A new study published in the journal Obesity has found a simple way to increase your chances of losing weight. When you set a goal to lose weight, the possibility of you not losing weight can be discouraging. In this article, we’ll explain the results of this new study and provide you with helpful resources to take advantage of the new data.
Self-Monitoring During Weight-Loss
The team of researchers looked at 39 studies over 10 years. The inclusion criteria for the review was that the study had to include a form of self-monitoring and have weight-loss interventions as the purpose of the study. Of the 39 studies, “weight was tracked in 72% of them, diet in 81%, and physical activity in 82%” The most common form of self-monitoring was through websites followed by apps, wearable tech like Fitbit and Apple watches, e-scales, and finally, text messaging.
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The study found that digital self‐monitoring was linked to weight loss in 74% of the participants across all studies.
The research goes on to say that certain aspects were more consistently tracked than others. This could give good insight into what is important to be tracked, and what can be left to a personal trainer to track.
The study found that when asked to track both diet and physical activity, people were always more consistent in tracking their diet. The same is true for tracking diet and weight – participants were more consistent in tracking what they ate instead of what they weighed.
When asked to track both weight and physical activity, participants were more inclined to track their weight over their workouts.
So how can you use this information to have a more successful weight loss journey? We’ll talk about that next.
How Can You Use Self-Monitoring for Weight Loss Success? [Download a Free Tracker]
Based on the data above you should definitely incorporate more self-monitoring when you are trying to lose weight. Tracking every moment of physical activity can be difficult and annoying. It’s exhausting to think of every activity as a thing that has to be tracked. So to that, we recommend that you use a checkbox to say whether you got your physical activity for the day – at least 30 minutes a day is recommended. This takes the stress out of tracking every walk, chore, or flight of stairs you climbed that day and puts the focus on simply getting active.
Should you track your weight? Some personal trainers would recommend stepping on the scale every day. This works for some, but for most people, the thought of stepping on a scale every day is discouraging and can trigger deeper psychological pains. To track your weight we recommend scheduling a regular weigh-in with your trainer.
Women, we recommend that you track this 1 week after your period. Your body is retaining less water so it will be a more accurate reading. For men, you can schedule these whenever works best for you.
The one element of your journey that we do recommend you track on a regular basis is your food intake. Every snack, bottle of water, and latte should be tracked. You don’t have to use a calorie tracker but just something to help visualize how often you are eating and if there’s any mindless eating occurring.
To help you start your self-monitoring journey, we’ve created a downloadable resource complete with a food tracker, physical activity tracker, weigh-in reminders and a few other helpful resources for you. You can download this resource below:
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How a Personal Trainer Can Help You Self-Monitor
Okay, so that heading might not make sense at first but let us explain. Yes, self-monitoring puts the onus on you to keep track of what you eat, but having a personal trainer can help you stay on track.
Your personal trainer is like your weight-loss encyclopedia, best friend, and palm pilot all at once. They can provide you with advice and resources to help you make choices in your everyday life that will help keep you on the path to weight loss. They will be there to support you through every weigh-in and are there when you need to vent about a tough week. And lastly, they hold you accountable to your workouts and weigh-ins (sort of like a palm pilot kept your appointments organized).
If you have a weight loss goal self-monitoring is a great way to increase your chances of being successful. Focus on monitoring what you eat to stay consistent and let a personal trainer help you track the rest.
