This was a response to a person who’s trying to start exercising and lose weight at the same time, and it was suggested I post it here as well for your benefit! *Warning: it’s a bit blunt at times
Unfortunately, journaling has never been my forte. Believe me, I’ve tried. It’s a big thing in Weight Watchers, but I just couldn’t keep up with it. In the end, they just seem to become more trouble than they are worth. I’ll keep it in mind for later, but it’s not something that really rings for me at the moment.
Journaling is a pain, but pre-journaling really is a good accountability measure- if you have a pre-planned menu, even if it’s only for one meal a day, it really helps you to understand how you react to food. Emotional eaters tend to have a very hard time with journals. Are you one? Also, if you are taking out the “junk” are you replacing it with something healthier (ie if you tend to munch around in the evenings/free time and you tell yourself to stop, are you replacing that with some activity or a healthier food like vegetables)? If you are only taking away, then you are relying on your willpower to get you going, and not only is it a complete drain on your energy but willpower only goes so far when that bag of junk food is calling your name.
I like pre-planning my menus because it helps me have something to look forward to when the munchies do hit. For example, if supper really wasn’t satisfying, I’d head for the chocolate chips or some weird, mundane food that isn’t healthy, but if I have a weekly menu that says at 9:00 p.m. I’m going to have a banana protein smoothie (which tastes like ice cream), I can usually wait for that. It’s also the same for supper time when I’m tired and just getting home from work and don’t want to make anything.
Are you truly ready yet to face up to your eating habits? That’s why I can guess that you may be an emotional eater who eats more when tired, and I can guess that you’re tired a lot (pain does that, draining energy).
Here’s my *completely unprofessional, totally human* advice: one thing at a time.
Use 4-6 weeks to conquer the exercise thing, make it a habit at least three times a week (start with two for the first two weeks), and continue to think about how you feel when you eat certain things and how that affects your energy. After you’re consistently exercising, something will click. I promise. You’ll find yourself gravitating more toward the healthier stuff and cutting back on the junk. Now, I’m not saying it won’t be work, you will have to work for it. But it will get easier! Take an adventurous attitude towards it so it can be fun 
Revel in your new “discoveries” and try new things.
However, it really does make one think about their choices, especially if they continue to gain weight or have plateaued. It’s a great way to pinpoint where the underlying issue may be, since many people who are overweight or obese actually only overeat by only 100 calories per day (which sounds like nothing but translates into those extra 5 pounds that are gained yearly). It can point out if you hit an emotional point at the same time each day and dive for the Milky Ways, or if that extra glass of milk you have with supper is helping or hindering. It really can be an eye opener. A client of mine was instructed to write down what she had eaten each day for a week. Her calorie limit is 2000 calories, but by looking at her journal, I was able to find that she was eating, on average, 2300 calories per day (plus the soda she didn’t include in the menu and only told me about it afterward). It was quite revealing for her, and she subsequently cut the pop and substituted a few more veggies, and voila! She dropped 20 pounds. However, she also was unable to continue the journaling, because she found it to be “too much effort and obsessive.” She also was unable to drop any more weight.
