Do you want to double your weight loss?
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Did you know that people who track what they eat lose twice as much weight than those that don’t track at all?
It’s highly unlikely that you will be able to count up and remember every single calorie you eat during the day. Calories aside, you may also need to keep track of salt, fat or sugar depending on any medical conditions or nutritional requirements you may have. That’s no easy feat if you are attempting to do it without writing it down or logging it. We all lead really busy lives and we have a lot more things to think about than just counting calories.
So we know that tracking will help but how? Apart from knowing what calories and fat you have eaten, it will also help to keep you focused. If you can see from your food diary, especially one with feedback or a nutritional breakdown, that you have eaten too many calories in one day, you might be more likely to stop overeating or at least rein it in a little. Likewise, if you see by lunchtime that you are nearing your total calorie allowance you will be able to make a more informed choice when it comes to dinner.
Without writing it down or logging your food online it’s just a guessing game, and a dangerous one at that. I’m going to be honest, I have been a little lazy in the past when it comes to tracking, resulting in inconsistent results. The first week I started back on my plan and tracked everything , I lost weight, then the second week I got complacent and I stayed the same. This hit and miss tracking went on for a few weeks and my results varied. But varied is not what I wanted , I wanted a steady decline and not that roller coaster effect of up and down week in week out.
It’s not as if it takes up a lot of time but if you are not in the position to track there and then you need to have a way to remember it. Most if us have a camera on our phones so why not take a quick snapshot of what you eat or write it down in a notebook or log it on the notes section of your phone if you can? Then you can log it in your food diary later. Or if you are on a set diet plan print it off so you can refer to it during the day and even go as far as ticking off what you eat.
Either way, whatever you do, make sure you can remember or log EVERYTHING you eat and drink. We often forget (I certainly do) about the cups of tea and coffee which includes sugar and milk. They all have calories, fat and sugar so we need to be mindful of them. Sometimes we eat in such a hurry or in such an unconscious way, like at our desks while surfing the net or while watching TV, that we simply forget what we have eaten. We are only human and busy ones at that so it’s natural to forget about that packet of crisps at the bus stop or that extra piece of bread in the morning. But the bad news is; they add up.Guessing and forgetting can be a dieter's biggest downfall. So try to find a way to track that suits you and your lifestyle. Whether you write it down, use our mobile site or even take a snapshot on your phone. Diet and health TV programmes use the shock factor by laying out all the food someone eats in a week. The person is always completely surprising and shocked but that reality check is often the best thing for them. Being in control is about knowing what you put in your mouth and giving up the guessing game.
So lets play a little game, how many calories do you think is in a plain white wrap with breaded chicken breast ,cheese, salad and mayo? The type you might grab at a garage or café.
Kind regards,
Julie Fitzgerald
My Page
Hey everyone, I am delighetd you like my blog. The wrap actually had 687 calories in it plus 38grams of fat and 41grams of carbs. Needless to say that is very high for a quick lunch. This week I have tracked every single thing I have eaten but I noticed on 2 days I didn’t eat enough calories. The problem with this is, you can put your body into starvation mode as it doesn't know if you will give it enough to survive so it stores every little thing.
Comment by JULESDUB -
Yes, 900 or 1000 cals.
Comment by LAURAMARTZ2 -
Really great article, Julie. I've been a bit lax in tracking this week and, as you say, it's hard to remember exactly. My gratest wieght lose was week 1 when I tracked every possible morsal and followed every meal to the letter. It's still the best diet plan I've been on, soo much support and help.
Comment by POPPETSOCKET -
Interesting stuff - Am going to keep a Food Diary on my Laptop from today!
Comment by RUTHYB10 -
I thought about 500
Comment by CHELJAME -
I think about 550 calories
Comment by JILLGRIFFIN -
I do track faithfully every day........but, I forgot all about the extra milk in coffee!!
Comment by EILEEN1929 -
Hi Julie,
Great article. Until I joined the GI plan I had no idea that I was eating at least 3 times my daily allowance - Yes nearly 5400 and couldnt understand why I wasnt losing weight and the scales were just creeping up. Now thanks to Tescodiets I have total control about what I consume and I find that when out and on the go I make infinitely better choices for myself! I am going to say that the above is at least 1000 calories esp with the quantities that they use. :-)
Comment by LEEANNE100 -