I know the food tracking posts are kind of boring, but keeping a daily journal of exactly what you are eating is very helpful in really understanding two things...
First, it helps you really be conscious of what you are putting into your body...the little cookie here or the extra helping of pasta there, or the impulse buy of a Cadbury Cream Egg....those little things that we often do not really think about are then brought to the forefront. It also helps us understand when we are not making the best food choices, and gives us the chance to evaluate WHY we are eating what we eat at the times that we are eating them. Being conscious of what you are eating is half the battle, as life tends to be so hectic and so many different things are pulling our attention, that many of us are just not aware of what we are snacking on, especially those of us who are emotional eaters and use food to temporarily soothe stress, anger, frustration, depression, fear, or whatever else may arise.
Secondly, food tracking gives us a starting point to build a better eating plan that really reflects both your individual likes and your individual need for food at times that may not fit the norm. Do you avoid breakfast but eat a big nighttime snack? Changing THAT habit while changing WHAT you eat may set you up for more struggle than you bargain for. So you can see your patterns and make small changes in WHAT you eat WHEN, like ensuring a small volume but heartier breakfast (a complete instant breakfast shake, or one egg with one slice of toast, or yogurt with oatmeal and fruit) and a big but lighter late night snack (2 -3 cups of air popped popcorn (spray with a butter spray and sprinkle on some adobo or other flavorful spice blend) and an apple). That way you are getting something good in the morning to stimulate your metabolism and start to change the habit (heck even a slice of toast with peanut butter is better than nothing---just always make sure you have both carbs AND protein). AND your habit of a full stomach at night does not have to disappear, it can just change into a lower calorie snack than say a piece of cake or an ice cream sundae.
It is not easy to change...and changing both eating pattern habits AND what you eat at the same time can make it harder. Baby steps. You are not going to safely lose 80 pounds in 80 days, and if you do, the chances of keeping it off and having made true lasting changes are less likely. It also is not going to help if you get super frustrated a week into changing your eating habits and throw the whole idea away. A big part of the reason I share what I eat in my food tracking is because a lot of people out there are a lot like me....over 100 pounds overweight, dealing with more issues than just over eating, you don't get this heavy without underlying issues--both physical and mental/emotional. Eating is like a drug used to self medicate an over-stressed life. There may be an underlying challenge of neuro-chemicals being off causing clinical depression or clinical anxiety or both. There may be underlying metabolic issues with genetic causes that are made worse by lifestyle and eating habits, like metabolic syndrome, diabetes, or digestive issues. There may be so much going on in life that taking care of yourself has just been pushed to the back burner for so long and getting back to caring for your health and your body is a hard habit to get into.
So I share my story, which is a success story, and in the end will be an amazing success story, because I don't document just my successes, I am documenting all of the fits and starts, the backsliding, the two steps forward, two steps back dance. I document it because there are those out there who are where I was a few years ago, feeling like they want to start, but feeling like they will fail. They need to know that it is okay to make a slow start. It is okay to keep making the same goal and NEVER giving up even if you are not making visible progress. Some people change their mind and it changes their life within a few months. My mind must be complex because I change my mind and set out to change my life and I have to do it many times in many layers, but the whole time is actually progress, because at each set back, I learn something new about myself, I gain a deeper understanding of who I am and why I do what I do, and I am able to set better goals for myself. I am more accepting of myself NOW than I was 3 years ago when I started this blog. I have needed the longer process because until you can accept yourself, no matter how many changes you make, you will never be happy with who you are. NOW I am in a position where I want to get HEALTHY--not thin, not beautiful, not something external...I value WHO I am, and from this position now, I am committing, one day at a time, to making better choices.
