Dover, New Hampshire-The drug companies and the overweight population of Americans are continually looking forward to that magical day, when an effective weight loss pill is developed. That day hasn’t arrived. However, the true secret of effective weight loss already exists: a food diary. According to Sabino San Juan, a weight loss coach based in New Hampshire, his clients are continually amazed at the power of documenting their eating behaviors.
His recommendation is that dieter’s obtain a small, portable ledger, in which he or she records the amounts and the types of food consumed during the course of the day. When the dieter records his food intake, with the corresponding calorie counts, something magical does occur: he takes control of his eating habits. By taking control, he gains the ability to replace fattening eating patterns with healthy, weight-reducing eating habits.
Mr. San Juan finds in his work with the obese, the key challenge they face is their habitual, and mindless eating habits. Importantly, overweight individuals lack a basic understand of their daily calorie consumption and a true awareness of their habitual eating behaviors. Developing an awareness of the target behaviors is the first step in developing the belief that truly do have the power to change.
In simple terms, they can’t change what they don’t know. Most don’t have a clue on the number of calories of everyday food items: the coffee and bagel at the drive through restaurant, the bag of candy from the convenience store, a small piece of pie from the break room, etc.
To successfully use a food diary, dieters must use measuring cups, and measure everything they eat or drink. They need to record everything, in a ledger, an index card, notebook or electronic note taker. Finally, they can get calorie counts and the day’s calorie total using a food calorie reference book or from an online site. Mr. San Juan recommends Sparkpeople.com, fitday.com and caloriecount.about.com for his clients.
For most of his adulthood, Mr. San Juan carried an extra 30 to 40 pounds of unnecessary weight. On several occasions, he had taken off 20 pounds or more. But like the tide, the weight always came back up. In using a food diary, he was able to identify his fattening eating habits and make the necessary changes. The results were dramatic: he successfully lost over 50 pounds, going from a high of 231 pounds to 178 pounds, in just four months. He never skipped a meal.
His recommendation is too forget about the “magic pills.” Instead, begin with a plan that has worked for his clients: start documenting what you eat, work towards replacing the fattening eating habits with healthy ones, and eliminate mindless eating from your daily routine. For further information on weight loss coaching, visit his site: www.waistlinewatch.com
Interview Contact:
Sabino San Juan M.ED.
Weight Loss Coach
119 Durham Road
Dover, NH 03820
Phone 603-534-3262
Fax 1-866-514-1869
http://www.waistlinewatch.com
coachbeano@ymail.com
