How to Set Goals for Healthy Living
Researchers asked participants to record their daily exercise type and the duration of his or her routine as a self-monitoring strategy. The findings revealed that consistent self-monitoring achieved greater weight loss and participants experienced fewer difficulties. When the frequency of self-monitoring of diet and exercise was measured in studies, there was significant difference in weight loss results of those who weighed daily compared to those self-weighing less often.
A study published by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared one group who followed an energy-reduced diet and maintained their weight losses after two years to a second group who followed a calorie-controlled diet with greater weight loss but who regained the lost weight within eighteen months. There is significant evidence that losing excess body fat is difficult for most individuals and the risk of regaining lost weight is high.
Monitoring the Cause of Weight Gain is Essential
Self-monitoring your weight loss plan will provide valuable feedback on how the choices you made during the day impacted your progress toward achieving your goals. Listed below are four benefits of tracking your food, weight and daily exercise:
1) Understand Your Eating Habits – In order to reach your goals for better nutrition, you need to have a starting point and an attainable action plan with defined steps for weight loss success.
2) Know Nutrient Density of Foods – Tracking your food consumption will help you determine which foods are really worth eating as well as those that are more difficult to fit into your daily menu plan.
3) Measure Changes to Your Body – Studies have shown that people who hit the scales more often than not tend to be more successful at keeping weight off in the long run.
4) Helps to Hold You Accountable – Keeping your weight in the good range is an important part of healthy aging. An elevated body mass index in adults can increase their likelihood of developing health problems.
Tracking Your Choices Is the First Step for Losing Weight
The main reason for using self-monitoring and self-regulating techniques for tracking behavior and lifestyle modifications is based on a body of scientific evidence that suggest people remain overweight due to modifiable habits. A study of dietary tracking over the holidays concluded that despite the challenges to eating healthy participants who maintained a food journal did not experience an increase in weight indicating self-monitoring to be a protective barrier against overeating. Utilizing self-monitoring skills to track your consumption of calories and macronutrients should be combined with recording accurate numbers for cardio workouts and strength training as these are all vital factors for healthy living.
Tracking your food intake and the time you spend each day being physically active is a simple first step in your journey for achieving healthy living. Visit MRC online to learn more about how our one-on-one coaching can boost motivation and accountability.
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