Whether you're trying to lose weight, build muscle, or maintain your weight, there is a lot of value in the actual act of recording what you eat.
Think of it as an investment in your health. It's a behavior that can remind you of your healthy living desires and strategies each and every time you do it.
And it's through these regular and conscious efforts and reminders that new habits are formed, and any behavior that helps you keep your goals and intentions at the forefront of your busy mind is a good one.
Wouldn't you agree?
The point of this should be awareness.
Food logging shouldn't be judgemental. Food diaries aren't there to tell you what you are or aren't allowed to eat.
A food diary is simply a source of information to help inform your decisions, as well as an incredibly powerful habit-building tool.
A food diary can be anything from recording what you're eating using a food logging app, your notes app on your phone, a pen and paper, or just taking photos of everything you eat and drink.
When you're first getting started, it will be helpful to set reminders to complete your daily food diary.
It's best to track your food as you go or beforehand because you might not remember everything that you've eaten throughout the day if you wait to track it until the end of the day.
Learning how to track your food intake properly can be super important as it can be super educational in helping you take control of your health and fitness goals.
Does doing this sound overwhelming to you?
Do you find it hard to track your calories?
It may feel overwhelming if this is your first time tracking your calories.
But anytime you try something new, it will seem complicated until you learn how to do it.
After reading this article, I hope you don't feel so overwhelmed, and tracking calories is easier for you.
Step 1: Determine What You'll Be Using To Track Your Calories
Pick something that is simple and pretty user-friendly.
Here are some Food Logging Apps:
My Fitness Pal
Cronometer (This one is my favorite)
Fat Secret
Lose It
"Do I need to use an app?"
No, you don't. As I mentioned, you can record what you're eating using your notes app on your phone or pen and paper to write everything down.
What you use isn't the most important thing here. It's what is going to help you be consistent in reaching your goals.
Step 2: Start Tracking
After choosing what you'll be using to track your food. Dive right into tracking.
Whatever you decide to use to track your food, ensure you properly look up the foods you are eating.
To ensure you are entering the data correctly and not just eyeballing it, you will need to use a scale and measuring tools like measuring cups and spoons.
You can also simply ask Siri or Google how many calories are in whatever it is you're eating. Now, of course, you'll need to ask it exactly what it is you're eating and the amount that you're eating.
Eating a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios?
(This is without the milk. You'll have to measure,
look up and track the milk separately.)
Eating an Apple?
If you're using your notes app or a pen and paper, make sure you write it down, keep track of it and add everything up.
(Calorie King is a good website to use too.)
What If You Decide To Use An App
If you decide to use an app, create an account, and start by playing around with the app first.
Get used to how you'll be adding in food. Does it have a barcode option so you can scan the foods you eat that have a barcode?
You can also put foods together into meals and save your own recipes on most apps, which will be a huge time saver.
So play around with the app and get used to how it works. Because if you wait until you're cooking or about to eat, you'll probably get frustrated and overwhelmed. You might even want to throw your phone across the room. Especially if you're hungry and all you'll want to do is eat.
Alright, once you've gotten used to the app. (If that's what you decide to use.)
Start tracking everything you eat and drink.
Yes, you'll still need to use a scale and measuring tools like measuring cups and spoons to ensure you are entering the data correctly and not just eyeballing it. Because if you try to estimate your portions, you'll tend to underestimate how much you're eating. You might think your favorite snack is 200 calories when in reality, it might be 500 calories. But you won't know for sure unless you correctly weigh it and track it.
It's going to take practice.
You're going to make mistakes.
Don't expect to be perfect.
You might realize after a few days or a couple of weeks that you might have been tracking something wrong. (No worries, it happens to all of us, especially if you're new to tracking your food.)
This is where most people get frustrated and overwhelmed. But please keep in mind that food tracking is a huge educational tool that will provide you with the knowledge to help you learn the number of calories and nutrients in different foods.
This is where you'll start learning the nutritional value vs. the caloric value of food.
You'll learn what foods have more protein.
What foods are considered a carb.
What foods are considered a fat.
And what foods have both carbs and protein, fats and protein, carbs and fats.
So by doing this and evaluating your food diary, you can learn how to make adjustments. This way, you won't only be able to stick to your calorie target, but you'll also be able to distribute your calories in a way that will fit your lifestyle and your schedule.
You might want to fit in a donut or some ice cream. You might want to save some calories for a few drinks at the end of the day, or you might want to distribute your calories differently one day to save most of your calories for a night out.
If your goal is fat loss, this task is super important as you'll want to try to eat as much food as possible while still being in a calorie deficit, and you'll also want to make sure you are eating enough protein.
And by tracking your calories, you'll be better able to decide which foods will be most beneficial for your goals. It might be beneficial to swap some high-calorie-dense foods for less-calorie-dense foods or less nutritionally dense foods for more nutritionally dense foods.
This task will teach you how to do this and you'll be able to eat more volume for fewer calories.
