Weight loss and journaling. How are they connected?Today’s guest post is by Shellie Bowdoin, the blogger behind The FABulous Journey. Shellie has been featured in several of my fashion posts. By looking at her, you would never imagine that she has struggled with her weight.
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I didn’t know that either until she asked me to review her book, Find Your Weigh. In it, she documents her struggle and how she finally said goodbye to “yo-yo” dieting by changing the way she thought about food. Through this process, she discovered the connection between weight loss and journaling. Here’s Shellie’s story:
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Today’s guest post is by Shellie Bowdoin, the blogger behind The FABulous Journey. Shellie has been featured in several of my fashion posts. By looking at her, you would never imagine that she has struggled with her weight. I didn’t know that either until she asked me to review her book, Find Your Weigh. In it, she documents her struggle and how she finally said goodbye to “yo-yo” dieting by changing the way she thought about food. Through this process she discovered the connection between weight loss and journaling. Here’s Shellie’s story:
Weight Loss And Journaling: Discovering Your Thoughts About Food
Another holiday season has come and gone. Now, it’s time to face the inevitable reality…one you knew was coming, but refused to acknowledge until after the New Year. After all, it is a foregone conclusion that you’ve dealt with over and over again every January.
Yikes…the frustration of weight is just so, well frustrating. I have faced my share of frustration over weight and my inability to control it. In fact, as far back as I can remember, weight has been part of my story.
By the time I reached the age of eleven, I was chubby when the rest of my friends were thin. I finally grew out of my chubby stage as a senior in high school. Then, I enjoyed my “weightless” season through my college years and early twenties. However, the weight struggle caught up with me again by my mid-twenties.
The next two decades were marked by the up and down emotional journey of yo-yo dieting. Each new diet attempt would result in a few dropped dress sizes and a feeling of accomplishment. However, my weight would eventually creep up again and I would find myself right back in the same familiar place.
Two years ago, I finally uncovered a way to break the weight-loss/weight gain cycle. Instead of focusing on the symptom of weight, I decided to explore my thoughts, assumptions and expectations about food through journaling.
I decided to record my thoughts along the way through journaling. I wrote about my frustrations and small victories. I noted when I felt the hungriest and I paid special attention to the foods that were the most difficult to resist. Most importantly, I recorded my self-talk; the internal dialogue that bounced around in my head when I was faced with temptation.
Quite frankly, I’ve never been much of a journal writer. But, I was so tired of feeling out of control in my relationship with food. In this instance, journaling made sense, because I often work through situations and struggles by talking them out.
Journaling allowed me to honestly evaluate my feelings on a daily basis by drawing connections between my thoughts before, during and after I ate with my actual eating habits in a given day. Somewhere along the way a light dawned…I was just acting out what I believed about food.
Once I uncovered those situations where I felt helpless, I could then develop new habits to become more mindful about the foods I ate in those situations. I finally felt like I was in control for the first time in my adult life.
After I completed my journey, I wanted to share my experience with others, so they too could find freedom over food. I started writing fitness posts on my blog, The FABulous Journey. Eventually, I decided it would be easier if I compiled everything into one book to walk others through their own journey; one step at a time.
My new book, Find Your Weigh, walks readers through the same process I did to figure out what makes them tick with food. There is no restrictive diet or calorie counting; instead, you’ll figure out ways to make mindful decisions and develop workable habits to eat the foods you enjoy in a balanced way.
From Cathy: I read Find Your Weigh from cover to cover and found it practical and helpful. What I liked the best was the 50-day interactive journal that included Shellie’s own reflections during her weight loss journey. If you are looking for a new way to think about weight loss and your relationship with food, I highly recommend Find Your Weigh.
Link to Purchase Find Your Weigh
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I wish I had the patience to do this but I don’t…. I think it definitely is helpful in resolving the problem for good. But I think, too, that we are overfocused on weight as a society and that many of us who are not significantly overweight obsess about it. And mostly from an appearance standpoint. For me it’s all about health.
Carol, you are so right! I had to come to the place where I could accept my 49 year-old body, rather than striving for a number.
