By Jennifer Sygo,
MSc, RD

Can food journaling really help you lose weight? According
to a group of researchers involved in the Weight Loss
Maintenance study, the answer is a resounding yes. In the
study, which was conducted at four locations across the
US including Johns Hopkins University and Kaiser Permanente
Center for Health Research, nearly 1,700 overweight and
obese Americans were asked to keep a daily journal of both
food and exercise and attend weekly classes on healthy
eating and moderate exercise. After six months, participants
lost an average of 13 pounds. When researchers analyzed
the data, they found that weight loss virtually doubled
between those who kept a journal and those who didn’t.
According to J. Graham Thomas, Ph.D., Co-Investigator
for the US-based National Weight Control Registry (which
monitors the habits and behaviors of more than 5,000 individuals
who have lost weight and kept it off for at least a year), “Keeping
a food log ranks up there among the top three or four most
important strategies people use to lose weight and keep
it off.” In other words, in addition to cleaning
up your diet and exercising regularly, writing down what
you eat is one of the most important things you can do
to lose weight and best of all, keep it off.
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