I don’t know why I’m not losing weight; I never eat anything.
Weight loss is a journey that does not happen overnight. There are several keys to weight loss: including consistency and food journaling.
Hollis et al. (2008), Burke et al. (2012), and Robertson (2021) found that Individuals who were consistent with food journaling lost the most weight over time.
Food journaling is essential to weight loss. It is challenging to track what one consumes, eats, or drinks over a day, much less weeks or months, without an accurate record. Repeatedly, we find in the published literature that obese and overweight patients who fail to keep a journal or record of what they eat will lose little to no weight. When we meet with these patients, they consistently say they “feel” they eat very little or nothing. Remember, food is an emotional crutch. So, without an accurate daily food journal, neither the patient nor we know what is actually being consumed. However, a clear pattern is present:
- obese or overweight patient,
- no food journal, and
- not losing weight.
Hollis et al. (2008), Burke et al. (2012), and Robertson (2021) all found the same thing. When patients consistently journaled everything they consumed (ate and drank) daily, they lost the most weight. Ingels et al. (2019) found consistent tracking was an accurate predictor of weight loss.
So, if you are not losing weight, let’s start by reviewing your food journal. You can use a paper diary-type journal or an app like Carb Manager.
Remember, weight loss is individualized and never guaranteed. We work with our patients to provide support and expert guidance.
