Cinch® Inspiration Tip: The Importance of Self Monitoring by Dr. Jamie McManus

Hello Family & Friends!

Self monitoring by keeping daily food and activity records is critical to changing eating and exercise habits. Keeping a daily record gives you an increased awareness of your personal habits so that you can identify problems that need to be addressed as well as see what great progress you’re making in improving the way you eat and how active you’re becoming.

Here are some tips on starting and maintaining a daily food and activity journal.

Track several different types of information in your food and activity journals. For example, in addition to writing down what you’re eating and how much, consider tracking the following: 

1. Time of Day – record the time of day you start and stop eating.
2. Place – record the eating place (i.e. kitchen, office, car, restaurant)
3. With Whom – record who you ate with (i.e. family member, friend, co-worker)
4. Your Mood – record how you were feeling at the time  (i.e. happy, sad, bored, tired, stressed)
5. Hunger/Fullness Level – rate your level of hunger on a scale of 1 to 5 before eating and after you stop eating (1 being extremely hunger to 5 being full).
6. Associated Activity – record what you were doing while you were eating (i.e. watching T.V., on the computer, driving, nothing)

When it comes to physical activity tracking, time of day, type of activity and how you felt during and after your activity can be helpful.

If you prefer a more “high tech” way of self monitoring, consider using an online support tool like Cinchwellness.com. Cinchwellness.com not only has a food and activity tracking tool, but a whole host of features to help you reach your weight loss goals.

For a full view of the Cinchwellness.com site, check out the webinar tour.

Remember, food and activity journals are for your personal use. No one else has to see them; no one else will judge them. Their primary purpose is to help you focus on why or why not, when and how much you eat and exercise.

Be active, be well!

Dr. Jamie McManus MD
Chair, Medical Affairs, Health Sciences & Education

P.S.  Join us on Mondays at 7 pm in the Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern Time Zones for a Cinch Inspiration Call, followed by a Dream Call, by dialing 1-512-225-3211 | 951025#. Calls are all archived for one week at: 1.512.703.6147.