Life Beyond Tracking Calories— There’s Hope Yet.
Believe it or not, life does exist beyond tracking your calorie intake! Many people that start tracking see results almost immediately due to the fact it relies on the scientific principles of thermodynamics i.e., energy intake vs energy output. In other words, it works.
However, there can be a dark side to tracking. Generally, but not always, people deemed clinically overweight are consuming too many high calorific foods while leading a lifestyle with a low daily energy expenditure. This is often a result of poor lifestyle choices and bad habits. When you put it like that it seems easy to fix—think again!
The excess weight has usually accumulated over time and puts the person at greater risk of developing life threatening diseases. This is something that has taken place over a long period of time, and centred around bad habits— something we all have. Habits play out differently from person to person, and in this case they often relate to poor food choices, social behaviours, poorly managed emotions, and sometimes trauma. Because of these deep-rooted issues, tracking itself can become another habit— we already know, habits are hard to break— this one is no different.
Thats why tracking should be looked at as a tool. Tracking enables us to make better decisions based on intuition rather than scanning bar codes and typing in numbers—because the knowledge has been learned. Most tracking apps offer a breakdown of the food consumed (e.g., protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins), and this information should be learned and used as the foundation of nutritional education. After all, its not like we’re taught this stuff at school.
After tracking for 3-4 months, you’ll likely have a much better idea of what’s in the food you eat, especially the foods you like and regularly buy. You’ll also get a clear sense of appropriate portion sizes. For example, if you enjoy a particular type of yogurt for breakfast that comes in a large family-size tub (because it’s better value), you probably now know that 3 heaped table spoons equals a 120g serving— thanks to tracking. In that case, do you really need to keep track that food?
The simple answer is no.
Breaking the habit of tracking starts by first viewing it as a learning tool. After that, it becomes something that you can return to when needed, such as when your diet changes. The next step is portion control. This approach allows us to go about our day eating foods you enjoy and regularly consume, ideally bringing good nutrition into your body, without overanalysing every bit of food and needing to report back to an app to see if you’re within your daily allowance.
I will be sending out a separate email with a guide on how to portion control properly, to help get you started, if you think your ready to of course. Even if you’ve never tracked before, this can still be a great starting point for gaining better control over your diet.
