Have you used an app to track your weight loss but find it defeating and it gives you anxiety?
If so, I feel you. Almost every single one of my weight loss clients have used a tracking app before working together. Seeing the numbers go in the red or negative can be distressing and it can feel like the app is controlling what you can/cannot eat but it doesn’t have to be that way! I’m sharing how tracking your food for weight loss can be empowering!
Imagine how it would feel to be proud of what you’re eating, how good you’d feel that those beautiful clothes fit perfectly, again, now, how good it feels to know how to make healthy food choices that you are proud of, how confident you’d feel in your body, seeing the number on the scale change…all while enjoy the foods you love! I’d say all this is pretty amazing and no, it doesn’t have to be farfetched.
Have you used an app to track your weight loss but find it defeating and it gives you anxiety?
If so, I feel you. Almost every single one of my weight loss clients have used a tracking app before working together. Seeing the numbers go in the red or negative can be distressing and it can feel like the app is controlling what you can/cannot eat but it doesn’t have to be that way! I’m sharing how tracking your food for weight loss can be empowering!
Imagine how it would feel to be proud of what you’re eating, how good you’d feel that those beautiful clothes fit perfectly, again, now, how good it feels to know how to make healthy food choices that you are proud of, how confident you’d feel in your body, seeing the number on the scale change…all while enjoy the foods you love! I’d say all this is pretty amazing and no, it doesn’t have to be farfetched.
Part of reaching this goal is by being in a calorie deficit, another part is working on the mental game to achieve that. FYI- I also talk about 3 mindset shifts for weight loss in this video here.
By having you understand how to use the tools to reach your weight loss goals and keep it off- you are in the driver seat and taking ownership in understanding how to manage your eating for weight loss. In this video, I tell you how to change your mindset and practical things to do to change the way you think about food tracking to have you be successful.
I want you to take an objective perspective about food tracking. This means to not put emotions towards it but just as a means of collecting information that you can tweak. It’s like doing a science project in school, you just gather the facts or results and then interpret it. That’s what I want you to do with your food tracking.
Tracking food is tracking data. It’s truly what it is. Food information is just factual nutrition information. It’s not made up by anyone. How nutrition information (calories, protein, carbs, protein, fat, and vitamins/minerals) of a food is determined is by sending the food item to a lab and they use a machine called a calorimeter to measure the energy released in a chemical reaction (and other similar machines for the other nutritents) or the food company would use a software program to input the ingredients to generate the nutrition information. When I worked for food companies like SunRype (juice company) and Yves Veggie Cuisine, both methods were used.
So essentially, I’m saying that the data generated is factual and there’s no emotions involved. A chocolate bar might just be 180 calories and it’s just fact. The connotations like it being “junk food” or “bad” is what you place onto it.
If you’re starting to track food, track your day and use it as data generation.
Then, evaluate the data. Look at your data with a neutral perspective. The data is there to help you evaluate and make choices about your future. Remember, lasting weight loss starts and ends with making small, lasting shifts to your eating habits. You don’t need to do a complete 180 with your eating to lose weight, in fact, this is highly not recommended. When I work with my clients, we make changes to your CURRENT diet and make recommendations based on foods you LIKE to eat.
Ask yourself what/how are you eating that is out of comfort or convenience? Are you stress eating on autopilot, are you overeating to numb frustration from work, or are you reaching for snacks to kill boredom. Be honest with yourself.
Keep in mind this is an EXPANSIVE process. It’s helping you expand to who you want to be, living in the body you want, making the healthy food choices YOU Want. So really, what is truly happening?
Remember, the first steps to lasting change is awareness. Let yourself be aware.
This is a good point to remind yourself about why you are doing this- what is the big goal you want to achieve, losing that 20, 30, 50 or more lbs in a healthy, sustainable way? Why is it important to you- you want to be healthy, live longer, better, or maybe it’s to love the way you look and feel about your body and food choices or maybe it’s BOTH!
This can change your perspective because what you are doing is for reaching a greater level of who you want to be.
Then, ask yourself what is the next level for you?
What do you have to do to get to your weight loss goals, from looking at your food tracking data? Again, small changes over time leads to big results.
Does this mean changing your evening routine to include a walk or easy yoga exercise instead of snacking and TV watching? This can help you feel more relaxed and connected with your body- maybe that’s what you need to turn down the evening.
Or maybe, switching up your afternoon snack to be healthier, more satiating and satisfying to keep you feeling fuller, longer. It’s not about small portions, that’s boring and unsatisfying. It’s about eating more and better for you. I have a healthy and energizing mix and match snack idea cheat sheet that you can download for free, the link is in the description!
See where in your food tracking and lifestyle you can ADD more to your eating and living. It’s not about taking away, it’s adding MORE to fill you up- emotionally and physically!
What is where you are with your eating, thinking, and weight a reflection of?
What are you willing to shift out of convenience and comfort of your current beliefs to achieve the weight loss goals you imaged for yourself?
Make that commitment to take action to move beyond convenience and comfort.
Food tracking is a powerful tool to help you reflect on where you are now and what you can do to move out of conveinece and comfort! The only person who can fully manage your eating to reach your goals is YOU, take ownership of this and feel into the power you have!
Ready to lose weight for good with personalized coaching? Apply for weight loss coaching and let’s chat!
