10 Weight-Loss Journal Ideas to Track Your Progress

Key takeaways:

Keeping a journal may help you lose or maintain weight. Research suggests that a weight-loss journal can raise awareness of what you eat and why.
A weight-loss journal can include things like goal setting, meal planning, and activity tracking.
Weight-loss journals work best if you use them consistently, but they may not be for everybody.

Losing weight can be a challenge for many people. One way you can help yourself is to start a weight-loss journal.

“A weight-loss journal is a personal record-keeping tool used to track various aspects of someone’s weight-loss journey,” said Matthew Landry, PhD, RDN, assistant professor of population health and disease prevention at the University of California, Irvine.

Tracking your goals, meals, and moods can help you become more aware of your eating habits, triggers, and progress.

There are many ways to start a weight-loss journal. Here are 10 ideas, along with suggestions for how to get started and why consistency is important.

Weight-loss journal ideas

Consider these 10 journaling ideas to help you find a weight that feels best.

1. DIY bullet journal

Bullet journals are a sort of cross between a journal and a to-do list. As a weight-loss journal, they can help you organize and track your goals. You can record everything from fitness and weight goals to food choices. Bullet journals allow you to get creative and give yourself positive feedback about your progress.

2. Goal setting

It’s helpful to set realistic and actionable goals. Work on setting goals for things you can control, like food choices, activities, and new habits that can improve your well-being, rather than things you can’t control, like the numbers on the scale.

“A goal of losing 10 pounds is not actionable,” Landry said. “The actions that get you there are eating three servings of vegetables a day or working out three times a week.” These are examples of actionable goals.

3. Meal planner

When you plan meals and snacks, you’re more likely to prepare food at home, make nutritious choices, and avoid unhealthy drive-thru meals. In fact, people who meal plan are more likely to eat more nutritious foods and maintain a lower weight.

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You can also plan ahead when eating out. Check out menus in advance and decide what you’re going to order before you go.

4. Meal logging

Meal logging is an easy way to keep track of what you eat. It can help you become more aware of your eating habits and identify patterns. Also, meal logging can help make sure you’re getting the nutrients your body needs, especially if you’re cutting back on certain foods.

Here’s a free, weekly food log from the CDC to help you get started.

5. Water tracker

Drinking water may support weight maintenance. It makes sense — water is calorie-free and doesn’t have added sugars like soft drinks. One study found that people who drank water before meals tended to lose more weight while following a lower-calorie diet than those who didn’t.

Try tracking your daily water intake. Aim for 16 oz (2 cups) of water 30 minutes before a meal. If you do this for 3 meals, that’s 6 cups of water each day.

6. Workout diary

Logging your physical activity can motivate you to exercise. Track details like the number of steps you take, or minutes spent riding your bike. And don’t forget other physical activities like walking your dog, cleaning your house, or mowing the lawn.

Also, jot down how exercise affects your mood, body image, and food choices. For example, you may notice that on days you work out, you tend to be in a better mood or make more nutritious food choices. These patterns can provide valuable motivation.

7. Mood tracker

Something else you may want to track is your mood. “We know there’s an association between the way we feel and what we eat,” Landry said. You may turn to comfort foods when you’re feeling down or eat more nutritious foods when you’re happy.

Add emotional triggers to this section as well. Do you eat more when you’re bored or stressed? These connections can help you take steps to better care for yourself, manage your moods, and make mindful food choices.

8. Sleep log

Like mood, sleep can also affect your diet. “Poor-quality sleep can lead to poor food choices,” Landry said. “But on days you wake up refreshed, you probably will make better choices. If you’re not logging your sleep, you may not notice and not make the connection,” he added.

9. Weight and measurement check-in

Weighing yourself regularly can help you lose weight, according to an American Heart Association study. Decide if you want to weigh yourself daily, every other day, or weekly.

While there’s evidence that daily weigh-ins may work for some, it may not work for everyone. Hopping on the scale daily can also trigger anxiety or make you obsess over the numbers. Take note of how weighing yourself makes you feel. If it distresses you more than it motivates you, avoid weighing yourself or switch to once a week.

Another step you can take to track your progress is measuring yourself, particularly around your waist.

10. Reflections

Take time at regular intervals to jot down your wins and consider your losses. “Weight loss is tough,” Landry said. You can become discouraged and less motivated when the numbers on the scale aren’t changing. “At these times, reflection on the progress made can provide critical encouragement and perspective,” said Landry.

Also, don’t just focus on your weight when you reflect. Think about other benefits of a nutritious diet like more energy, better sleep, and a better mood.

How to start a DIY weight-loss journal

There are a few ways to create a weight-loss journal. Some people prefer pen and paper, while others like using a digital format. There’s no right or wrong choice — what matters is finding a process that works for you.

Notebooks or journals work great if you like to write things down. Think about picking one that fits into your purse, backpack, or pocket so you can carry it with you.

Phone apps or online platforms work well if you enjoy technology and want to track your data over time. There are plenty of free apps for both Apple and Android phones, including:

Another option is to use a digital note-keeping app like Apple’s new Journal or Android’s Google Keep. While they won’t track your data, they’re handy for entering information from day to day.

Do weight-loss journals actually work?

Not always. “While I think they can be effective for some individuals, they might not work for everyone,” Landry said. “Some people find the process tedious. That leads to inconsistent tracking and eventually falling off.”

But weight-loss journals work well for people who use them consistently. Making journaling a part of your routine can help. Try logging after dinner every night, right before bed, or first thing in the morning until it becomes a habit.

Another perk of keeping a journal is that, on bad days, you can look back at your past successes for encouragement.

Risks of using a weight-loss journal

“Generally, there are no known severe risks or harms to keeping a weight-loss journal,” Landry said. However, it’s possible they may worsen or trigger disordered eating or eating disorders.

Be cautious about keeping a weight-loss journal if you notice the following:

Increased obsessive behavior
Heightened disordered eating habits, especially if you have a history of disordered eating or an eating disorder
Difficult emotions like guilt or shame if goals aren’t met

Landry added that you can reduce these risks by being under the care of a registered dietitian, eating disorder specialist, or therapist.

Frequently asked questions

Your weight-loss journal can include a variety of meal details. Start by jotting down the food and its type (like protein or carbohydrate). Then, add information like the cooking method, portion size, and time of day. If you’d like, you can also include nutritional information. It’s up to you to decide what details you want to include.

There are several ways to estimate portion sizes. One option is to match portion sizes to the serving sizes listed on food labels. You can also use a scale to weigh foods. While using your hands (e.g., a cupped hand equals 1 portion of fruit) is a popular method, it’s not an accurate way to measure portion sizes.

The bottom line

A weight-loss journal is a tool you can use to help you find a comfortable weight. Writing down your goals and food intake is a great place to start. But other ideas can help, too. For example, you can track your moods, sleep, and water intake. You can start a journal with a notebook or on an app. Whatever format you choose, make sure you’re consistent. The more consistent you are, the more likely you’ll be to reach your goals.

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Written by:

Ana Gascon

Ana Gascon has over 15 years of writing and editing experience, with 8 years in health and medical content work. She is a content creator who focuses on acute conditions, chronic diseases, mental health challenges, and health equity.

Edited by:

Laurie Tarkan

Laurie Tarkan is a senior health editor for general health and well-being at GoodRx. She has an extensive background in health journalism, and wrote regularly for The New York Times for a decade.

Reviewed by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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