Why I keep track of my food intake
Are you trying to loose fat but failing? You feel you are doing everything right, you eat in a caloric deficit (which is the number one factor determining fat loss), you strength train and work out regularly, you de-stress and get your sleep etc. Yet, for some reason you are still stuck on the same level. Now you start blaming it on low metabolism, health issues, hormonal issues etc. Maybe you are not eating in a real deficit? You believe you are but you are not tracking your food, and if you are you tracking every single bite?
Up until a year ago. I didn’t care about keeping track of my food. I had no idea how many calories each dish contained, what the hell were macronutrients, food portions, you name it. I never gave that any attention because, I thought if you work out that should be enough to keep you healthy and fit. That should be enough for losing weight and toning. I didn’t realize that nutrition makes close to a 100% of the difference. Yes working out is important for overall health, strength, mood, looks etc. but, no real results will come unless your nutrition is on point, no matter what goal. Whether it’s fat loss, health, strength gain or simply feeling good.
I never achieved any real results until I started setting my nutrition right. Eating mainly whole foods (but not only, you know I’m a big believer in balance) and tracking my caloric intake, including macros. I started tracking my food intake religiously. Yes by tracking I mean tracking every single bite. The couple of grapes I stole from my kids lunch box. The bite of cake I took from my hubby’s dessert, the milk added to my coffee, the supplements etc. All those do count and add up, and by avoiding them you are sabotaging your success.
Before tracking I had no idea that the 3 cups of lattes I had daily could add up to 450 cals (OMG) which is close to a ¼ of my daily intake. The piece of cake on the weekend with the cream is close to that too… etc. Now it is not that I don’t still have them from time to time, but I do my math, I decide if I want to spend my daily intake on that or not. And one more thing, yes I know when I overeat, so I don’t make excuses for myself. I simply except the consequences. Knowing I can’t expect the results I’m after. So I don’t bullshit myself with stories that I have a slow metabolism or that I have another health issue preventing me of losing fat. I simply overate.
It might sound intimidating and overwhelming to track every single bite, but the truth is its pretty simple and won’t take you longer than 5 min through the course of an entire day. Personally I use the myfitnesspal app on my phone (the free version). It keeps things simple by allowing me to scan products, save meals and recipes or go through the food on their list.
If you feel this is all too much for you, I would advise to do it only for a week or two, it will teach you about portions, the real value of food and you will learn to make smarter choices. All of the sudden you realize that you can have either a satisfying yoghurt with granola or a latte with a piece of chocolate (for the soul😊). You will learn to choose smarter, but still be able to enjoy it all in moderation.
If you are already tracking and you still can’t lose the extra fat, look at these points you are probably not doing one of these and sabotaging your progress:
Tracking every single day, not just Monday to Friday.
You are really tracking and measuring and not just guessing.
You track all your treats.
You track beverages and drink as well, also alcohol (yes they all count, also the milk you add to your coffee).
You enter the data correctly.
You don’t binge eat out of stress (that’s my weak point).
You track all veggies as well. Yes they too have calories.
You estimate the portions right, measure the cup or weigh in the food.
Give it a try and start tracking, even for a little while. You won’t regret it, you can only learn from it. Trust me.