Journaling

Week one... Done!  Can I even express how proud I am of myself for giving 100% this week?  I've attempted to do Body for Life at least 5 times before, and I've never made it more than 3 or 4 days without cheating.  I am SO proud that I didn't cheat this week.  I followed the program to a TEE.  I even opted for 1 cheat meal and 1 cheat dessert instead of an entire free day. The last time I did BFL I found myself discouraged after the free day--and too much indulgence led me to more indulgence.  It just didn't work for me to have a whole free day.

One thing I'm doing differently this time is that I'm journaling.  I've always kept a food log, doing Weight Watchers for years has ingrained that in me.  It's been proven over and over that people who lose weight and keep it off write down what they're eating in one form or another.  I'm doing more than just tracking this time though.  I have the official Body for Life Success Journal and I really like how it's working.  

Every night I take about 10 minutes to review my day.

 I write down 5 things I can do in the next 24 hours to help me on the way to my 12-week goals and 2 things I can do to support and encourage others.  Then I cover 3 things I did great that day and 1 thing I can do better tomorrow.

  I plan my meals for the next day.

And finally, I plan my workout.  (This will take less and less time as the days go by).

I also take a minute or two to review my 12-week goals (to be shared in a later post!) and to remember why I'm working so hard for this. 

I find that this few minutes of thought and writing at the end of the day is making all the difference!  The funny thing is that I've had this journal for at least 5 years.  I actually got it at a Goodwill store for 4 bucks.  Every other time I've started the challenge, I've opted to make copies instead of writing directly in the book--I think subconsciously it was a way out for me--I didn't believe that I would make it all the way through the challenge and I didn't want to waste the book by starting and stopping.

It's definitely working--taking the time each day to plan for the next day is really helping me to stay on top of things.  Losing 5.7 lbs this week and feeling great isn't hurting either!  So far, so good on Body for Life!