WEIGHT LOSS JOURNALS AND VISUAL CUES

Step 1: Visual images can help you reach your weight loss goals and can be powerful tools in helping you reach your goals. There are lots of creative ways to use this motivation technique, such as posting an image of your goal where you’ll see it most—in your car, on a bathroom mirror, on the back of your cell phone, or on the refrigerator.

You can use visual images of your goals or you can use words, thoughts and feelings. Ideally you can use all of these elements to unleash the most powerful potential of imagery. Scientific studies show that the more senses you add to your imagery, the more powerful the results will be. The reason these techniques are so powerful is that they tap into both the left and right parts of your brain. For people who have trouble seeing things with their eyes closed, just use all the other senses to imagine what you want to create.

Visualize your goals as you work toward achieving them each day. Using visual techniques will help relax your mind, boost your self-esteem and draw you toward your goal faster.

Step 2: Write your goals into a calendar. Part of the reason people don't achieve their goals is their inability to put time and effort into achieving them. Hang the calendar near your desk in your home office or in a location where you can easily see the calendar and mark off milestones as you accomplish them.

Keep track of accomplishments each week. Reward yourself for sticking to goals each week. Decide upon a reward system that works for you. Reward yourself for each goal marked off or for each five marked off. You get to choose. Soon you will enjoy the feeling of simply marking off accomplished tasks.

These are good ways to constantly remind yourself of the commitment you’ve made. Studies show that people who keep food journals and use visual cues lose more weight and keep more of that weight off in the long run. The National Weight Control Registry–an ongoing research project tracking more than 3,000 people who’ve lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off for five years–found that using these tips is the one strategy used by the majority of successful dieters. In fact, in a study of 1,685 dieters conducted by a health insurance company, the best predictor of weight loss throughout the first year was the number of food records kept per week. Another study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that dieters who tracked their food intake in a "food diary" lost twice as much weight as those who didn't track their food.