You’ve finally decided to start your weight loss journey, but what’s next? While good intentions are all fine and dandy, it’s important to have a plan. Will you focus on workouts? Will you implement any dietary changes? Or both? So many questions and even more dilemmas. One thing everyone seems to agree on is that tracking your food intake is a must.
It’s perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed at this point, but don't worry — we've got you covered. We’ll be discussing reasons why you should pick up this habit, what the benefits of a weight loss tracker app are, how you can achieve visible results, and more.
Benefits of Tracking Food Intake
No matter what your motivation for losing weight is — whether you just want to tone your body or become healthier overall — knowing what your food intake consists of is a great starting point that will enable you to gauge your progress over time. The benefits are numerous, and we’ll cover the most important ones in the following section.
Improved Awareness Of Eating Habits
Tracking your food habits, be it through a weight loss tracker app or a food journal, leads to an elevated level of awareness. You’ll uncover the number of calories you consume, where they come from, whether you’re eating too little or too much, how to balance your macronutrients better, and more. With this type of knowledge, you’ll be able to make adjustments more easily and achieve your nutrition goals in no time.
Increased Accountability
Taking responsibility is another important aspect of your dietary regime. Holding yourself accountable for your actions will help you maintain consistency. Monitoring your food habits will help you see how diligently you’ve been sticking to your initial weight loss plans.
More Accurate Calorie Counting
If you’ve decided to use a weight loss goal calculator, you probably know by now what your daily calorie count should be. However, counting them in a systematic manner is a different story altogether. Most people think they had breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, what they seem to forget is the little snacks they grabbed along the way. This is where food tracking saves the day, as it paints a realistic picture of what you are eating.
Methods of Tracking Food Intake:
Being mindful of our eating habits might sound like another passing trend, but it’s so much more. It helps us put our practices into perspective, playing a crucial role in whether our weight loss journey succeeds. For that reason, this section will tackle various ways to track your food intake efficiently.
Writing in a journal — Journaling has always been popular, and for a good reason. In this case, it can help you remember what you’ve eaten and track your calorie intake along with the amount of food you’ve been consuming (too much or too little). As long as you’re consistent, a food journal can prove to be a very useful ally.
Using a food tracking app — If diaries aren’t your thing, you could try an app. There’s plenty of software to support you in your endeavors, from a macro calculator for fat loss to food-tracking apps. Similarly to the journal, you’ll become more mindful of your dietary habits and have all the info within reach at all times.
Keeping a mental log — If neither of these methods works, you could always try to keep a mental log of the food you eat. However, remembering every single detail can prove taxing, and you might even forget to account for an occasional snack or two.
Tips for Effective Food Tracking
We’re slowly coming to the end of this post, so it’s high time we shared some useful tips and tricks on how to track your food intake more effectively.
It's All About Consistency
Consistency is key in your weight loss journey. Once you start, you’ll see how challenging it can be to create long-term food habits. However, the better you track your food intake, the more likely you are to achieve your goal. It may seem difficult at first, but once you get the hang of the process, it’ll become second nature.
Rely on Technology
Technology is there to make your life easier, so why not use it to its fullest potential? Whether you opt for a lose weight calculator or a smart scale, you'll be on your way towards your goal. For instance, the Eros Smart Body Fat Scale keeps track of 13 different metrics, including water, muscle, bone mass, BMI, and BMR. Together with your food tracker, these data can show you how much progress you’ve made.
Provide Specifics
Try to be as detailed as possible when you input data. Don’t skip entries just because you feel bad that you ate that bag of chips. Once you learn to be realistic, you’ll see where your most troublesome points are, and you’ll be able to make adjustments in no time.
Plan Ahead
Meal prepping has been a thing for a while, mainly because it is helpful, especially if you’re on a weight loss journey. By planning every one of your meals, you can carefully distribute the number of calories and reach your nutritional goals with ease.
Bottom Line
Weight loss is not an easy endeavor, but with regular workouts, food tracking habits, and the help of technology like a weight loss calculator or INEVIFIT’s Eros, your dream body is just around the corner. Remember to be consistent and not give up upon seeing the first hurdle. We’re rooting for you!