I would like to share my most successful tool for weight lost. This is the Lemon Log. That’s been my name for it for the pictured fruit, and as lemons have sort of become my mascot for this endeavor. (For more info on the numerous health and weight loss benefits of lemons - here, I found some science: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/11-benefits-lemon-water-you-didnt-know-about.html )
There are lots of ways to keep a weight loss journal, and I’ll include links for other schools of thought at the end.
Recording what you put into your body when you’re trying to lose weight or even just improve your energy, focus, or productivity, is a great idea for lots of reasons. As the old adage goes, what you measure, you can manage. I consider myself a very healthy person - I don’t drink or smoke, I love vegetables and fruits, and generally the foods I enjoy are the healthier options of things - wheat bread, dark chocolate, whole milk, black coffee, etc. But be this as it may, I’m still 26. And while I may enjoy vegetables on my pizza, and while a veggie or cheese pizza occasionally does not deserve the bad rep it has, nutritionally speaking, it took writing down what I ate in a given week to make me go Oh. Pizza four nights a week while I play video games on my ass is probably a lot of calories for a lot of sitting, huh? Each of us probably has a lot of habits or rituals that run so deep, we may not even realize they are to our detriment. And the way we show those habits to ourselves, is with data!
And I’ve come to prefer this method over tracking apps for a few reasons: 1. I don’t have to worry about a charged battery, or waiting on anything to load to use it.
2. I only have the data I need, and am not bogged down by any metrics I wouldn’t use or care about to track my progress. To this end, as I write out the templates for my pages a few weeks ahead, in little bursts, I can change whatever I want about my dailies, or my format, whenever I want to try recording something else, or what to start measuring other metrics.
3. I get to use my favorite pens. And as a writer, I love any excuse to break out my favorite pens. And office supplies in general.
4. As someone who has a desk job, I like having one frequently used tool that isn’t backlit, so my poor eyes can recover (and so can my sleep cycle, as they are harmed by excessive screen time.)
I decided to also use my Lemon Log as a place to house reminders and info, as well - so I wouldn’t even need an internet connection to remember key GI numbers (GI = Glycemic index, a measurement for weighing the nutritional value of food against how satisfying it is in our systems and to our brains. More on this in a later post!)
So, here are the sections I chose for my blank journal:
Workouts to remember (I’m all for knowing what I can fit into this quick ten minutes alone, with no equipment)
Friendly Foods to reach for when you’re hungry
Motivation/Mantras - key things I wanted to remind myself of, and say over and over when turning down absolutely delicious things that will help me focus on what I want the most, as opposed to what I want in the moment. (I also plan to write a post on how to find/write your own helpful mantras!)
Achievements - Yes, just like in Xbox. I came up with lists of things I wanted to learn to do with my body (Learn to do a pullup, do 7 standing yoga poses without falling down) as well as things that marked my milestones (Weigh under 200 pounds, weigh under 190 pounds,) and just general bucket list weight loss type stuff (Like Try Mulan’s nerd workout: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/401242648026967210/). And as I unlocked them, I check them off. With a highlighter! (Have I mentioned my love for office supplies is most of why this is fun for me? If you’re rolling your eyes at me, then may be an app like FitBit, UP, or LoseIt! is for you.)
And finally, The Log, bookmarked with a plastic tab for easy access, as well as the above pictured bookmark, which is actually an upcycled coupon for a water filter that I’ve marked on the back to help me write out the page templates more easily.
The parts of the Log itself (sample page pictured above) are as follows:
Breakfast, Lunch, Snack: For listing a loose description of quantity and a high description of food type and ingredients. The cool thing about the fitness apps is that they math-out your input and output by calorie and tell you how many more calories you can eat today. The cool thing about my lemon log, is that I prefer to focus on appropriate servings sizes of the right kinds of food (whole grains, leafy greens, etc) and letting the calories work themselves out. When I’m hungry, I eat. And when I crave junk food, I look up what my cravings mean (LINK! http://bembu.com/food-cravings ) and I eat the right things that are required to move on. And I personally, like to leave it at that. Because I’m not dieting, I’m trying to align who I am with my health.
Activity!: I’m a writer, gamer, and knitter with a desk job. A lot of my life is sedentary. It’s helpful for me to have a space where Iist anything where I’ve been on my feet, (Used standing desk, lugged groceries, 1 hour yoga) so I know to work in a cleaning spree or a workout if the list on a particular day is shorter on physical exertion. Again, the aim to is to build a life out of the things I live for already, and find a balance that makes me functioning and happier. I like who I am, I just need a reason to be more mindful while being me.
Dailies: Yes, just like in MMORPGs, things I should do daily for Awesome Points, listed above. I’ve chosen these based between research I’ve done on good habits to have, and things that I love and that I don’t always make time for. The base goal is to finish this checklist every day, and be mindful. And who doesn’t have time for that?
But there are so many ways to do this! You can make it more like a scrapbook: http://taylorannecalvillo.blogspot.ca/2012/07/yellow-smash-book-weight-loss-journey.html There are tons of fun ways to track your progress: http://cashinginonlife.blogspot.com/2013/01/free-weight-loss-tracker-printable.html https://www.pinterest.com/pin/71424344067974003/ And so many people have blogged about what’s worked for them!
Use pinterest and design a whole binder, or strike out on your own. :) I would love to hear what works for all of you!
