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Beyond your support network, you’ll need to start holding yourself accountable for your behaviors. One of the most reliable predictors of success in lifestyle management is self-monitoring. Self-monitoring by keeping accurate records of your actions and attitudes can be as simple or as complex as you care—the important thing is to be consistent. By recording this information, you gain self-direction, motivation, accountability, and a means of monitoring progress. The following is a laundry list of everything you could potentially record, but don’t feel obligated to go into this much detail. I have many clients who scribble their food and activity choices in a little pocket notebook, and that works just as well.
Your food choices:

• What you eat
• How much you eat
• When you eat
• Your eating location/environment
• Your level of hunger and fullness before and after eating
• Your emotions, feelings, and/or thoughts before, during, and after eating

Your activity choices:

• What type
• How long
• What time of day
• Level of difficulty
• Your heart rate
• Your emotions, feelings, and/or thoughts before, during, and after the activity

Your personal goals:

• Personal motivations
• Long-term goals
• Short-term goals
• Daily steps to success

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