My boss always tells me that the first step to a solution is to identify the problems...
...and the second step is to find a solution.
I guess the same philosophy can be applied to weight loss. Before you attempt to lose weight, it is a good idea to seek to understand what triggers you to gain weight in the first place.
As we're all unique human beings with different makeup and temperament, not all conditions affect everyone alike. Put another way, a condition that triggers eating for one person might not trigger another person to eat. For example, a person might resort to eating whenever he/she is stressed up but that may not be true for another person. On the other hand, this second person might reward himself/herself with ice cream whenever he/she achieves something while the first person may reward himself with a massage.
So, in order for each of us to identify the conditions that trigger weight gain on an individual basis, one simple and effective way is to record everything about your eating habits. You could record things like:
1) type of food/drinks taken
2) how much quantity
3) how was the food prepared - grilled or fried?
4) what time did you eat?
5) what's the place you eat at? Home or office?
6) Was there any occasion and what was it?
7) How was your mood and temperament?
8) Were you feeling too hungry or not at all?
Simply carry a little notebook in your bag or pocket or you could use your portable digital assistant (PDA) and record the above items each time you eat and drink. Do not skip any smallest item, even if you drink a cup of coffee.
Do your recording fervently for at three days (or longer like a week or two if it's convenient) so that you can discover what's triggering that extra snack, cookie, chocolate or chips. With the data collected, you can easily identify your pattern of eating like how many times you eat per day, how much, and were you really hungry or you're only responding to a mood more than physical hunger.
Armed with the information about your eating habits, you can now plan your new eating pattern so that you can better achieve your weight loss goals. For example, if you find that you're eating an extra meal because you're feeling hungry between the main meals, you could plan a snack in between. Or perhaps you realize that your eating too late at night or drinking too many coffees, you could simply adjust accordingly.
Based on the data you collected, you could even go a step further by estimating the average number of calories per day you consume. This will help you to formulate a weight loss plan to achieve your slimming goals.
Once you start taking responsibility for your weight, you'll begin shedding those unwanted pounds.
