Has your weight loss plateaued?

If you have been working really hard to lose weight but your weight loss has slowed or you are just beginning a weight loss plan, you should be writing down everything that you are eating and drinking. Buy a cute notebook, sign up for a calorie tracking app like My Fitness Pal (its free!), or set up a simple Excel spreadsheet so that you can quickly and easily keep track of everything that goes into your mouth. It is really important to write down literally everything that you eat and drink; including how large a serving it is, even if it is small or seemingly insignificant.

At the end of each day, review how the day went and notice if those “small” snacks are more frequent or larger than you thought. Also pay special attention to what you are drinking as drinks such as fruit juice and sodas can quickly pack in a lot of calories. If you notice that you are regularly snacking on unhealthy treats or drinking lots of beverages besides water, then this is a great place to start making small changes that will have a significant effect on your weight loss over time. So stock up on healthy, tasty snacks, such as fresh fruit or crunchy veggies and switch out your daily glass of orange juice or coke for a large glass of water.

Continue to keep track of what you are eating and drinking and evaluate your choices regularly so that you notice any bad habits as they start to creep back into your diet. It is really hard to kid yourself that you are eating healthy when you have everything in writing!