Joan O’Keefe, RD

It’s amazing how many people say to me, “I’m doing everything right and just can’t figure out why I’m not losing weight.” Have YOU ever said these words? I’ve got one word for you: Honesty.

It’s not that people are lying or trying to cover-up their diet and exercise mistakes, it’s simply that they’re not aware of their dishonesty. The only way to be absolutely honest with yourself about what you’re truly doing for your health is to journal. A diet and exercise journal is a requirement of all of my clients. Journaling forces us to be honest with ourselves, especially when we’re trying to live healthier lifestyles. Studies show that those who journal lose more weight and keep it off better than those who do not. So, what are you waiting for?

A nutrition and exercise journal should be simple. Carry it with you everywhere and every time your fingers go to your lips with food, write it down. Journal everything you eat, drink, sip, or taste-test. Write down your physical activity and how much sleep you’re getting. Then when you say, “I just can’t figure out why I’m not losing weight,” we can go back, look and say, “Oh yeah, I see it now.”

Losing weight:
Diet has a lot to do with it. Make sure you’re getting plenty of color and protein in your diet. I recommend CardioWhey and CardioTea daily for all of my weight loss clients. Write down absolutely everything you take in. Record your physical activity. Do something every day. You will not reach your goal if you are not active every day. Even if it’s just 20 minutes going up and down the stairs in your house, make sure it’s something every day.

Sleep: Don’t underestimate the value of sleep. You need 7.5 hours every night. If you’re not sleeping enough, stress hormones will increase and so will your appetite. Record your sleep in your journal and you’ll be able to spot patterns.

The only way to know if you’re on track to reach your goal is to journal. When you don’t lose weight one week, we can say, “there’s the extra cookie and glass of wine, a missed workout, etc…” Journaling is the best way to stay honest with yourself.

Last summer, Joan and I took our family to La Ciotat, a small village on the Mediterranean coast in southern France. This is the home of the real Mediterranean diet and we found it to be the most delicious and healthiest cuisine we have ever experienced. I also could not help but notice that the women of all ages tended to have small, sexy waists, and smooth and beautiful complexions. And it wasn’t that these people were fitness buffs. There was only one gym in town, and it was used only for playing squash. They didn’t get their toned abs from doing hundreds of sit-ups daily or taking some weight loss supplement. No, their beautiful flat tummies with the pierced belly buttons are the byproduct of an active lifestyle and a diet that keeps their hormones in the healthy youthful ranges. In contrast the average overweight American continues his or her futile struggle with the ‘Ab-blaster’ machines and Metabolife supplements while eating synthetic food loaded with trans fats and sugar and drinking soft drinks full of high fructose corn syrup and spending most of his day in front of a TV/computer screen or behind a windshield.