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Post subject: Starting a diet/exercise journal
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Often when we start a diet we try our very best to limit our caloric intake and cut out all those things that are "bad" for us. It lasts a little while and then the cravings set in. Next thing you know you've turned over the vending machine at the office and you're sitting in the middle of a pile of candy bar wrappers. Or we become nibblers. We think that if we only have a little bite here and there throughout the day we aren't consuming as much. What typically happens is we eat more and the calories add up at the end of a day.
But don't give up. There are a few simple things you can do to counter the diet crash. Dieting doesn't have to mean denial. You can lose weight eating a variety of foods in the right quantities.
1. Find the best calorie counter you can find. Try to select one that has full food value listings. It should include portion size, calories, carb content, and nutritional value.
2. Use a 2 subject notebook so you can keep both in one place. Or make a document on your computer.
3. For the diet section make the following headings:
Date Time Meal (breakfast lunch dinner snack)
Meal description Quantity Calories
What you were feeling (if you are an emotional eater)
4. Now the hard part, keeping track. Take it everywhere you go. Don't try to keep it in your head and then remember at the end of the day.
Soon you will find out where all your calories are coming from and where you should cut back. You'll also find if you are lacking in variety and by using your calorie counter you can make other selections well within your caloric range.
Now for the exercise portion. Where we usually go wrong is by using one routine. Then being human we get bored and give it up after a few weeks. Exercise requires variety just like diet does. These days there are a lot of good exercise routines that come in packages. You get a number of routines to work from. So mix it up.
1. Pick a time of day that is not only convenient but conducive to you exercising. If you're not a morning person then don't force yourself to work out at the break of dawn.
2. Make a body schedule. Work a different part of the body each day. That way your body will not get used to the routine and plateau too soon.
3. For the exercise section make the following headings:
Date Time Routine
Duration
4. Start slow. It is not necessary to finish an entire routine on the first day. Pay attention to your body.
So let's get started!! |
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