Bob Greene, renowned exercise physiologist, best-selling author and a trusted personal trainer of Oprah, has introduced his Get with the Program Daily Journal (Simon & Schuster), an ongoing tool to keep people motivated.

Each day has a section to record fitness and exercise goals, and a space to write about feelings and eating patterns. A weekly summary gives an easy-to-evaluate snapshot of progress, and quotes from Greene provide inspiration and motivation to stay on track.

The benefits of keeping a food journal include:

• Making you accountable. It’s easy to overeat if you aren’t paying attention to the food and drinks you are consuming on a daily basis. By writing every drop of food you eat and what you drink in a daily journal, you can take an honest look at your habits and see where you are going wrong.
• Increasing your awareness of your daily choices. If someone offers you cake at work, you are less likely to take a slice when you know you will have to write it down in your food journal for the day. Feeling good about your eating choices will help generate willpower.
• Documenting what works. If you lose weight and get in better shape with the use of a food journal, you now have a written food and exercise plan that works for you.
• Motivating you to work out frequently. When you write down your workouts and begin to see progress, you are more likely to increase your workouts for more results! Success breeds more success. Plus, who doesn’t like seeing a monthly calendar marked-up with all of your workouts?
• Calling attention to your eating patterns and where you need the most improvement. A food journal is likely to uncover patterns, such as the time of the day when you eat the most. Becoming aware of your weaknesses opens the door to change.
• Assessing overall nutrition habits. Do you notice you are eating a lot of protein and veggies but no fruit? Or maybe you only drink one glass of water per week! Use your food journal to keep tweaking your food habits until you develop a healthy eating regimen.

By keeping a food journal, you will increase your chances of ultimate weight-loss success.

Bob Greene is an exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer, specializing in fitness, metabolism and weight loss. He is a frequent guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and is the best-selling author of The Best Life Diet Daily Journal, Bob Greene’s Total Body Makeover and Get with the Program!