Losing weight is the first part of your journey to health. But it doesn’t stop there. Keeping the weight off is as important, if not more important, than the initial weight loss. There are many strategies and protocols that Renew uses to help their patients keep off the weight. One strategy that seems to have a high success rate is to have patients continue their food journal-ling well beyond their initial weight loss cycle.
Live Science recently published a report consistent with our experiences. In an article entitled “To Keep the Weight Off Keep Tracking Your Diet” the authors report findings that associate regaining weight with the cessation of food tracking. As a result, they recommend that those who lose weight make a commitment to track their food intake for at least 4 months after their diet cycle. They should also make a renewed focus at the four month mark to consider their dietary intake and to make changes as necessary.
“The effects of food tracking, or “dietary self-monitoring,” on weight loss have been well-studied, and the technique is a key component of what researchers call the “standard behavioral treatment” for people who want to lose weight and keep it off, Ma told Live Science. This type of treatment is the most effective non-medical approach to weight loss, according to the study.”
It should be no surprise that the large majority of people who regained weight after a dramatic weight loss failed to keep track of their diet by maintaining their food journal.