I have never joined a diet group such as weight watchers, but have tried various diets on my own to lose a consistently stupborn 20-lbs I carry around with me at my waist. Exercise 3-times a week and watching what I eat are the most important aspects and given a level of consistency in that pattern, I can make a serious dent in that 20-lbs.

The challenge, as many of you also know, is keeping that 20-lbs off. Eventually it begins to creep up again and suddenly I’m right back where I started from. While there is some comfort in knowing that I can reach my weight loss goals anytime I please, there is also an element of frustration in that I can’t take my eye off the goal or else it seems to magically reappear!

Much of that has to do with eating habits.

When I’m in fat burning mode I keep close watch on my meals – making sure to fit at least one meal of salad in, hold off on sugars (including the hidden sugars in drinks, cereals, etc…) and generally keep close tabs on everything that I ingest.

That’s when I read about this study outlining double the fat burning effectiveness of those who keep a formal food diary.

Makes sense, after all, that’s what I was doing when I’m in fat burning mode, just that I keep it in my head.

So, starting last week, I began writing down everything I eat from the time I get up in the morning to the time I rest my head on my pillow at night.

I’ll share more of my experience with you in a few weeks, but right now I can tell you that keeping track of what you eat by writing it down in a food diary is an excellent motivator to being extra careful and will lead to fat burning.

Have you ever used this technique in your fat burning?