Checking in and self-monitoring is a huge part of the journey to better health, be it checking in with our goals for weight loss, or our overall physical and mental health. Studies have shown that continued self monitoring can be a key component of successful weight loss and maintenance, as it can help keep us accountable and on track to our goals (1,2).
Pick a time of the day, or day of the week to acknowledge all the great work you’ve been doing so far with your healthy habits, as well as reflecting on the habits that haven’t quite stuck.
Use this reflection and check-in time to focus on the areas you feel you could make improvements on, and set some new goals or habits around these. It’s also a good time to get back on track with some of the healthy habits that might have been pushed to the side.
Remember, it’s not about being ‘on or off the bandwagon’, or having an ‘all or nothing’ mentality, just a consistent effort to make healthier decisions.
1) Butryn, M. L., Phelan, S. , Hill, J. O. and Wing, R. R. (2007), Consistent Self‐monitoring of Weight: A Key Component of Successful Weight Loss Maintenance. Obesity, 15: 3091–3096. doi:10.1038/oby.2007.368
2) Raymond C. Baker, Daniel S. Kirschenbaum (1993), Self-monitoring may be necessary for successful weight control, Behavior Therapy, Volume 24, Issue 3, Pages 377–394, ISSN 0005–789,doi: 10.1016/S0005–7894(05)80212–6.
