Track all the time

[Penny]

If you really want a weight loss diary to work, you need to be committed to logging your entries on a regular basis. This doesn't mean just once a day, but after every time you eat. And I mean EVERY time you eat, even if it's a few almonds as a snack. Everything you put in your body matters when it comes to tracking your calories. If you want to lose weight, you can't bust through your calorie limit. It's that simple. Yes, it's annoying to have to track that much, but it becomes easier and you will see weight loss if you do it. It's important to be Committed!

[lia]

You're very, very right. When I first started tracking, I was stupidly only recording my meals and wasn't paying attention to all the other little snacks I was eating. Even one almond is enough to be problematic when you're trying to stick to a calorie limit. Yeah, it won't matter for one day, but if you always have that one extra almond or one extra little something else, over time it all adds up and these little add ups that you're not recording could be the reason that you're not making great weight loss progress.

[tara]

I admit that I track my meals but I don't track every snack I eat down to the last almond. Honestly, I think that's a little overkill.

[treehuggertodd]

Yes tracking all the time and tracking everything is the only way to do it. If you don't, you're only cheating yourself. Remember, you're not trying to hide how much you eat from yourself, so the more honest you can be with everything you do, the better your chances of losing weight.

[Mike]

I gotta say, tracking all the time does make sense, for sure. That said, I can see why so many people don't do it. It's a serious nuisance and I find it really wrecks your overall healthy relationship with eating. You can't enjoy what you eat because you have to constantly think about what your putting in your body, how much of it you're putting in your body and what it means for your weight and health. It's discouraging and I find it makes you feel guilty a lot.

[Penny]

I gotta say, tracking all the time does make sense, for sure. That said, I can see why so many people don't do it. It's a serious nuisance and I find it really wrecks your overall healthy relationship with eating. You can't enjoy what you eat because you have to constantly think about what your putting in your body, how much of it you're putting in your body and what it means for your weight and health. It's discouraging and I find it makes you feel guilty a lot.

I completely understand. That said, it's important to try to think of it in a positive way, like you're learning about the foods you eat and how you consume them. You don't have to feel guilty. You're developing a strategy which takes change and takes time. Eventually, once you understand how much of what you put in your body, you won't need to track anymore, you'll just know what you need. because you'll have built the habit :)