Last Updated on October 11, 2021 by Andrew Blakey
This meal tracking article was written by Amy Arno, a certified holistic nutritionist and owner of the blog ‘A Dog And A Life’ read more about her at the bottom of this post!
Meal Tracking Doesn’t Have To Be Intimidating!
It can be very hard mentally when you’re struggling to lose weight. To some, eating healthy can seem daunting. It’s a task we don’t like to do or know how to do. When we want food, we want it quick and easy so we turn to pre-made meals and processed food. Trust me, I can relate. But remember this, you can’t outwork a bad diet.
We often think we eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, but have you actually paid attention to what you eat in a day? Meal tracking is a great way of becoming mindful about the food you’re putting into your body on a regular basis.
I don’t know about you but when I get asked what I ate for lunch, I tend to forget and go blank. Without writing down what I eat, it’s hard for me to remember, which in turn causes me not to remember those Oreos I had for lunch and then I still go through the struggling to lose weight.
Even the busiest of busy people will find time to track their food if they really want to see a difference in their life.
All it takes is two weeks of meal tracking to be able to see a difference.
How to make it easy to track your food:
These apps have become so advanced with food tracking and are a great solution for those struggling to lose weight.
All you have to do is scan a bar code, put in the amount you ate, and then the app does the rest. So if you’re eating a snack out of the vending machine during lunch and you’re already on your phone, just open up your app, scan the bar code, and done! How easy was that? Your one step closer to overcoming the struggling to lose weight!
Apps like Sparkpeople, MyFitnessPal , and Lose It are all free apps that help you keep track of your food and calories so you can see your progress.
If you’re not someone who enjoys downloading apps to your phone
Another option is to get out that pad of paper and pen and start jotting down what you ate and how much.
Then you can figure out the calories when you have more time. I like to keep track of the date, the food I ate, the amount I ate, and the caloric intake for the day.
Note to self though, you don’t always have to carry around a journal, you can take notes on your phone and put the notes in your journal later. Doing this can help those who are struggling to lose weight despite eating healthy.
Great, but why do I need to track my food?
Tracking your food has more benefits than you might think. It’s not just about counting calories, it’s also about learning how you feel and creating mindfulness. For strategies relating to portion control click here.
You’ll notice how much, or even how little you eat.
Being able to physically see how much you eat in a day and what exactly you’re eating, will help you notice how much or how little you put in your stomach.
Take the Oreos for example, you may not remember that you eat them every day after lunch because it’s out of habit, but when you write down that you’ve eaten 3 Oreos every day for the past 4 workdays you’ll notice the trend and be able to stop your afternoon sugar kick with some fruit or a healthier snack that fills the void.
Often times we don’t realize the foods we’re eating which can really effect those who are struggling to lose weight.
You’ll be able to look back and see why you’re feeling different than you normally do.
If you feel good one day and then the next feel bloated and sick, you’ll be able to look back at your food log and figure out what’s causing you to feel bloated and sick. Most of the time it’s gluten and dairy. Or it’ll help you figure out if you didn’t eat enough.
You’ll stay more consistent
Tracking what you eat and drink throughout the day will keep you on a consistent eating schedule. We tend to eat around the same time daily but do we remember what we ate throughout the day?
Sometimes I forget that I ate a snack and keep wondering why I’m not hungry for dinner. Keeping track of these snacks and drinks will keep you on a consistent schedule so you’ll always know when to do and drink.
Shows you what you’re doing right
You’ll be so proud of yourself when you see that you ate vegetables for every meal and noticed how you felt afterward. Being able to see what you’re doing correctly will motivate you to keep moving forward and making progress.
As humans, we love being praised for doing a good job, and by seeing what we’re eating and drinking and doing well, we’ll be praising ourselves with rewards of weight loss and better health.
Meal Tracking And Weight Loss
Meal tracking is one of the keys to helping us understand “why you’re not losing weight” – I challenge you to give it a try for at least two weeks to see the difference it makes.
When you finally see what is going into your body, you’ll be able to make the necessary changes and lose the weight you’ve been working so hard to lose.
These tips are not the magic bullet to your problems but I do hope it will hope those of you who are experiencing struggling to lose weight. So, will you give it a try?
For more options on meal tracking apps check out this site for full reviews!
This article was written by Amy Arno, a certified holistic nutritionist, and owner of the blog A Dog and a Life. She is specialized in helping men and women get on a path to eating healthy, losing weight, and living a life they love. Check out her website for more tips on how to start living a healthier life at adogandalife.com or on Instagram @adogandalife
For more information about the details of what your tracked meals mean and how to overcome those stubborn pounds that won’t come off, send me a message on Instagram @Iamandrewblakey or @YourFutureFitnessTraining. I’m always happy to answer any questions you may have!
