I have stated many times how important it has been for me to keep track of my calories and my exercise. I have even done a post for which apps do it best.
What I haven't done is really explain why you should...
Now if your doing keto or paleo or some kind of special diet you may think you can skip this part since your focus isn't on the calories it's self but your wrong. There are so many reasons to log your food other than calorie counting.
So EVERYBODY listen up...
I live in a 1800 calorie a day world not because I am dieting but because I am eating better. I don't consider what I do a diet since I don't deny myself things and I plan to eat this way for life. I'm not getting thin so I can eat a whole pizza without judgment I am getting healthy so my life can be filled with more memories and less days on the couch amongst a million other reasons but that's another post lol...
1800 calories is what my body needs right now to function correctly.
Before I started to look at foods and calories I knew things were bad just not how bad. A simple slice of pizza can be 300 calories or more. I guarantee there are days I ate more in one setting then 3 days worth of my calories combined.
Even things you think are good for you like turkey sandwiches and salads can be filled with so many calories you will have wished you just ate the pizza.
The NUMBER ONE mistake someone can make when trying to lose weight is that they under estimate the number of calories they consume and over estimate the number they burn.
Keeping a food and exercise log will help you become more mindful of what you are actually putting into your body as well as what your putting out. You will be so shocked how many calories we actually consume completely without thought as well as how little we burn when we think we must have burned thousands.
Keeping logs can help you understand the source of your calories. Maybe your only eating 1800 calories a day but when 70% is from carbs it does nothing but make you hungry and sluggish. By keeping a log you can see just how many proteins carbs and fats you are ingesting and adjust accordingly.
Some days I have to use my food log to make sure I'm eating enough. It's such a strange feeling to have to make sure your eating enough but if your body doesn't meet a certain number of calories it will start to store fat because it thinks your starving.
I had no sense of portion control and over ate at every single meal until I started logging. I made ridiculous amounts of food and always felt so blah after I ate. Now I can make a balanced plate that has me feeling full without a food hangover.
Food logging has also showed me that there are times when I just binge ate. I would literally eat massive amounts just from boredom or emotional reasons. Once I started keeping track and being mindful I was able to identify the fact that I wasn't hungry I was just in my feels or super bored. Being mindful I can now redirect.
Logging your exercises can be a really great way to stay motivated as well as helping you to see progress in other no scale related ways.
Logging is an amazing tool if used correctly.
Don't Lie to your log!!!
Let it be a tool for you to check and always be making improvements.
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