The weight loss journey is by no doubt a tough one, filled with many a bump in the road and lessons learned about yourself and those closest to you. It can be easy to slip into a negative mind frame during the process, which (based on my personal experience) just leads to self-sabotaging down the road.

Since it is the first day of the new year, I encourage all of you to embrace this journey not simply as a short time-frame established until you lose X amount of weight, but rather as a life-long decision to engage in an overall healthy lifestyle. One trick I have for making weight loss more positive is in the journaling. Most clients confess to me that they hate food journaling. While journaling may not be fun, I remind them that it is one of the best ways to stay accountable with what you are consuming. There are also other factors to journal that are just as important as the food that can help make weight loss more positive. I recommend adding a ‘notes’ section to the bottom of your journal pages, because the psychological aspect to weight loss is just as important as the food and exercise are.

In this ‘notes’ section please write down one (if not more) positive thing that you did that day towards a healthier lifestyle. It may be adding on ten more minutes to your normal work out, drinking an extra glass of water, trying out a new vegetable, avoiding the candy aisle at the grocery store, etc. Be proud of that healthy decision and use it to motivate you to continue on this journey and be okay with the occasional slip up. Remember, the weight loss journey is similar to a road trip vacation – with up and down roads, occasional speed bumps and plateaus – but, like a vacation, it is not a race. Enjoy the new experiences, trying new nutritious food items, exercises, and learning a whole lot about yourself. I bet that you will find you have more feel good days than not! Here’s to 2011, let it be the start of your new healthy lifestyle!

Jessica Hummel, Nutrition Counselor