But don’t let a fall be failure.
Just get back up and keep going from where you are.
Success is not perfection. Success is progress.
Just be better today than you were yesterday.
And if for some reason you aren’t, be better tomorrow than you are today.

Let's create some massive change in this upcoming month of May and throughout the rest of 2016!

Your Daily Mentor,
-Darren Hardy 

Bunny Trails

Flopsy, was my daughter's sweet pet 

     Good distractions, bad distractions, they are all equal and keep you away from your List of Tasks to accomplish your daily goals.

It is a gorgeous day, "Let's go for a picnic", your best friend says Or a call or text tells you 'there is an outrageous sale at Dillards'.

Maybe my co-worker has had a bad day and wants to know if we can meet after work for a drink to empathize.  

Those distractions become our reasons to get off track.

How many times have you been distracted by your emails, by Pinterest boards, Facebook or some other short interruption that leads you off on those "bunny trails" for hours? 

You wonder how I know, am I reading your mind?  No, I've been down most of those rabbit holes that we are tempted by and I fight some of the same distractions you have every day. 

Tony Robbins Depression : How to Get Out of a Funk

Herbalife - Mark Hughes - The Mind of a Mental Giant

3 Things

The Most Important First Step in Your New Year

I know, I know, you have heard this at least a million times. It is important to Set Goals. They help you clarify your dreams. A dream without setting goals is just a wish. Stop wishing your life away. Put legs on those dreams and make your wildest dreams a reality. I am sharing an excerpt from world renowned Business Philosopher, Jim Rohn.


"Making Your Goals Count" by Jim Rohn

I've often said the major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get. That is why goals are so powerful - they are part of the fabric that makes up our lives. And goal-setting is where we create our goals.

Goal-setting is powerful, partly because it provides focus. It shapes our dreams. It gives us the ability to hone in on the exact actions we need to perform to achieve everything we desire in life. Goals are GREAT because they cause us to stretch and grow in ways that we never have before. In order to reach our goals we must become better. We must change and grow.

Also, goals provide long-term vision in our lives. We all need lots of powerful, long-range goals to help us get past short-term obstacles. Life is designed in such a way that we look long-term and live short-term. We dream for the future and live in the present. Unfortunately, the present can produce many difficult obstacles. But fortunately, the more powerful our goals (because they are inspiring and believable) the more we will be able to act on them in the short-term and guarantee that they will actually come to pass!

The New Year is now more than a week old. Have you set your goals for 2012 and resolved how you’ll stay focused and on course for reaching them? If you haven’t, IT’S NOT TOO LATE! As you move through 2012, The Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan can help keep you on the right track mentally, physically, spiritually, financially, relationally and otherwise. You can benefit from the legacy that legendary personal achievement expert Jim Rohn left us and have him as your mentor as you continue to learn, grow and achieve the life of your dreams! Click here for more information or to sign up now!

I will be giving you steps to take to get you on the right path to your target destination. Your first assignment is to decide..... What do you want? Better health, better relationships or more time? I can give you tips to improve your relationship that I have learned, I can direct you to life changing products or I can teach you the path I have taken as an Entrepreneur.