Be Healthy, Be Accountable

When people ask me to help them with weight loss, my first requirement is to have them keep a food diary. To diagnose issues concerning health I have to know what one is consuming on a daily basis.

This will help me to eliminate any medical issues that may be preventing them from losing weight. Depending on the goal, having a snapshot of current eating habits will help me to prescribe a more suitable nutrition plan.

Sometimes just requiring a client to keep a food journal not only abruptly ends our professional relationship; it also may end their quest to lose weight. Having to write down every morsel of food you eat can be time consuming and for some people too emotionally revealing.

A food journal is much like any journal. It makes a person accountable and honest. It may even divulge the reason you are unable to accomplish your fitness goals.

I often refer back to the old adage, “you are what you eat.” To me it is not just a saying —one can literally become a human replica of the foods most regularly eaten. In other words, if you eat healthy—you may enjoy a fit body and a healthy glow. If you choose to eat fatty foods, you will likely become fat. If dessert is your primary food group, then you will surely begin to emulate a fluffy, sweet, and bumpy cookie-like person.

If you like becoming what you eat, then there is not a problem. If becoming what you eat doesn’t bring you happiness—then make a change.

In my opinion the most effective way to make that change is to start a food diary. I recommend this method first; not to make you feel guilty, but to empower you. My hope is that you will think about what you eat before you unconsciously and emotionally satisfy a craving. At the end of the day you are in control.

Be honest, be accountable and be proud!