Cinch
® Inspiration Tip: The Importance of Self Monitoring
Self monitoring by keeping daily food and activity records is critical to changing eating and
exercise habits. Keeping a daily record gives you an increased awareness of your personal habits
so that you can identify problems that need to be addressed as well as see what great progress
you’re making in improving the way you eat and how active you’re becoming.
Here are some tips on starting and maintaining a daily food and activity journal.
Track several different types of information in your food and activity journals. For example, in
addition to writing down what you’re eating and how much, consider tracking the following:
1.
Time of Day – record the time of day you start and stop eating.
2.
Place – record the eating place (i.e. kitchen, office, car, restaurant)
3.
With Whom – record who you ate with (i.e. family member, friend, co-worker)
4.
Your Mood – record how you were feeling at the time (i.e. happy, sad, bored, tired,
stressed)
5.
Hunger/Fullness Level – rate your level of hunger on a scale of 1 to 5 before eating and
after you stop eating (1 being extremely hunger to 5 being full).
6.
Associated Activity – record what you were doing while you were eating (i.e. watching
T.V., on the computer, driving, nothing)
When it comes to physical activity tracking, time of day, type of activity and how you felt during
and after your activity can be helpful.
If you prefer a more “high tech” way of self monitoring, consider using an online support tool like
Cinchwellness.com. Cinchwellness.com not only has a food and activity tracking tool, but a whole
host of features to help you reach your weight loss goals.
Remember, food and activity journals are for your personal use. No one else has to see them; no
one else will judge them. Their primary purpose is to help you focus on why or why not, when and
how much you eat and exercise.
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