Day 3 - Track your food... Lick it, Bite it, Eat it, Drink it, Taste it, WRITE IT...!

At one of my first meetings, I met an awesome WW member called Lisa. Lisa had already lost around 17 kgs and was over half way to goal. She had some great tips and tricks for keeping on track and keeping the end result in mind. One of the best bits of advice Lisa and my leader, at the time had said on that night, was to track everything that I ate or drank. I started on that very first day. With the Weight Watchers programme, it was very simple to do. I’m a bit of a technology lover and being able to use my phone to record and track my food/points was easy and hassle free. I have also used a Food Journal which I like, as it fuels my tactile side too. 

But whether you are a Weight Watchers member or not. Tracking your food is very important for successful weight loss. When you write down what you have eaten, you are constantly holding yourself accountable for the amount of food as well as the type of food you are putting into your body. 

It has been well researched and there are solid findings, that people on a weight loss journey, who track their food daily, will lose twice as much weight than those who do not track every day. So, invest in a note book/journal,or  download an app for your smart phone and start recording what you eat and drink. 

I tracked everything that I ate and drank. Every sip, lick, taste, and bite. It was one of the most important tools in my weight-loss armory. It meant I was now in control of my food/eating rather than my eating/food controlling me. That is a great place to be, it is very empowering. 

Furthermore, there are various reasons why it is important to track your food. The obvious is, you will get a clear overview of how much or how little you are eating. But there are other benefits to tracking your food. For me, I found out that my body reacted to certain foods differently. These were foods I once ate all the time. Its a great feeling when your digestive system is calm and in good working order. On the weeks where you don’t lose as much weight, you will have a record of what you ate and you can re-evaluate, reset and plan for the next week. 

Another important thing is... make sure you track your fluids as well. Especially how much water you are drinking. Because if you don’t drink enough throughout the week, there is a high possibility you may weigh heavier at your next weigh in. If your body is not hydrated regularly, it starts to store any fluids it gets and this can amount to a lot of water weight come weigh in day.

Our bodies are complicated, yet amazing machines and in order for them to work at their optimal level, we need to fuel them with good nourishing food and water regularly. 

Today,

I wish you...

The ability to take back the control of your eating and to hold onto that for the rest of your journey and beyond.