Wednesday 26 February 2014

Tracking food and exercise


You will always find me with a notebook and a pen or sometimes I am using my laptop/tablet...I am always used to putting down my thoughts so when I read about writing down my food and exercise it was not too much of a hassle for me. In fact journaling was one of the easier things of weight loss for me but I noticed for a lot of people it’s difficult, they find it tedious. I have had many people saying they don’t agree with tracking food this post is about why I feel tracking food & my workouts helps me
  1. You really don’t know how much you are eating or working out  till you don’t note everything :  Every time I would start a new plan the only thing I would keep in mind is the date I started my plan and the actual plan then after a month I would look forward to great result without realising in the last month there were many days when I was side tracked. Days when instead of working out for 1 hr I would get back home in half hour but in my mind I was still on track. There were days when I would have a muffin or nibble on something unhealthy without realising that I was not sticking to my plan because in my mind was still eating properly for the remaining meals or because I was still eating less than I used to but the fact was I was again not on track. All this would definitely reflect in my results and the result would never be as expected because my effort was never as planned. From the time I started writing down everything I could judge my results properly based on my actual effort, instead of being disappointed I was usually happier because I was measuring the actual effort rather than imagining one.
  2. Get to know yourself better : There are days when I don’t feel like working out or days when I have less self control or I find it easier to give up on certain things than others. When I started tracking everything down I realized I was eating more bread than I imagined (eggs and bread, soup and bread, salad and bread so I was eating healthy accompanied with lots of unhealthy bread). Even now I noticed I have no control over eating nuts and dates. I know they are healthy but I can eat the entire packet without even realizing. I noticed I prefer working out when I know what I have planned I am not used to working out without a plan, if I have no plan I find it difficult to get a workout done. Also I know there are certain times during the day when I want to eat something sweet so I will always keep something healthy and sweet around to avoid eating something unhealthy.Because of noting everything down I learned all this new stuff about myself and it has helped me with making plans which are easier for me to follow.Noting everything down helped me understand my triggers and patterns. I understood myself better.
  3. It’s like a daily report : At end of my day I can see where I went wrong or where I did better and I can use this to improve the next day.Everyday becomes a new day to do my best.
Is it really tedious? 
No it’s not. You don’t have to start with writing down calories or the detailed nutrient list. Start with just noting down everything you eat. Once you are used to just writing down your food then start with adding details. Usually most of us stick to our eating habits so after a few months you will know your calories too or if you don’t like writing things down use one of the Mobile apps (I use MyFitnessPal, CardioTrainer & most recently Fitbit). For me it definitely worth the little effort.
What do you think? Do you agree with noting your food and workouts or do you use some other means to stay on track?

Keep Reading I will Keep Writing 
Tanvee

17 comments:

  1. I agree! I start to get off track with my eating, logging my menu is the easiest way to get on track. I use an online tracker for my menu, but carry a notebook to track my workouts. It's easy to take to the gym and have my routine for the day with me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do both I have a notebook and I keep track on my phone just so I don't miss anything.. :) :)

      Delete
  2. I am also of the opinion that its tedious. But after reading your approach of first starting with writing down what u eat daily and then track it analyse it and then go to calories seems to be a good approach. Will try it. Let me see how is t goes. Tks for a nice blog. How is ur marries lifr ? Any change u see in your self, I think its close to 2 months now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you should give it a try...just start with basics not too many details..that's always easy and then slowly get into details...let me know how that goes..
      yes 2 months today :) no change I am still the same :) :)

      Delete
  3. I definitely see the difference after tracking all the time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. me too...helps me to see everything written down..grt going with your weight watchers :)

      Delete
  4. I definitely thing it's helpful and important. I usually start off really well, and then for some reason just can't keep up. You're totally right though, it really doesn't take much effort -- and it's worth putting in the time :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so used to writing stuff down sometimes my food makes it to my to-do list and in the night before I sleep I will log everything on my fitness pal :)

      Delete
  5. Hi Tanvee

    I think when we start off on a different path - lifestyle, exercise etc in the early days it is so helpful to keep notes. Of course whether we keep up with it is a personal choice. For me once I know something works I don't need notes but each to our own.

    Hope you're doing well - you certainly seem to be

    Take Care

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I understand what you are saying at some point in life you understand what works for you and you get used to eating the right amount and the right kind of food....I still keep track but I know my calories at the back of my mind I don't need to go looking for specific calories because I have an idea after tracking the same things for so long :)
      I hope you are doing well Jan :) I am doing good, thank you for asking

      Delete
  6. I didn't track calories/food when I was losing weight every day. I did it every so often. I know it is a very valuable tool and can make a huge difference because you know what you are eating and how much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think this was one of the easiest and most useful weight loss tools

      Delete
  7. I always track. Yes there are times I guestimate my calories, but it is not very practical for me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. estimating is the worst it's like not tracking....

      Delete
  8. A very thoughtful post.... Maybe I should start tracking too... :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You must try tracking it is one of the most useful weightloss tools :)

      Delete
  9. Excellent...Although this is about exercise, I would like to add that I have personally never had performance decreases in weightlifting or sprinting with high fat (my endurance is awful regardless of diet).

    ReplyDelete