5 Ways to Track Your Food (and Weight Loss Success)
Hey Angels and Alphas,
If you’ve been trying to lose weight for a while, you know logging your macros and calories is one of the best ways to stay on top of your diet. It’s also one of the best ways to lose weight in a manager manner.
But there’s actually much more to what you can do about your eating habits if you decide to track certain parts of your lifestyle.
Especially if you are able to switch up the metrics that you’re tracking.
Today, we’re going to explore some of the best food tracking strategies that will help you manage your intake and stay equipped with key observations that improve the way you eat.
#1 TRACKING YOUR FIBER INTAKE
Fiber is found in a ton of nutrient-rich foods such as nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, lentils, fruits, and veggies. Experts recommend we get at least 25 grams of fiber (for women) and up to 40 grams of fiber (for men) per day.
Proper diet management through fiber tracking can be a great way to encourage yourself to choose more fiber-rich foods at every meal and snack.
#2 STAY ON TOP OF HUNGER AND FULLNESS
Keeping tabs on your hunger and fullness both before and after you eat can be very revealing. You can simply keep track of this inside the notes section of your food diary. You might be tempted to eat less naturally by learning when you actually get hungry instead of overextending your hunger period and then overeating.
Here’s a heads up: some signs of hunger can be much more subtle than a growling stomach. Some signs might include fatigue, loss of concentration, headaches, and more. We always encourage people to track these trends and learn about their own bodies and their signals of hunger.
#3 COUNTING YOUR COLORS
One of the most unique takes on tracking is to simply pay attention to how many colors you’re eating throughout the day. Especially when it comes to fruits and veggies.
Colors are commonly broken up into five categories. White, purple/blue, green, yellow/orange, and red.
Track how many of these colors you’re eating in a day and set a goal that you’re going to eat as many of these colors every day as possible.
Each of these different colors will likely represent different health-promoting nutrients and antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, fiber, potassium, and so much more.
When you initially begin this form of tracking, you will quickly realize how many colors are completely missing from your diet. And if that’s the case, you should make the effort to pump up your fruit and veggie intake. You can also top your yogurt with various berries, put bell peppers inside pasta, or even make rainbow quinoa for a healthy side dish.
#4 TRACK YOUR MEAL FREQUENCY
Skipping a meal could be a massive problem. It could cause people to fall short of their nutritional goal. It can make it difficult for you to get vital nutrients such as essential minerals, fiber, and protein. Skipping meals especially early in the day can lead to binge eating and food cravings in the evenings.
That’s why you should always track how often you’re eating and when you’re eating your first meal of the day. Make sure you’re making time for at least three meals a day so you can improve your energy levels, boost the quality of your workouts, and maintain balanced blood sugar levels.
#5 WRITE ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS
This practice will equip you with a very powerful tool on your way to weight loss success. Just keep notes in your diary about how you’re feeling before and after you eat a certain food. Keep track of what you’re eating and what emotions are involved in each meal.
Sometimes, you might find that you’re eating out of boredom or cravings instead of actual natural hunger. Understanding how and why you eat something can be detrimental to cleaning up your diet.
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