Journaling: How To Pen Your Way To Success
Hey Babe,
It is scary how much of our eating just happens on autopilot. Have you ever found yourself halfway through a bag of popcorn or mindlessly finishing your kiddo’s dinner without even realizing?!
But if you want to lose weight for the last time, you have to get super conscious. What I’ve noticed helping all of the Yum Mums in my 4 weeks to 40 challenge is writing that sh*t down!
This has helped me so much in my own journey, that I literally do not allow myself to get out of bed until I’ve put pen to paper! Today I want to share the powers of journaling with you too and guide you through how to do it effectively. Ready to lose weight the write way? Let’s freaking go!
Why should I journal in the first place?
Of course I could just give you a diet or plan to go and follow, but haven’t you already tried that?
Without the journaling piece, it just doesn't work long term.
It is so important to journal every single day because if you don’t, you will literally forget that you are trying to lose weight. We live our lives on autopilot so much that we can end up mindlessly eating a bag of chips without really even intentionally choosing to do so. You get to the bottom and you’re like “what the hell just happened?!”.
If we really want to lose weight for the last time, we have to get super conscious.
How?
By brushing our brain every single day and writing sh*t down (for 5 mins max btw!).
The great thing is that you don't even have to stay super conscious because once you actually change a habit at the root cause, you can go unconscious again.
So if your automatic default is eating the bag of chips as though it’s just happening to you, you will need to get conscious by writing things down. Eventually, you will be able to go unconscious and not eat the bag of chips. You only have to be super conscious about it for a certain period of time, and then you can go unconscious. That is the beauty of habit change!
But even when you are able to go unconscious and not eat the bag of chips, I still recommend journaling. Treat it like a teeth brushing practice. You would never just stop brushing your teeth because you don't have cavities. You're going to be journaling for the rest of your life, every single day. This should be a relief rather than a big disappointment.
This is really not a bad trade off if you think about it. All you have to do is journal 2-5 minutes a day and you can lose weight for the last time. We’re not asking you to eat 800 calories a day or do any of the other crazy sh*t you’ve tried in the past.
Your brain loves familiarity and continuing to do what it’s used to. Unless you switch things up, it will keep operating from that place of familiarity, and this is where journaling can help.
Do I have to do it every day?
It’s so important to commit to this every day because it becomes your accountability bestie that has your back and loves you unconditionally. If you're on cruise control, where you're losing weight and it feels easy, but suddenly notice you’ve packed 5 pounds on…you probably haven’t been journaling every day.
You will catch things like this so much quicker when you're journaling every day. You won't be able to get away with 5 or 10 pounds. It’s exactly the same as when you catch a cavity before you have a tooth falling out of your face.
If you don’t journal, something should start to feel a bit “off”, just like when you haven't brushed your teeth and they feel a bit fuzzy. But remember that the result of losing weight for the last time is just as important as not having your teeth fall out of your face.
What if I don't like journaling?
If you’re triggered by the word “journaling”, call it something else. That could be “writing sh*t down”, or “writing texts to your future self” in the same way you write texts to your bestie.
Focus on the trade off. You can do something you don't like for 3 minutes a day and lose weight for the last time. Are you in or are you out? But I don’t recommend going through life doing things you don’t like when you have the opportunity to like them. It’s just like me and doing the dishes - if you can’t get out of it, get into it baby!
Play ‘don’t break the chain’. Check a box every time you do your journaling. Give yourself that dopamine hit by getting the check!
What if I forget to journal?
Sometimes we can forget to eat ‘on plan’ accidentally, in the same way we can forget to journal too. But there are plenty of tools inside your brain that will help you remember to do it!
Try habit stacking. Pair journaling with another daily habit like making your morning coffee. Could you do it while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil?
Steal my rule: No getting out of bed until I journal (You can replace ‘getting out of bed’ with other activities like having your first sip of coffee or having your shower)
Set alarms and put it in your G-Cal. It is just as important as anything else on there for the day!
And don’t forget to have a back up plan in place just in case it slips your mind.
I have an alarm set every day at 10 am in case I didn't journal because of an emergency. I have another one for 9pm so that I can make sure my journal is by my bed ready for the morning.
Sometimes you will feel tired and like you just cannot be assed to do it. Too bad. Get your pen out and write sh*t down. It's 3 minutes!
(Plus, you'd still brush your teeth wouldn’t you?)
What do I journal?
Every single day try writing down these 7 things:
Who = Write down an “I am …” statement.
(E.g. I am capable, I am loved, I am confident, I am a badass) - fill in the blank for what makes you feel connected to your future self.
What = What did you weigh today and what is your goal for this week, month, and year?
Where = Where are you journaling from today?
When = When are you journaling today?
Why = Write down your ravenous reason, aka your compelling reason for losing weight for the last time. Don’t forget that this has to be more powerful than the temptation of the cupcake at 5pm.
E.g. “I want to lose weight for the last time because I want to be an example for my daughter.”
Or “I want to feel at home in my body.”
This “why” has to light you the eff up!!
How - Write down what your overall plan is to achieve your goal. (E.g. no sugar/ flour, must be seated when eating, intermittent fasting etc.)
I personally also write what I’m going to eat that day. This makes it so easy and gets in front of decision fatigue.
Cherry on top - This is where you write from your future hype girl self.
“You got this Laura, your body is a well oiled machine that's so amazing at releasing fat. Let's have some freaking fun!”
By harnessing the power of journaling, you'll gain valuable insights into your eating habits, track your progress, and cultivate a more mindful and purposeful approach to weight loss. Embrace the power of the pen and unlock the potential within yourself to achieve your weight loss goals!
Don’t forget, if you haven’t signed up to the 4 weeks til 40 challenge yet, it’s not too late!
Do it here now!
All you have to do is print out or simply view your workbook and get the eff going baby!
There’s still plenty of time to create the body, health and vibrancy you want for summer and beyond.
Have the best week ever,
Laura