This is a sponsored feature. All opinions are 100% from Her Campus.
Yesterday I mentioned my new love of the show “Shredding for the Wedding.” I seriously can’t get enough of it. But last week, I thought there was a shocking lesson to be learned. And no lie, after the episode all I could think was, “If only they had SELF’s Jump Start Diet.”
Seriously. A few clicks online could have helped these ladies out A LOT.
It turns out that the two women who didn’t lose any weight last week were not keeping their food journals, which all contestants were encouraged to do. They had some pretty lame excuses as to why they failed to do it. One said it was because she knew everything she ate that day (Yeah, she couldn’t remember lunch) and the other said it was because the food was boring (How does boring food keep you from writing it down?)
While all the women did hit plateaus, I thought it spoke volumes to the importance of a food journal. You really don’t realize what you eat until you write it down, and committing it to paper or a computer really holds you accountable to yourself. I know when I’m tempted by something extra tasty and extra unhealthy, I think about writing it down on my sticky note for all of you to see. There’s no hiding that Oreo (or two…or three) anymore.
You can’t lie to yourself if you are committed to writing down everything that enters your mouth.
Lucky for girls like me who have signed up for the free Jump Start Diet by SELF magazine, food AND workout 
logs are included along with the meal plan, workouts, and daily tips. With a couple of clicks, you can chart your whole progress.
For those who don’t like writing in a notebook or spend most of their time in front of the computer, this is a very convenient option to help with keeping on track.
Grabbing a quick dinner at the local burger buddy? Maybe you’d think twice about that medium fry if you had to write it down and realize it had around 16 grams of fat. Writing things down makes you stop, think, and then make better choices.
Last week I went to Chick Fila with my brother and his roommate who both got fries and one got a milkshake. Tempting? Yes. But I was proud to write down my fruit salad that day. And you know what? It was a very satisfying side to accompany my grilled chicken sandwich.
Weight loss is hard. No one ever claimed it would be easy. But join me and my fellow bloggers in making it easier for ourselves and keep track of our progress together.
Need an accountability partner? I’d love to help you like you all have helped me. I’d love to hear from you! Email me at NikkiRoberti@HerCampus.com or Tweet me anytime @Nikki_Roberti.