How to Use a Planner for Weight Loss

During your weight loss journey, you will probably use a lot of different tools. There are 
tools that help you create your weight loss goals and decide on your preferred method 
of losing weight, tools to track food and exercise, and tools for looking at your progress 
and rewards. 

What if there was a tool that could do all of this and more? That’s right, we’re talking 
about using planners. 

Planners have come a long way from the leather-bound books you used in school or for 
your daily schedule. Now, there are multiple versions of them, many of which are 
customizable, and provide so much more than you could ever think of. 

Here are some tips for properly using a planner for your weight loss journey.


Why Use a Weight Loss Planner?

Why should you even bother using a planner during your weight loss journey? So many 
reasons! Here are some of the top benefits:

It holds you accountable. Having a weight loss planner will help keep you accountable 
by giving you a place to track anything and everything related to your weight loss 
journey. If you aren’t talking to friends about it or have an app you are using, a planner 
is a wonderful tool to keep you motivated.

You can track your progress. The weight loss planner also provides a very easy way 
to track your progress each and every day. You track everything from what you eat and 
how much, to your workouts, your weight and measurements, and so much more.

It allows you to write down and plan your goals. Many weight loss planners also 
include pages where you can figure out what your weight loss goals are and create a 
realistic plan to help you achieve those goals.

You can track food, exercise, and water. Getting into more specifics, you can use 
your planner to track things like your food and macros, workouts, and how much water 
you drink each day. You can also track other healthy habits related to your weight loss 
journey.

You see when and where to make adjustments. Lastly, by seeing your progress on 
the weight loss planner each day, you have an easy way to see where you should make 
some changes for optimal success.


What to Track in Your Planner?

There are many things you can track in a weight loss planner throughout your journey, 
from the beginning stages of just creating a plan and deciding how much weight you 
want to lose, to later down the line when you’re writing down your progress. 

*	Your weight loss goals
*	Your plan for achieving those goals
*	Goal milestones
*	Rewards for these milestones
*	What you eat and how much
*	Your calories and macros
*	Your workout plan
*	Daily workouts and calories burned
*	How much water you drink
*	Habits you have each day
*	Weight
*	Measurements
*	Other forms of progress
*	Meal plans
*	Recipes you want to try
*	Thoughts and feelings

Make a list of what you think will be useful to track in a weight loss planner, then you 
know where to start when it comes to finding the perfect planner for you.


How Often to Use the Planner?

This is another big choice to make early on, so you can set your intentions with using 
the weight loss planner. Most planners will have space to write in them every day, but if 
this seems like too much for you, then you can look for weekly or monthly planners. 

While the weekly or monthly spreads will still have stuff you check off each day, it is far 
less to keep track of. For example, you might just check off a few simply habits each 
day, and see how many you did by the end of the week. 

Should you use your planner more than once a day? This depends entirely on you! If 
you have a daily weight loss planner and want to see what you have planned for the day 
in the morning, then check off relevant items in the evening, that can be really useful.

Th most important thing is you not set any rules for using it. It is meant to be a tool that 
helps you on your weight loss journey, not homework or punishment.


Key Components of a Good Weight Loss Planner

So, what kind of weight loss planner do you need? One thing to keep in mind is that it 
should be exactly what YOU need it to be. Which means what other people recommend 
as a planner might not necessarily work for you. Which is why the first thing to look for is 
something that fulfills all your needs. 

Beyond that, here are some things we recommend for a good weight loss planner:

That is customizable – A good planner is one that gives you options for customizing to 
suit to your own needs. This is true for both digital and physical planners. For example, 
instead of a section on each daily page that says “Notes”, it might have a blank label for 
that box, so that you can use it for anything you want. A lot of planners are also now 
undated, so you can start them on any day and not have to worry about waiting until the 
first of the month.

Has multiple options for tracking – Look for a weight loss planner that gives you 
many different things to track, like your food, exercise, water, thoughts, habits, and 
more.

Is compact – The size of your planner matters if you will be getting a physical one or 
printing out a digital planner. If you will use it on your desk, then it might not be as big of 
an issue. But if space is a problem or you want to bring it with you, look for a more 
compact style.

Is easy for you to use – Lastly, make sure it is easy to use and write in. In addition to 
being the right size, small details like if it lays flat when you open it can make all the 
difference. If you are printing out pages to be put in a binder, then consider what type of 
binder you are using. 