I applaud your commitment and willingness to truly understand what was driving your weight issues. I don’t have a huge problem with weight–it’s those pesky 5 lbs. that creep on and off if I slack off, especially at this age. But I have become aware that I eat when I’m bored or want distraction, and so try to be more mindful (and have healthy snacks at hand).
Sounds like a great book. I always begin the new year by journaling but fall off the wagon. Same as dieting. Right now, with stomach issues being diagnosed (hopefully) my diet has been toast and turkey. I’d love to go back to real food so I can begin eating healthy to feel better. Your book sounds perfect! Wonderful post to start off 2017!
I do the same thing, Cathy. Hope you are feeling better soon!
Great post! I try to journal off and on. I don’t know why I have such a hard time staying with it because I know how powerful it can be. I like the idea of writing about your thoughts of eating. Thank you for posting!
I’m the same way about journaling. Shellie’s book is very real, transparent and relatable. The journaling really worked for her!
As with anything when we write things down we hold ourselves accountable. At least that’s how it is for me. If I write it down- I get it done. If I forget to write it down- it may or may not get done. I honestly wish we could focus on being ourselves and being happy while not being wrapped up in body weight.
I hear ya on that one, Sara!
What an interesting approach to weight loss. I am glad that it works for you.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Shari!
How wonderful to hear that journaling is working for you. It makes complete sense to me. Getting your feelings and frustrations out of your head and down on paper makes it so much easier to deal with. I’m sure this new approach will help others. Best of luck!
Thanks so much, Nancy!
Great post! Mindfulness is such an important key to weight loss!
Writing helps work through so many things
This makes a lot of sense. I find that emotions have a lot to do with how much I eat and the kinds of foods I eat (healthy foods vs. junk food). Journaling would certainly help with controlling emotional eating.
I have heard about journaling about weight gain before but never really knew how to go about. This. Do I just write down what I ate or what. This helps. Thanks for linking up with blogging grandmothers.
Hi Candy,
Instead of writing down the foods that you eat, try thinking back through your day and writing about what you were thinking when you ate different foods during the day. Were you bored or stressed? Did you mentally debate a food choice before giving in? I walk readers through that process in my book.
Hi Cathy and Shellie some great advice here as weight gain can be such a problem especially as we age. I’ve found that we really don’t need to go on fad diets but rather adopt a healthier lifestyle incorporating exercise and making better food choices. Once you journal you really see what you are eating and sometimes it can be a shock.
When I started my health and fitness journey 3 years ago, I kept a food journal where I wrote everything I ate and how I felt about it. It was very helpful! Along with healthy eating and exercise, keeping a food journal was one of the things that helped me lose 50 pounds. It’s been more than a year since I stopped journaling, and I’ve fallen off the wagon many times since. Perhaps I should pick up the habit again.
Hi Fabiola,
It’s something I have had to go back to when I feel myself slipping or allowing old thinking patterns to emerge.
I agree that writing it down is a good approach to keeping ourselves accountable. But with that said, I find it’s a lot easier to do than accomplish. Thank you for partying with us at Blogging Grandmothers Link Party. I shared your post on my social media sites.
I was reading Shelly’s blog from its early days, it is an inspiration, and I am sure her new book will be even more so. Shelly is one beautiful lady inside and out.
Thanks Kath!
Emotional eating really has a lot to do with focusing on mindfulness. We allow ourselves to get distracted and that’s what shifts our focus. This book sounds really helpful for anybody who wants to finally step away from dieting to control in order to weight issues.
You are so right, Ilka! It’s amazing how much we end up eating when we take our minds out of the game.
Cathy, love this idea of approaching weight loss and a healthier lifestyle. I know that when I was younger food was something I avoided when I wanted to lose weight, and in college it was a way of comfort when I was lonely or sad. Yo yo dieting was just the way I lived. I sure hope that this helps others figure out their relationship with food and helps them on their journey! Great post!
Thanks for sharing at Over the Moon Link Up Cathy a great attitude to weight loss.
Shellie wrote a great post and a great book!