Diabetes Tips for Self-Monitoring Your Weight and Food Intake

Do you know exactly what you have eaten in the last 24 hours? Or do you know your weight from week to week, month to month, or even year to year? How many steps did you take yesterday or walk the day before?  While it is pretty easy to eat and forget, this is not the case when you are practicing self-transparency and monitoring your weight, food intake and even your movement.

Self-monitoring is easy and will help you achieve your weight and healthy lifestyle goals. By definition, self-monitoring is the practice of watching and recording your thoughts and actions. The purpose is to use this information to formulate, follow or realign your health goals.

Self-monitoring uses a few tools such as diet journals/logs, regular weigh-ins and measurements and even pedometers.  The key is to be honest and observant about what you are eating, how much you are moving and even how you are feeling.

Benefits of self-monitoring

Here are a few reasons why self-monitoring should be part of your health journey:

• You will eat less. Research has demonstrated that when people record what they eat, they eat less.
• You will exercise more and even enjoy it more.[1]
• You will see immediate results. Daily self-monitoring positively impacts health realted results, such as losing weight.
• You will know what works. Daily food and exercise tracking, along with weight and measurement, can keep you motivated with what works best. Then you can use this information to create a lifestyle schedule that works for you.
• Your goals can seem manageable. Self-monitoring is an excellent way to break big goals into smaller and realistic pieces.
• You can be flexible. Consistent food and exercise records reflect your efforts. This allows flexibility on special occassions or days off.
• You can see how your choices impact your plan. Evaluation tools such as weight and measurements help you combine optimal results with your endeavors.
• You will avoid plateaus. Many times people have great success with their weight only to find themselves on a plateau. If you record everything with 100% honesty, you can see what works and what doesn’t work.

Self-monitoring tools that work

Now that you know the benefits, how exactly does self-monitoring work? Here are some very useful and practical tools that will provide you with valuable data to keep you heading the right direction.

Food/exercise diary 

The foundation of any self-monitoring program begins with a food diary. By logging what you eat and your activity on a given day, it provides insight into what works best for you. If you are tracking things like calories, steps, etc., do your best to include these. If you have diabetes, then track carbohydrate consumption rather than calories.

It is also helpful to note time of day and a few sentences about how you feel about an hour after eating or exercising. Consistency with your predetermined parameters will ensure you glean the best information possible to reach your health goals.

Top rated food and exercise diaries:

There are numerous ways to keep track of your food intake and fitness the old fashioned way. Here are two journals that will help you meet your goals.

The BookFactory® Food Journal / Food Diary / Diet Journal Notebook

This inexpensive food journal allows you to keep track of important things like water consumption, daily calories, carbohydrates, fats and proteins. This book lays flat for easy recording and has room for up to five meals as day.

BookFactory® Exercise Journal / Mini Exercise Diary / Fitness Notebook / Exercise Log Book

Keep track of your activity in this portable journal that allows you to record your cardio, strength, daily goals and even some nutrition notes. With 60 pages, this little notebook is easy to slip into your gym bag and durable enough to take a beating.

Scale

Whether you like what you see or not, stepping on a reliable scale once a week may be just the thing to help you stay motivated and even encouraged. Keep in mind that the scale is not your enemy, but rather a way to keep you informed. When you combine your food and activity log with your weight records, you can get a good picture of what is working and what is possibly getting in the way of your success.  For best results, use the same scale each week (a reliable one) and be sure to weigh yourself at the same time each week.

Here are two scales that are both accurate and affordable:

Eatsmart Precision Plus Digital Bathroom Scale

Although this scale only costs $32.95 it scores big with over 12,000 positive reviews on Amazon. This scale offers instant readings, a large lit display, precision g sensors in .2 lb increments up to 440 pounds. The platform is durable and large and there is an auto-calibrate feature and an auto shut off.

EatSmart Precision GetFit Digital Body Fat Scale

This scale measures not only body weight but also % body fat, % body water, % muscle mass and bone mass. Another nice feature of this scale is that it can store data for up to 8 users. These features make it well worth its $44.95 price tag.

Pedometer

Pedometers provide an accurate way to keep track of your daily steps. These little devices are well worth the money you will spend, which can average between $15 – $75.

Although most people get about 3,000 steps per day, 6,000 steps are recommended to maintain your health. If your objective is weight loss, then walk at least 10,000 steps. Walking is a very low-risk, safe and inexpensive way to stay in shape. Keeping track of your steps will show you just how effective it is.

Here are two popular pedometer tools to choose from:

Fitbit One Wireless Activity Plus Sleep Tracker

This top of the line fitness tool does a lot more than count your steps. You can monitor calories burned and stairs climbed. In addition, you can access data about how long and well you sleep, set your fitness goals and earn motivational badges to help you do your best. Sync your stats wirelessly on your computer or on over 150 smartphones.

Yamax Power Walker EX-510

The Yamax is an affordable tool that claims to be 98-99% accurate. You can track your steps, distance, stride, calories and fat burned using this low-cost pedometer. Other features include a 30-day memory and a clock.

Accelerometer

If you want to take your tracking to a new level, consider an accelerometer. This device measures frequency, duration and intensity of physical activity. You can find these in a wide variety of prices from $50 to $1,000.

Apps

Technology can be an excellent thing when it comes to self-monitoring. If you prefer to use an app on your smartphone to keep track of your diet and exercise, there are plenty to choose from. What makes mobile apps so great is that they are always with you making it easy to keep track. Here are two top performers:

Lose It!

This little app is fabulous at helping you set your goals for weight loss and exercise. It even helps you track your blood pressure, sleep and more. This powerful program allows you to count calories, share favorite meals with friends and even scan food items using your camera and bar codes. One of the best features of this app is the ability it has for you to connect to accountability partners. Who doesn’t need a little motivation from time to time. Keeping track of your exercise and setting personal challenges is also included.

While the free version does plenty, the premium for just $39.99/year is loaded with awesome features such as informative content and tools to manage conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.

MyPlate – by Livestrong

Some call this food, fitness, and overall health tracker one of the best free programs available. You can customize your weight loss and fitness goals, store your favorite food items and recipes, count not only calories, but also micronutrients and find nutrition facts. You can access even more free tools at livestrong.comsuch as meal plans, free workout videos and the latest in health and wellness.

For just $29/year you can become a gold member. With this membership, you will have advanced statistics tools, a private community board, a clean eating guide with recipes and tips, priority customer support and more

It counts to pay attention

If you are serious about your health, it will serve you well to be serious about self-monitoring. Although it is unclear as to what extent of self-monitoring is best for optimal performance and compliance with healthy lifestyle plan, it is evident that there are many benefits to becoming more aware.[2]

 

 

 

Sources:
[1]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3000900/
[2]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3268700/