The Best Weight Loss Journal Ideas In 2020 (+Free Printable Weight Loss Tracker)
The Best Weight Loss Journal Ideas In 2020 (+Free Printable Weight Loss Tracker)
If you’re serious about your weight loss goals, tracking a few simple statistics can take your physique to the next level.
If you feel you always lose some weight but can never break through a plateau, this article might just fix your problem once and for all.
And the solution is definitely NOT what you expected:
A weight loss journal and tracker.
I know, I didn’t think this stuff could make a difference either.
I mean, why would I need to maintain a record of what I’m doing?
I felt like I knew what needed to be done to help me achieve my weight loss goals and all this extra stuff was just fluff.
When I first heard about maintaining a weight log or a weekly tracker, I thought it was just another gimmick.
It was only when I wasn’t able to break through a weight barrier that I thought I would give this a shot.
I had nothing to lose.
And to my surprise, I was shocked when I put it into practice.
It actually made a difference!
Don’t get me wrong, results still depend on putting in the work in the nutrition and training department.
But there is just something about tracking data that makes it so powerful for both - adherence and accountability.
Ever since then, I’ve been a big believer in tracking data, whether it’s just as simple as having a weight log, or as in-depth as having a full-fledged bullet journal or smash book dedicated to your weight loss journey.
By the time you reach the end of this article, I hope I can convince at least a few of you to give this a shot.
All you need is a pen and some paper (Old school but it works!).
Let’s begin.
How Can A Weight Loss Journal Help?
Before we go any further, let’s take a step back and have a look at a few key steps in successful goal setting;
1. Come up with a goal.
2. Write down your goal.
3. Have an action plan.
4. Consistently adhere to the plan without losing motivation.
While these steps are pretty general, they still work with our fitness goals.
Let me give you a quick example of how this really works!
Step 1: Goal is weight loss.
Get to “x” kgs in the next “x” weeks.
Step 2: Write down goal weight.
Step 3: Action plan to lose weight.
Eat in a calorie deficit and focus on progressive training.
Step 4: Consistently adhere to the plan without losing motivation.
You see, most of us often end up skipping Steps 2 and 4 altogether.
Just look at the people closest to you and I’m sure you’ll find at least one person who has started a fitness plan but just stopped midway.
If you don’t believe me, just hop on to fitness forums and you’ll find an ocean of people who fail to reach their weight loss goals.
If people actually had a fixed goal and they consistently adhered to the plan they set, there is no way there would be such a high failure rate with weight loss transformations.
So the question is how can we fix this?
This is where the weight loss journal comes into play.
Have a weight loss journal can help you collect data which, in turn, helps you improve your adherence while keeping you accountable at the same time.
It essentially fixes the very problems we spoke about by allowing you to write down your goal weight, track your habits, log your results, and continue doing this day after day till you reach your goal.
Okay, but you might already know about this.
This isn’t what really impressed me.
What actually did was the fact that maintaining simple data can allow you to see patterns and be in total control of the process.
This means that it not only allows you to execute the plan, but it also allows you to alter it to make even faster progress with the data available.
For example, most people think that they can’t lose weight because of bad genetics or because their hormonal profile isn’t optimized to do so.
Funny enough, put these same people in a calorie deficit and they’ll be dropping fat in no time.
By tracking data in your journal, you can see when things stop working and when you need to make changes.
You can spend all your time finding the perfect calorie calculator online, but the cold truth is that optimizing fat loss comes down to understanding your body.
Once you have a record of the key variables that are needed to get you in the best shape of your life, you can make adjustments as and when necessary
Lastly, having a journal or tracker can also help you stay motivated.
We all start out with excitement in the first week of your weight loss plan.
But as the weeks go by, we forget why we started.
Suddenly, the thought of pizzas and donuts feels a lot more satisfying than achieving our weight loss goal.
Keep the goal if your mind for a few days and you’ll find yourself in a downward spiral of cheat meals which turn in cheat days.
By maintaining a journal, you input data every day which reminds you of your goal and helps you stay on track.
This small change is powerful enough to make all the difference.
How To Make A Weight Loss Journal?
The best part about making a weight loss journal is the fact that there are absolutely no rules!
You are free to create what you like as long as you are tracking a few essential pieces of data.
It can be as simple as using a sheet of paper with a pen to log down your weight or you can maintain a diary with layouts and trackers.
(Check out the free printable weight loss tracker set I’ve created below for an idea!)
Here is a list of the key things you should add when you make a weight loss journal.
1. Goals
Your journal should include your goal.
If you like, you can further split it up as micro-goals.
For example, setting up weekly or monthly goals instead of just a single yearly goal can work much better in most cases.
But again, you are completely free to individualize this as long as you have your goals written.
2. Weight Log
One of the key pieces of data you need to make your weight loss journal is your weight log.
This means you need to weigh yourself under a similar condition every day.
Since scale weight tends to fluctuate because of a lot of various factors, recording daily weight readings can help you calculate weekly averages and base your progress off those.
They smoothen out the spikes in your weight and are better for a week-to-week comparison!
