Journaling Can Get Your Health on the Write Path

Dieters often say that intellectually they know what they need to do to lose weight and keep it off, but on some emotional level, they just can’t seem to make it happen. One common explanation is,” I know it in my mind, but can’t seem to make it happen in my heart.”

What these people are unwittingly describing is a value conflict. Intellectually, they know how to manage their weight, but emotionally, they can’t make the necessary behavioral changes either because the act of eating or the extra pounds on their bodies provide subconscious benefits.

Journaling Can Boost Psychological and Physical Health

Researchers have found that journaling can help people uncover hidden beliefs that may be blocking their ability to lose weight or make other lifestyle changes. Writing exercises can also help people recognize unacknowledged strengths that they can leverage to achieve their goals.

Journaling should not be confused with keeping a diary. A diary tracks events, whereas a journal investigates thoughts and feelings connected to events. Studies have shown that people who write about issues that trouble them and about their unexpressed desires experience less stress and improved immune function, fewer symptoms associated with chronic conditions like asthma and arthritis, and often see their way clear to resolve conflicts.

Weight management expert Laurel Mellin, MA, RD, psychologist Dr. Phil (McGraw), and journaling expert Jon Progoff have used journaling as a weight loss tool in their clinical practices. Ms. Mellin, a dietitian with training in psychology, is on staff at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine where she develops and runs successful weight loss programs for children and adults. Ms. Mellin is best known for a weight loss program called The Solution which relies on directed journaling to help people identify roadblocks and develop self-care skills like self-nurturing and boundary setting.

While acknowledging its many benefits, a few experts warn that unsupervised journaling may cause some people who write about traumatic experiences to feel hopeless because they do not know how to process the emotional weight of past events. The journaling experts cited above agree.

A version of The Solution program is available in bookstores, but the questions it poses do not probe the emotional depths that Ms. Mellin’s in-person Solution sessions do. During in-person sessions, participants are asked to write about their response to specific situations. They also develop a separate journal of Feelings Letters in which they process uncomfortable emotions that may arise during their directed journaling sessions. This process often helps dieters rid themselves of the negativity and tension that may be blocking their weight loss efforts.

In his Life Strategies Workbook, Dr. Phil describes several writing exercises designed to help readers assess their lives, identifying both problem areas and resources for change. While Dr. Phil does ask people to access their self-esteem and relationships with others, the way he poses the questions probes less deeply than the questions Ms. Mellin asks during in-person Solution workshops.

The Progoff approach represents a middle ground between the supervised Solutions approach and Dr. Phil’s do-it-yourself book. The Progoff intensive Journaling method uses a combination of self-directed journaling in specific topic areas (feelings, events, relationships) and certified journaling leaders to guide writers through the process. Through his private practice, Jonathan Progoff, the son of intensive journaling pioneer and psychoanalyst Dr. Ira Progoff, has helped many clients confront weight loss and body image issues with journaling. Jon says some people find an appreciation of their bodies through journaling that allows them to begin taking better care of themselves. Other individuals identify underlying reasons they overeat and, by working to solve these roadblocks, are eventually able to lose weight.

How Does Journaling Improve Weight Control and Health?

Exactly how does journaling help people change their behavior? No one knows for sure. Ms. Mellin says it releases the backlog of negative emotions, making psychological space for the development of new life skills. Dr. Phil and Jon Progoff see journaling more as a tool for examining one’s life so that a person can identify and begin to heal wounds that may be holding them back.

Success Depends on Answering the Right Questions

The success of various journaling techniques hinges on asking the right questions. Questions focus thinking and have the power to lead people into new areas of self-discovery. As noted above, some questions may be too provocative to explore without help from a behaviorist. 

Use the Start. Stop. Keep (SSK) diary to see if journaling is the right technique for you.

Although there is good evidence that journaling can provide valuable insights that will improve a dieter’s ability to lose weight, you may not be ready to begin a formal journal. If you are interested in the technique, you can work toward it in stages. Self-monitoring tools like a Start_* Stop_* Keep diary can help you become more aware of your desires and behaviors. Simply fold a piece of paper into thirds length-wise. Title the first section Start, the next section Stop, and the final section Keep. As you go about your weekly routine, note your behaviors and list them in one of these three categories.

The greatest value is gained when the SSK journal is used in conjunction with lifestyle education classes. As you learn desirable and undesirable behaviors, you can add them to your SSK journal. New behaviors that you need to acquire can be listed under the Start column of the SSK journal. Behaviors that you need to stop are listed under the Stop column. Fortunately, during the course of lifestyle education classes, you also learn that some of the behaviors that you already perform are beneficial. For instance, you may already be in the habit of eating breakfast each morning or of taking a bath when stressed. These types of beneficial behaviors contribute to weight management and should be listed in the Keep section of the SSK journal.

A typical SSK journal may say:

STOP

• Eating while standing up
• Meeting friends only for eating events

START

• Walking for 10 minutes during my lunch hour
• Find people willing to socialize without  food

KEEP

• Eating a healthy breakfast each day
• Taking a bath or doing other relaxing behaviors when stressed

Reviewing your list at the end of the week will help you see ways you can change your life to improve your weight. The Keep list will show you that you are already doing some things right.

Another easy introductory journaling exercise is to keep a Why? journal to better understand your urge to eat. Every time you want to eat food that is not part of a scheduled meal, ask yourself why. Are you hungry? Sad? Angry? Lonely? Anxious? Write down your answer and explain the source of your feelings.

Like any skill, journaling takes time to master, but it is well worth the effort if you are struggling to change your life.