Food Tracking for Weight Management

My friends, when we begin a new weight loss plan, it is usually a given that food or nutrition tracking will be required for success. Fortunately, there are some really good nutrition tracking apps to be found on the internet, so there is no reason one should not track their food intake.

One of the pitfalls once reaching weight loss goals, is many people quit tracking their nutrition and eventually put all of their lost weight back on. If you have ever had a problem with your weight, it will always be imperative that you continue to track everything that you eat. Tracking is a form of measurement, and what gets measured gets done. Tracking is a way of holding yourself accountable, being accountable will always be the key to maintaining your body at a healthy weight and body fat percentage. It is when we quit being accountable that we begin having problems with our weight again, and this is true no matter what method you are using to take off those unwanted pounds. When we believe we no longer need to be accountable, we have failed ourselves. Accountability is everything when we care about our weight, our health and level of physical fitness. Also, know that accountability is not about feeling guilty when you have strayed from the path of good health, accountability is about getting yourself back on that path as soon as possible.

Stop With the EXCUSES!

I do not have a way to track my food intake. 

There are nutrition tracking apps available on the internet that do not cost you a penny to use. You can also track your nutrition in a small notebook, if you do not have a phone on which to download an app. All food labels will list everything you need to keep keep track of including calories, fat, carbs, protein and added sugars.

I do not have the time to track my nutrition.

No time to track? How much time do you think it takes to track your nutrition. On any given nutrition app, you can log an entire meal or snack in about one minute or less. Even when you go out to popular fast food joints or restaurants, you can take a small moment to track what you just consumed. A good many nutrition trackers have information for most common restaurants available.

I do not have time to weigh and measure food.

If you are having individual portions, the nutrition information is on the label.

If you are cooking meats or fish, just how long does it take to place a piece of meat on a food scale, look at the number and then place it in your cooking vessel of choice?

Use measuring cups or ladles to serve up your food for portion control. Most ladles come in predetermined sizes just for this.

I do not have the time to preplan meals, or to cook ahead for the week.

Do you have the time to NetFlix and chill?

Does it take extra time to double or triple portions when you are cooking in order to have something already prepared for later?

I have been significantly overweight, actually I have been obese. I write from not only my learned knowledge, but from my personal experience as well. I now maintain my body fat percentage between 9 and 10 percent which is pretty lean, but I also know that I can never let my guard down or I will regain my weight. I can never quit holding myself accountable if I want to remain healthy and fit as I age. I will always measure and weigh my foods because I know that once I quit doing so, it will not take long before 4 ounce portions actually become 5 or 6 ounce portions if I just begin eyeballing and estimating my portion sizes. These trends never seem to go in reverse for weight management, we will always underestimate our caloric intake and overestimate our caloric burn from exercise. As disciplined as I am in my nutrition and physical fitness, I still have to hold myself accountable, it is a part of my lifestyle. While many people might see tracking, measuring and weighing as an inconvenience, I see trips to the doctor for avoidable ailments as a larger more expensive inconvenience.

Life can be hard my friends, choose your hard.