Weight loss programs must include -
a Unique Food Log & Evaluation  and/or "Bucks for Tuning In" every time you eat!

Weight loss programs without writing down what you eat and how you feel are not giving you what you  need to understand your eating and sustain weight loss.

There are some questions to answer first.....

• How hungry you are to begin with? 
• What  is your reason to eat?
• Were you eating with distraction or too fast?
• Are you aware of how full you are when you stop?
• What feelings are you left with after you eat?

Most people have NO idea what the answers are to these questions. Many would never even  think of asking them or think  they are an important quick weight loss tip to follow forever. 

Your awareness must be greater about what is going on with you and your eating habits.

Because these questions are  not asked, most people are NOT learning from each eating experience and making permanent changes, they eventually regain all the weight they lost and gain even more!

Not just any journal but the very unique one that is offered here with the right questions and things to learn from it. 

A food log  that  is brief and  that you carry with you during the day to track what is going on when you eat is the best plan.

By checking the  boxes on the log and making brief notes about the food and how you feel before and after you eat will learn so much about habits that might be keeping the weight on. 

Below is an example of what one would look like- it must make you think of all  the questions covered in each column.

There is a better version of this to download and print for easy use if you like.  Do it!  Don't  neglect  this very important part of being able to track what is going on with your eating.

You will learn so much from using a log like the one I designed above.

Using a log like this is a critical part of weight loss programs, most don't ask the right questions!

It will give you endless clues as to why you struggle with weight and eating,  as well as clues as to how  to change how you eat in a lasting way.

Using this food log  will give you insights into why you eat, how you eat, how much you eat or how full you get,  and if the food was a good match for your belly hunger (not mouth/mind hunger- which is always  misleading).  

You just write brief notes about the food, not cups and measures, only so you can remember the food also as a piece of the puzzle. 

I will get into specifics of what to eat and how it affects you on other pages on this  website.

It is probably not what you are expecting either, it is easier than you might expect as well. Yeah!

Why do we need to practice "tuning in"? What does that mean anyway?

I found that in the beginning of learning from behavior that you want to change, you have to learn to practice "Tuning In",   being an observer of your thoughts and behavior with absolute curiosity and fascination, NO judgement.  This is absolute essential when learning how to stop overeating.

You are just gathering information by observing and recording your behavior around food.  Most people do better at this if they use a reminder to do so, something that is easy to use.  I'll show you an example below.

You could create something on your phone like the ones below or simply capture them print them out to carry with you and use them with every eating experience to practice  "tuning in" and learn  from what you discover.

Don't miss even one eating experience, develop the habit of using your eating time to learn about what is going on with how you eat, and what your think and feel with each eating experience.

This is the beginning to learning how to stop overeating.

Cut these out and keep in your wallet with your dollar bills (or where you would keep dollar bills☺) or a pocket and carry a pen with you. 

That is why I call them “bucks” if you cut them out at the right size they should be about the size of a dollar bill, easy to put in your wallet, and there is a huge payback!

Use them all through the day to practice "tuning in" and capturing what is  going on with your eating so you can learn from each experience. 

Remember  to stay fascinated and curious, you are just "tuning in" and gathering information to see what is going one with your eating.

Write thoughts, feelings or notes on the back.

These are training and emotional “bucks” for deposit only in your learning bank account! You can easily see when "tuning in" quickly with each eating experience if you eat with or without hunger frequently by reviewing these.

Remember, NO judgment, you are learning from each eating experience which will eventually change your future behavior and allow weight loss! Don’t miss even one eating experience, it could be the one where you learn the most that will change you forever!

Don't think about it much when you are tuning in and checking the boxes on the the "bucks" that you carry with you.

Just be honest with yourself so you can see what is going on each time you eat.

Here is the example of the buck for tuning in.

A PDF of this tool is available for you to copy and print multiple copies so you can cut them out and carry them with you and practice using "Bucks for Tuning In". Review them at the end of the day or week to see what  is going on with your eating.

Using these reminders for "tuning in" is the first step to help create  new eating behaviors.

It is critical to the change process for most people in the beginning to do this each time you eat!

Also consider the “Other Hungers” list to refer to often.

When you discover from "tuning in" that you are eating  without belly  hunger you can investigate what "other hunger" might be in happening.

A PDF is available just send me an email and tell me you want this, I will send it to you.

These "Other Hungers" can be discovered when you  are using the "Bucks For Tuning In" when you see how often you are wanting to eat or are actually eating without hunger, something else is going on that is not actual belly hunger. 

Stay fascinated and curious, with that type of impersonal observation you begin to differentiate yourself from your behavior. 

You are not what you do!

But until you are tuning in and writing  down what is going on you won't know how often you are eating disconnected from your belly wisdom.

You want to discover what you are doing, and how often you are doing it.

By asking yourself what Other Hungers could be driving your behavior you begin to interrupt the trick of the  ego to eat when your belly is not hungry or to overeat. 

You are bound to repeat the same behavior over and over if you don't start observing what is going on and asking yourself some questions!

This is one of the secrets about why people can't keep their weight off  when they diet.  They don't learn about belly wisdom and  tuning in.

It really is fascinating to find out how many times you are being tricked by your own ego.  Be sure to see ...."The Lies We believe" page in this site as well.