Sure, some days I will eat less healthy, and some days I will be the poster child of the healthy eating. And i am okay with both, because every day is a new day, and every choice is a conscious choice, which gives a totally amazing experience of life. So yeah, some days I am going to eat a Cadbury Egg, and I am going to savor it, and I am going to do it fully aware of what I am doing and why I am doing it. And some days I am going to eat a big helping of Kale with a nice piece of fish, and I am going to savor it and enjoy it, being fully aware of what I am doing. I might even do the two on the same day. And i know that I have the CHOICE. It is a CHOICE, not an impulse, not a diet, not a habit, not a restriction, not a cheat....I make my choices, I take responsibility for them, I live with them, and I am more aware of who I am....NOW, from this knowing, I can make any changes I choose to, the changes that transform my life and the lives of those around me, for no-one is an island, everything we do, affects those around us. So I keep going, keep transforming, fast sometimes, slow sometimes, like punctuated equilibrium, it is an evolution where things remain apparently the same fora long time and then suddenly a whole bunch of changes happen at once. Those period of quiet continuance are a time of a lot going on behind the scenes, things we can not see or are not aware of. And when everything is lined up, and the right catalyst or stressor or change occurs, it sets off a cascade right down the line. SO change seems to happen quickly, transformation seems easy and fast. I am here to tell all of my readers, transformation happens, and it is those times of lining everything up--mentally, spiritually, physically, energetically--those are the times that are vital to transformation, those are the building blocks that are paving the road for transformation. True transformation needs those times or gaining focus and awareness. It is a time of awakening. Do not be discouraged if you are backsliding, or not moving forward or moving forward more slowly than you want to be. It is all part of the process, just stay on the road and you will get there, sometimes the road is windy with potholes and unexpected road work and dead ends requiring you to back track and take a different route, and sometimes it is like a highway through Illinois with a 75 mile an hour speed. Just keep going, as long as you keep going, you will get there.
And here are my last 2 days of food tracking, with its ups and downs:
Tuesday January 28
Breakfast
| Calories Carbs Fat Protein
|
| BREAKFAST TOTALS: | 509 | 34 | 26 | 33 |
| BREAKFAST GOALS: | 315 - 403 | 39 - 50 | 11 - 13 | 16 - 20 |
Lunch
| Calories Carbs Fat Protein
|
| LUNCH GOALS: | 315 - 403 | 39 - 50 | 11 - 13 | 16 - 20 |
Dinner
| Calories Carbs Fat Protein
|
| DINNER GOALS: | 315 - 403 | 39 - 50 | 11 - 13 | 16 - 20 |
Snack
| Calories Carbs Fat Protein
|
| SNACK GOALS: | 158 - 201 | 20 - 25 | 5 - 7 | 8 - 10 |
Snack 2
| Calories Carbs Fat Protein
|
| SNACK 2 GOALS: | 158 - 201 | 20 - 25 | 5 - 7 | 8 - 10 |
|
| CALORIES | CARBS | FAT | PROTEIN |
| Totals: | 2,092 | 211 | 103 | 88 |
| Your Daily Goal: | 1,260 - 1,610 | 158 - 201 | 42 - 54 | 63 - 81 |
| Remaining Today: | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Water Tracker 
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and Wednesday January 29
Breakfast
| Calories Carbs Fat Protein
|
| BREAKFAST TOTALS: | 531 | 34 | 28 | 33 |
| BREAKFAST GOALS: | 368 - 455 | 46 - 57 | 12 - 15 | 18 - 23 |
Lunch
| Calories Carbs Fat Protein
|
| LUNCH GOALS: | 368 - 455 | 46 - 57 | 12 - 15 | 18 - 23 |
Dinner
| Calories Carbs Fat Protein
|
| DINNER GOALS: | 368 - 455 | 46 - 57 | 12 - 15 | 18 - 23 |
Snack
| Calories Carbs Fat Protein
|
| SNACK GOALS: | 184 - 228 | 23 - 28 | 6 - 8 | 9 - 11 |
Snack 2
| Calories Carbs Fat Protein
|
| SNACK 2 GOALS: | 184 - 228 | 23 - 28 | 6 - 8 | 9 - 11 |
|
| CALORIES | CARBS | FAT | PROTEIN |
| Totals: | 1,679 | 120 | 80 | 123 |
| Your Daily Goal: | 1,470 - 1,820 | 184 - 228 | 49 - 61 | 74 - 91 |
| Remaining Today: | 0 - 141 | 63 - 107 | 0 | 0 |