3. Measurements
The next piece of information you should track is your measurements.
These don’t need to be taken every day and can be taken at intervals such as the 4th, 8th or 12th-week mark.
This is simply because measurements don’t tend to fluctuate as much as your weight.
A few key areas to measure are:
Waist
Hips
Chest
Shoulders
Arms
Feel free to track any additional areas (Remember, there are no rules!).
4. Exercise
The next key variable is tracking your exercise.
This includes your resistance training workouts and your cardio.
If you’re just starting out, you can aim to hit a set number of weekly workouts and cardio sessions/step goals.
If you’re not a beginner and want the faster progress, I recommend having a more in-depth section where you also track your sets and reps which can help you ensure you are progressively overloading your training over time.
5. Nutrition
A weight loss journal is not complete with nutrition tracking.
The simplest form of doing this would be to record your total daily calorie intake.
If you prefer having more data, you can create a food log and write down what you eat on a daily basis.
6. Healthy Habits
The last essential piece of information in your weight loss journal should be your healthy habits.
This can be hydration, sleep and whatever else you know you should be taking care of.
The simplest way to set this up would be by using a habit tracker template.
(Psst, if all this is complicated, download the free printable tracker set linked below and get started!)
Ideas And Inspiration For Your Weight Loss Journal Smash Book
Once you have the essentials in place, you can go further and add in more pages to your journal.
These are necessary and you aren’t limited to just this list.
Personalization is the name of the game and these are just a few more ideas to inspire you to create your weight loss journal.
1. Track Macronutrients
Why stop at calories?
Try recording your macronutrient data.
Recording protein intake along with calories can allow you to make sure you are dieting in a sustainable manner and preventing any unwanted loss of lean tissue.
2. Track Meal Timing
Tracking the time you eat your meals can be a valuable resource to help you understand what style of dieting could work best for you.
This data can allow you to understand whether a protocol like Intermittent Fasting can be a suitable addition to your lifestyle.
3. Track Your Hunger
Tracking hunger along with your food log can help you understand what foods help you feel fuller.
Once you find out what these foods are for you, you can incorporate them into your diet and lean down effortlessly.
4. Track Your Mood
Mood trackers are a very popular positive psychology technique and can be beneficial in helping you understand how your mood changes.
While this might not seem important at first, it can allow you to improve your mental health, which not only improves your weight loss plan but your overall quality of life.
This might seem overwhelming, but you just need to start and it all falls into place.
It is a lot less complicated than it seems.
To get started, grab a copy of the free Weight Loss Tracker Set I’ve created below!
Free Weight Loss Journal Printable Template
What This Template Includes?
While creating this template, I focused on including the trackers which I have found to be the most beneficial personally.
They include a tracker to record all the key pieces of data mentioned above.
This template uses a 4 week period with no set day labels as I’ve found that it helps avoid the trap of “I’ll start after the weekend” or “I’ll start next month”.
You can start using this tracker right away and repeat the process every 4 weeks till you reach your goal or want to migrate to your own template.
Here’s what it includes:
Before And After Measurement Log
Weight Log
Adherence Log
Weekly Nutrition And Exercise Tracker
Goal And Habit Tracker
How To Use The Printable Weight Loss Tracker Set?
Before And After
Fill in the left side of Before And After tracker while starting at Week 1.
Fill in the right side of the Before And After tracker at the end of Week 4.
Weight Log
Fill in your weight every day from the start of Week 1 to the end of Week 4 in the Weight Log tracker.
Adherence Log
Each Pie Chart in the Adherence Log tracker indicates a single week.
Each Pie in a Pie Chart indicates a single day.
For every day successfully executed, color in a Pie in the Pie Chart.
Alternatively, you can use different colors to indicate whether or not you stuck to the plan.
Example: Green if you executed and red if you didn’t.
Weekly Tracker
Print 4 copies of this page as one page of the Weekly Tracker denotes 1 Week.
Fill in your daily calorie intake under Calories in the Weekly Tracker.
Fill in the muscle groups you trained under Training in the Weekly Tracker.
Fill in the amount of cardio you performed (in minutes) or your step count (if you don’t perform cardio) under Cardio in the Weekly Tracker.
Take addition notes, if any, in the space provided below.
Habit Tracker
The Habit Tracker is split into two main parts.
On the left side, write down the name of the habit(s) you will be tracking.
The right side has been divided into 28 small rectangles, indicating 1 day each from the start of Week 1 till the end of Week 4.
For every day you accomplish the habit, color in a single box.
Alternatively, you can use different colors to indicate whether or not you accomplished your habits.
Example: Green if you accomplished and red if you didn’t.
Grab Your Copy Of The Printable Weight Loss Tracker Below
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of this post.
I hope this post provides you with some motivation, inspiration, and ideas to create your own weight loss bullet journal or weight loss journal smash book in the future.
Until then, download the free copy of the Printable Weight Loss Tracker Set and get started with your transformation.
Track the data and consistently execute your plan.
Achieving your goals has never been easier.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop them down below!
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