How to Plan a Daily Weight Loss Calendar

How to lose weight is not a mystery. It is a simple combination of balancing calories. You must balance the calories you consume with the calories you expend. If you are trying to lose weight, then consume fewer calories than you expend. Eat healthier and become more physically active. A daily weight loss calendar is a great way to help you monitor this.

Things You'll Need

• Spiral notebook
• Pen or pencil
• Calorie counter (purchase a book or use an online tool)
• Highlighter

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Instructions

• 1

  A simple spiral notebook can be a great diet tool.

  Prepare your notebook. Use the inside cover to track your weight. Use the pages for daily logging. Date the first page of your spiral notebook with today's date. Draw a line down the center of the page to divide it in half.

• 2

  Walking the dog counts toward your physical activity goals.

  Label one column "Physical Activity." On this side, log everything physical you do in a day along with the duration of the activity. Include workouts, such as walking 45 minutes. Include other activities which include expending calories. For example, if it was chore day and you spent two hours doing housework, note this as well.

• 3

  Amounts are very important when logging your food intake.

  Label the other column "Food." On this side, log everything you put into your mouth. Include how much of the item you eat or drink as well. For behavior modification purposes, also note when you ate or drank the item. Write down everything. Include that small bite of cake you had while serving the cake or the chicken nugget you stole from your daughter.

• 4

  Figure out the amount of calories in each item you ate at the end of the day. List the number of calories right next to the item. Total the amount of calories in the day and write that at the bottom of the page.

• 5

  Use your weight calendar to reduce the amount of junk foods you eat.

  Log your weight in the front cover at the end of each week. Then take your highlighters and go through that week's logs. Highlight the things you would like to change for the next week. For example, highlight "walking 30 minutes" and then jot a note next to it: increase time. Or highlight "1 bag of chips" and jot a note next to it: decrease to one serving.