Nutrition: Tracking, Portions, and Moderation

First off, I am here to tell you that I am nowhere near perfect at this weightloss stuff! 

One of the things I have been trying to do is track my food. 

Here is an example of one of my tracking sheets:

I also use the Sparkpeople website to log in what I eat. It is quite handy! You can map runs, add workouts, log your meals, log your weigh in, and it will give you feedback on what you've done versus what your goals are. You can also edit your nutrition goals to add in vitamins if you want to see what you might be lacking. Seriously, there is alot you can do on this website!

I have read in so many articles how important tracking your food and workouts are. Research has shown that those who track what they eat are far more successful with weight loss. 

It is also important to track EVERYTHING you eat. 

It is a bit tedious and obnoxious to do but it is good for several reasons:

1. You want an accurate count of what you are eating

2. It will help you see patterns in what you are eating and when, 

so you can spot trouble times and do something to conquer it.

3. It makes you want to eat less, because it sucks when you have to write in 

how many chocolates you've been eating!

4. It teaches you to be honest with yourself nutrition wise.

5. Since you can track nutrients, you can also see what vitamins you are lacking! (and find out what might be the cause of your tiredness or digestive issues!)

I have done it on and off through the years, and there are lots of creative ways to do it. I have heard of some people who take pictures of their plate before they eat it so that they can get a mental picture of what they are eating. The more colorful, the better! 

Here is an example of what your plate should look like:

for a clearer picture and a better description, click here

Half of your plate should be vegetables!! 

Who does that!? It hasn't been me! I am learning all this too, so don't worry! :)

I'll be the first to admit this isn't what I am used to nor am I good at it! I also am a firm believer that you have to include foods you love once in awhile, or you are going to be miserable. Learning moderation and balance is key. I think it is perfectly okay to have some pizza and ice cream once in awhile. What I need to learn is portion control. Have what you love, just don't eat the whole bag of candy or a whole carton of ice cream! 

When I took a nutrition class I was 

blown away at how small one serving seemed!

To give you some examples of what a serving size looks like: 

I am positive all of you reading this have heard these things many times! What I am trying to do is learn how to apply it to my own life! 

That is the tricky part! 

Track your food.

Track everything!

Learn portion control.

Eat in moderation!