Are you someone that tracks every bite or sip that goes into your mouth? Or are you more on the slack side? Everyone can have a different opinion. I find when starting out tracking that sometimes it can lead me to binge. I have also tried to do a food journal, but that does me the same way. This time I knew it was time to get things under control. I have a wild 5-year old that needs and wants me to play with him. He’s an only child and that can be tough in itself so I need to have the energy to be able to play with him.
I decided it was time to just push through and do it. I started over and yes the first few days were a little rough, but I kept going. I am now able to track and just go on with my day without a second thought. Tracking can be time-consuming but once you have your recipes and go-to foods in your database it will become quicker and like second nature. If you are having trouble getting into the tracking I urge you to push through. Give it 21 days of honest tracking and see what happens for you. It takes 21 days to turn something into a habit. After 21 days if tracking is still not for you well at least you have given it a fair chance. I mean, it’s just 21 days, right?
Here are some tips that may make things easier and quicker:
Make things you eat often into a recipe so it’s just a click and done. Have the same thing in your coffee every morning? Make a recipe for your coffee with ingredients. That way you just have to click coffee and bam, it’s tracked.
Pre-track- If you have more time at night and already know what you are going to have the next day then sit down at night and pre-track it all. Then you can edit things as the day goes on if plans change. Did your day get super busy and you literally don’t have the time to track as you go then snap a picture of what you’re eating and then you can look back at it and track it when you have a little more time. This may not be the strictest strategy since you may forget precise measurements of things like condiments, but it’s better than nothing getting tracked at all. And, if you have tracked your usual items then they should be in your favorites already. For instance, I eat the same thing on my burgers so I have a recipe for condiments. I eat mayo, mustard, and ketchup on any burger and a hot dog so I already have it there instead of trying to put it all in independently.
There are many benefits to tracking. If you haven’t been doing it consistently give it another try. What do you have to lose? A few extra minutes a day. Maybe, something I have said has hit home with you. YOU can DO this! Take that little bit of extra time for yourself today. You deserve it!
Author: Kerri Norris