Easing Into It
When you're first getting started, you don't have to worry so much about making any changes right away, especially if this task overwhelms you. Just start tracking. Remember, this is a tool to bring awareness to your food choices and portions. You can make the needed changes once you're not so overwhelmed with tracking.
One thing that can be overwhelming when tracking your calories is thinking you need to track all your macros (Protein, Carbs, & Fats.)
If your goal is fat loss, start by just tracking your calories and protein, you'll find this much more manageable and way less overwhelming than tracking your overall calories, protein, carbs, and fats.
Option One: Start by just keeping track of your overall calories or just your protein.
Say you start by just tracking your overall calories, don't worry about hitting a protein goal, don't worry about your carb intake, don't worry about your fat intake, just your overall calories and nothing else.
Remember, you're just collecting data.
Or just keep track of your protein intake, nothing else. Just track how much protein you're eating throughout the day.
If you decide to start keeping track of just your calories, after a couple of weeks, start tracking your protein too.
And do the same if you decide to start by tracking just your protein. After a couple of weeks, start tracking your overall calories as well.
Option Two: Start with one meal at a time.
This is another way to ease into tracking your calories so you don't feel so overwhelmed.
Starting with one meal at a time.
(I like this option, and it's an approach I've used with some of my One on One Online Coaching Clients, this is super individualized, so this depends on my client.)
Start by just tracking the calories in your breakfast for 1-2 weeks.
Then add your lunch. Track the calories in your breakfast and lunch for 1-2 weeks.
Then finally, add your dinner. Track the calories in your breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Once you've been tracking all your meals for a couple of weeks, you want to ensure you're tracking everything else, like all your snacks. All the bites, nibbles, bits and pieces you eat here and there. Don't discount anything. They all count.
Did you stop at Starbucks for a Grande Mocha Frappuccino?
Track it.
(Most popular restaurants are in the food database of most popular food tracking apps. So make sure you search for the correct flavor and size you ordered.)
Did you drink a Coke for lunch?
Track it.
(This one should be easy, scan the barcode.)
Did you eat a Snicker Bar for dessert?
Track it.
(Also easy, scan the barcode.)
Only ate half a bag of chips with your lunch but then decided to finish the other half in the afternoon?
(Make sure you update your food tracker from half a serving to 1 serving.)
This brings me to a really good point.
You'll also want to read the nutrition labels to know how many servings you eat or drink.
If a bag of chips has 2 servings and you eat the whole bag, make sure you track 2 servings.
If you eat a bag of M&Ms, make sure you look at the serving size and track it accurately.
By the time you know it, you'll be tracking all your meals, and it won't be so overwhelming.
Here is a final tip to make food tracking easier.
Create a few staple meals that you can alternate between. (For example, 3 breakfast meals, 3 lunch meals, and 3 dinner meals. You can do this with your snacks too.)
This way, you can pre-track your meals and save them in the app. Some apps will let you copy and paste the entire day or specific items, and you can make any needed changes throughout the day.
FAQs
Should you weigh your meat raw or cooked?
If you're doing the cooking and you have the option, weigh it raw, weigh it before you cook it. Now, if you're out at a restaurant or if somebody else is doing the cooking and has already cooked it, the most important thing here is just to track it. So if you're weighing it already cooked, most food trackers have the option to track it either cooked or raw, so make sure you're choosing the correct option. Just know that weighing it raw will be the most accurate.
Should you get a food scale?
Yes, buy a food scale. This way, you can accurately weigh your portions and be able to track them.
How long should I track for? Do I need to do this forever?
No, you don't have to do this forever. But if you spend 30 - 60 days consistently tracking your foods, you will learn an insane amount about the foods you commonly eat and how they impact your fitness progress or lack of progress.
Learning to track your food is one of the best things you can do to take control of your health and fitness progress.
When should I focus on my other macros (Carbs & Fats)?
Honestly, you don't have to if your goal is fat loss. So don't overwhelm yourself with trying to keep track of more numbers.
But if you really want to play around with tracking your macros, it should be easier after you've gotten the hang of tracking your calories and protein.
Should I still track even though my goal isn't weight loss?
Tracking calories isn't just for weight loss. It can be helpful once you get to maintenance as it can help you build habits that are needed for maintenance.
And it can help you when you want to make other changes to your physique, like putting on muscle.
To Conclude
You won't be perfect.
It can be frustrating and overwhelming.
But I hope that the tips I've given you here are helpful and help you to dedicate a minimum of 30 - 60 days consistently tracking your food so you can educate yourself and help take control of your health and fitness goals.
And remember counting calories isn't just for fat loss.
Nor is it something you have to do all the time or forever.
Use tracking your calories as a tool that empowers you and allows you to have control of your health and fitness goals. This tool can be of tremendous help when you're trying to make small meaningful changes to your lifestyle, health, habits, and physique.
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Need help with your fitness goals and creating healthy habits for a healthy lifestyle?
Feel free to reach out. I would love to help.
Coach Deb
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