Throughout my long weight loss journey, I have used all kinds of tracking devices when it comes to my workouts and food. Something inevitably happens and I completely drop the ball. Do any of these sound familiar?
- It's something I must wear and I forget to put it on
- It's something I must wear and it ends up in the washing machine
- I decide paper is better so I carry an empty notebook everywhere and never write anything past day 1
- I end up tracking breakfast and lunch, but then forget the rest of the food for the remainder of the day
- I give it the good college try for 3 days before completely falling off
Personally, tracking my food is one of the best ways I've been able to teach myself about how much food I should be eating versus what I was eating. As a former 455 pound binge eater, my scope of what people should actually eat was way off, as you could imagine. Even the last months of 2012 saw an unrecognized and untracked food creep – portions getting bigger, and “borderline foods” such as gluten free options and sugars in Starbucks beverages becoming acceptable (I typically don't eat gluten or special gluten-free foods or sugar).
I've tracked off and on with MyFitnessPal, a food and exercise journaling site, for at least 3 years now. They make it ridiculously easy to track your food online or on their phone apps, which are incredible (I use the Android App). It doesn't get much easier than being able to scan a barcode and have it automatically put into your journal. Users can also input nutritional information for any item, and for restaurants and such, this is a really great option. There's also a great social component where you can connect with friends and encourage each other. I used to share everything, but right now I just want to keep things under wraps while I try to figure out what works for me. There are lots of privacy settings, so you control what is shared and what's not.
Since 1/1/13 (hello, New Years Resolutions) I've faithfully tracked my food and exercise in MyFitnessPal and was reminded how easy it is to use and how it really does help me stay on track with my favorite four letter f-word… food. I'm nearly always in front of a computer or have my phone in hand, so there isn't an excuse to not put the information in. I can't remember the last time I've tracked this long in a row (I know, it's bad). It's been great to start off the new year feeling in control with my food and tracking. The thing that's helping me most this time? I've set daily reminders twice a day to ding me to track my food – once at noon and once at 10pm. Nothing like a little nagging (albeit digital) to give me the push I need.
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Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Welch's via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Welch's.
