by Joshua Pantalleresco

Created on: May 16, 2009   Last Updated: May 22, 2009

Dieting forces individuals to change - something all of us struggle with. Changing habits you have accumulated throughout the years is much harder than it seems then when you're talk about it. These habits are a big reason why some dieters fail. It's not the effort, but rather failing to realize how ingrained some choices in our lives really are. Also, many of us are not aware of what we do to ourselves on a daily basis. How many times do we drink a coke a day? What snack foods do we devour throughout the day?

Recording and journaling everything down is one of the most effective aids for dieters. One of the more obvious benefits to it is the information it gives you. How many times do you really have that coke? Assuming you are faithful, you find out. Before long you know every bad habit you have and how often you do it. This information isn't just good for the short term, but the long term as well. When you start a diet, it's a good way to find very quickly what foods you should avoid. As time goes on and you write this time, it effectively records the changes you have done. In short, it forces you to be honest with yourself. Have you really made an effort to change? Or have you fallen into the same habits that caused the weight gain to begin with?

Tracking yourself for days and weeks can give you a clear analysis of what you have done. Best of all, it can show you very quickly where you need to improve, if you haven't made your goals. Or even better, if you have achieved them, show you exactly what you did to do it, which if you do have to diet again in the future, is a huge plus. As now you have a system you know that works written down and in place.

Beyond just giving you information, it also helps you practice your discipline. Journaling to be effective requires faithfulness from the dieter. Every time they consume or drink something it has to be recorded. Writing and recording this information in itself reinforces a good habit. After a few days it becomes ingrained in you, and if you are faithful in journaling about what you are doing, chances are you are faithful with the habits you are forming with your diet. In any case, it's a good small step in the foundation of changing yourself. Small steps like this tend to transform into big steps before long.

Perhaps the biggest benefit journaling provides is confidence. With the information and the discipline practiced, small steps become large steps. You not only can start to see the change in the waist line, but you clearly map out the steps you take in getting there. Overcoming obstacles strengthens resolve. And nothing shows you what you did better than writing it down step by step. Journaling is an exercise, when faithfully practiced gives discipline, confidence and information that allows people to change themselves into the shapes they desire. Dieters or anyone for that matter that wants to change themselves find journals useful and encouraging.

Especially in the beginning, I cannot stress how useful it is to journal and record what you are doing. It may seem like such a simple thing, but the habits it encourages do lead to positive changes, provided one is faithful in using it.

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