Want to lose it? Write it down!

Several times in the past two weeks, I've heard from Badass Fitness readers and friends asking me for help and advice as they try to get trimmer, stronger and healthier.

I am not a nutritionist, but I pass on to them -- and now to all of you -- the mantra that helped me get to Badass. Three words: Write it down.

Start keeping a daily log of what you eat, when you eat it, how much of it that you eat, and even your moods and stress levels when eating. Add to that log a running tally of what, if any, exercise you do. Be honest about it, because if you fudge the numbers you are only cheating yourself.

The log is your map. It is your compass on the road to Badass.

After a few days, go back and review that little history of what you put in your mouth and how much you exercised. Share it with your trainer or gym nutritionist, if you have one. Share it with a friend who is also on the road to better health and physique. You will probably be surprised at what you see, and what they see.

Are you skipping breakfast and then getting so ravenous, you scarf down a fatty lunch that you regret within minutes as it sits like a bag of Crisco in your stomach? Are you getting in even 30 minutes a day of activity? Do you give in to cravings most in the afternoon or mid-morning? And what's your mood when you do so? Are you eating bites here and there of the kids' mac n cheese lunches and chicken nugget dinners? Because those little bites can quickly add up to the same calories you might get eating a candy bar (or two!).

I did the food and exercise log to get ready for my fitness challenge a few years back, and my trainer immediately saw that I was eating a diet too stacked with carbs and sugar and too light on good fats and lean protein. I grazed throughout the day, which can be good -- except I was grazing on sugary kids' cereals and candy. I was also doing way too much cardio and avoiding weights like the plague.

So we used the log as a starting point. We kept the good things -- cycling, running, eating whole grains, avoiding fried foods -- and added even better things. Flaxseed oil, fish, protein smoothies, egg whites, plus more weight training, more cardio intervals and boot camp-style routines. Immediately, I started seeing changes in my shape, mood, skin, and energy levels.

My best friend's husband just started his own Badass journey toward losing 20 pounds, and he told me he is writing down everything that goes in his mouth. When the recently featured Jenn, aka Badass Bertsch, lost 63 pounds, she did it by tracking what she ate and what exercises she did.

The other benefit of the food/exercise log: It forces you to stop and think. You might just pass up that half a piece of birthday cake at work or the three spoonfuls of mac n cheese in the late afternoon -- if only because it's kind of a hassle to pull out your paper or little notebook for just a few bites. And maybe you'll exercise more, if only to avoid looking back at a daily log filled with cookies and Fruit Loops and lots of sitting around.

Because I am right here with you all on your road to Badass, here is my daily log from Friday, as an example. And hey, I am always looking to get stronger, so feel free to send me feedback and suggestions! This was a fairly typical food day, though I was traveling so I had the airport schedule in there. And on many days, my job as a trainer would have had me teaching a Spinning class in the evening.

Badass CEO's Food/Exercise Log

Meal 1: 1/2 cup oatmeal (cooked with 1 cup hot water), mixed with 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed, 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
Exercise: 10 minutes jog/run intervals on treadmill. 45 minutes weight training (shoulders, with mountain climber bursts for cardio in between sets). 30 minutes cycling. 10 minutes of abs.
Meal 2: EAS 100-calorie protein shake, 1 hardboiled egg and 2 egg whites
Meal 3: Tall Starbucks coffee w skim milk, 1 Pure Protein bar
Exercise: Fast walking from one end of Charlotte airport to the other
Meal 4: Salad of greens, celery, diced apple, tomatoes, topped with 1 small can of tuna in water (drained) and 1 light drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a light sprinkle of grated Romano cheese
Meal 5 (dinner): Sauteed filet of sole with Grandma Colavecchio's 'stew' of diced potatoes and green beans in a light tomato sauce (There she is at the stove, stirring the potatoes and green beans). Side salad.
Dessert (unavoidable when visiting Grandma!): 1 small square of her Coconut Lazy Daisy Cake. Worth every calorie!