A Diet Blog Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

October 31, 2007 · 8 comments

In his post titled Knights of the Round Bottoms, Iron-Man from Lose Weight Now! asks the question:

Is it mere coincidence, or does blogging help people lose weight?

I am surely no expert, having “only” lost 21 pounds over 3 months of blogging, but I have to answer with a definite “YES.” I’m sure some of you could point out the obvious flaws in his reasoning - for one, it stands to reason that 4 of the 6 recent posters are the top 4 weight losers because it surely is easier to stay writing when you are having success! Nevertheless, there is no question in my mind that this blog has helped me and will continue to help me.

Iron-Man brings up a point that has already been bugging me - we can’t all have success on a diet, we can’t all continue to maintain a blog and certainly it can be hard to do both. He points out that of the 21 bloggers he first started following, 6 have deleted their blogs. Did they quit writing when they weren’t successful? Were they doing fine on the diet but just didn’t want to maintain a blog? Did they fail miserably? Could I have helped them in some way?

It’s the nature of the web for web sites to come and go but it sure is frustrating to find kindred spirits who then flame away. It’s a huge step to write publicly about your problem, and it’s too bad that they could not continue for one reason or another.

Don’t let that effort go to waste.

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{ 8 comments }

Gibbons-Camp October 31, 2007 at 8:29 am: I agree that there is more to it than either mere coincidence or the effect that people don’t blog if they aren’t successful. For me, I’ve always done best if I had a way of seeing my progress in more than just my waist line. I’ve only ever lost a significant amount of weight once before, and then I was keeping a food and exercise log on my computer. Now I am doing that plus keeping a public blog.

I think that keeping a record keeps us honest and focused. It is a lot easier for me to make good decisions if I remember that whatever I eat I have to stare at in black and white on my food spreadsheet later. Plus you add the public aspect of the blog, and the admission of your mistakes, and you have a very potent motivator.
Israel October 31, 2007 at 12:47 pm: For me having a blog has helped. I have been able to drop 40 plus lbs since starting. It helps me be accountable. This has been the first time in years that I have been successful with weight loss efforts and I dont plan on stopping when I reach my goals. I will need the blog to keep me going. It has become as much a part of my weight loss routine tools as eating healthy and exercising.
Sarah October 31, 2007 at 8:35 pm: I say it all the time.. having my blog plays a key factor in my success. Sure I love to post when I am having a great week or have a big drop but I actually find it more helpful to blog when I’m NOT having success. It is amazing, the outpouring of encouragement that you can get from somebody who is a complete stranger and you wouldn’t recognize if they were standing next to you.

Like Gibbons said, my blog keeps me honest and focus and without it I think I could have easily quit a long time ago but my blog helpes me be responsible.
TB-Milwaukee October 31, 2007 at 9:15 pm: I definitely agree that blogging has kept me focused and has added another sense of accountability. I may not blog all that much, but I definitely do my weekly check in to make sure I’m accountable to myself.

Great success so far by the way!
GroovyBabe November 1, 2007 at 2:24 am: 21 pounds is a great loss!!! Don’t lose sight of that!

It is fustrating when someone abandons their journal but I think that is more about blogging than it is about weightloss. Not many people are true bloggers, many lose interest very quickly. I think it is the types of people who stick at blogging who are also the types of people who are likely to succeed at weightloss.

I know how they feel sometimes. It does sometimes feel like a chore to maintain my blog but that is because I am making myself update daily. But it is a prominant tool in helping me to get through it. I don’t think I could do it without it.
Diana the Scale Junkie November 1, 2007 at 9:13 am: First your 21 pound loss is fantastic. You have to remember that slow weight loss most often leads to long term weight loss because you are taking the time to form new habits and not just crashing off the weight.

I really think blogging is helping me because it makes me think about my diet and my goals every single day. I have to put thought and effort into what I’m doing and I’ve made a commitment to blog daily and catch up with fellow bloggers to provide support as much as possible. I really think it keeps me focused. Sometimes its hard posting day after day when I’m not seeing the results others are seeing and its really hard to celebrate my 66 pounds lost when I had hit the 75 pound lost and regained 15 pounds….and NO they don’t come off easier the second time around your body really punishes you for screwing around…at least mine does. Of course I’m doing more exercise so I’m looking at it as muscle building too. But back to the topic at hand, blogging keeps me focused but a blog is only as good as the effort you put into it. I really think you have to let yourself post honestly and without fear of judgment and without holding back just because others are reading. I think you have to own your failures as much as you celebrate your successes. And yes, sometimes the comments I leave on other peoples blogs are longer than my own posts LOL
john - from fat to fit November 1, 2007 at 10:24 pm: Sounds like we all agree - blogging plays a key role in our weight loss journey. Of course it is easy to write publicly when your weight is going down, but when it goes up - not so much. I just have it so locked into my head now that I am a different person, a fit person, that I simply won’t allow failure. And there will be downs and I will write about them. But long term there will be success.
Steve v4.6 November 5, 2007 at 3:17 pm: I’ve got to say that your blog is what first inspired me to write about my experiences during my own journey back to “fit”.

I was/am embarrassed by how I let myself evolve. Deciding to change, moving toward goals, and holding myself accountable by blogging is a kind of self-sustaining fire.

Good job on your own weight loss and continued success.