Let’s face it —losing weight can seem like an uphill battle. From the dieting to the exercise, things can seem totally daunting. But, with some easy to squeeze in workouts and meal tracking hacks, you can do away with all the stress that normally comes with weight loss plans.
So, if you thought that meal tracking was a thing of the past, think again. Meal tracking is still one of the ultimate weight loss hacks you can have in your arsenal of healthy living tricks. In fact, a study found that keeping a food diary could actually double your weight loss success!
With this being such an important weight loss hack, we’re breaking down exactly why logging your meals can serve as a valuable tool, and how it may just make all the difference in the food choices you make.
Why Meal Tracking is Important & How it Affects Your Food Choices
Meal tracking is important for a few reasons. For one, it’s a physical way of actually showing you what you eat on a day to day basis. This is huge for all of us ladies who struggle with mindless eating. But, when we actually take the time to log every bite we put into our mouths, we become that much more aware of our food choices and how it may just be impacting our health.
On that same note, meal tracking is also an ah-mazing way to help you keep your portions in check. Have the rule that if you take even just one bite, you have to log it. If you know you have to log the food you are about to eat, you may be way less likely to overindulge. After all, we all want to look back at our food log for the day and feel accomplished, right?
It becomes a bit of a self-challenge (in a good way!) And don’t worry—food tracking doesn’t have to be forever, but it certainly helps give us that little kick in the booty we all need when first starting a new healthy eating journey.
And, while we’re talking about healthy eating habits, let’s talk about the fact that meal tracking can most def help keep us on track.
By simply logging everything you eat, you can reflect back on what’s working and what’s not. You can make tweaks to your food intake, which suddenly becomes 10 times easier when you have all of your meals for the day logged right in front of you.
The Best Ways to Track Your Food
Ok, so we know that meal tracking is pretty much one of the best-kept secrets when it comes to weight loss, but how do you do it?
Here are three really easy ways to make sure you are logging each bite you take.
#1 Food Journaling
Grab a journal that’s strictly dedicated to meal tracking and keep it in your bag everywhere you go. Write out everything you eat and drink from the time you get up to the time you go to bed. At the end of the day, you can simply look back at your daily log and reflect on what meal choices are supporting your weight loss goals, and which may need to be tweaked a bit.
Food journaling is great because it doesn’t require you to be tech-savvy. Just pull out your journal and log!
#2 Food Tracking Apps
As we enter 2020, the world really is becoming more and more digital before our eyes. Food tracking apps may make a great complement to your current FitOn workout routine. Just log into your app and log your food intake every time you sit down to eat.
This is definitely the preferred way for millennials or anyone who would rather have everything they need in their phones.
Some great food tracking apps we love include Lose it!, Fat Secret, and Cron-o-Meter.
#3 When in a Pinch, Just Use Pen & Paper
And, when all else fails, just use pen and paper (or your notes section in your phone). Don’t let not having your app open and handy or not having your food journal with you be the reason you forget to log a meal.
Grab a piece of paper, post-it note, or even a napkin, and just jot down what you ate. You can always transfer it to your preferred meal tracking log later!
Make Meal Tracking Your Weight Loss Secret Weapon
Do away with the idea that meal tracking is a thing of the past. It’s actually one of those weight loss secret weapons we all could benefit from. Oh, and if you aren’t trying to lose weight, it’s still an awesome way to clean up your food choices.
So, give it a try. It may just become that hack you needed to get you to your goal crushing potential.
