True confession time.
Since March, I’ve been living in my athletic wear. I mean, who doesn’t love elastic
waistbands?? And, seriously, why were skinny jeans ever a thing anyway???
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, when I had to speak in public for the first time in
many, many months.
This was not an athletic wear situation…
So to my closet I went. I found my favorite dress pants, dusted them off (like, for real
dusted them off…they had actual hanger dust on them!), held my breath, and put them
on.
And yes. They did go on.
But man, I don’t remember them being so…
Tight.
Anyone else??
Okay, so maybe the quarantine-fifteen is a real thing. Or maybe perhaps, it’s the curse
of the elastic waist….
Whatever it is, I opted for a nice flowy dress that day. I then realized that perhaps I
haven’t been as disciplined on my diet as I should have been over these last few
months.
This is when I decided to try food journaling!
What is food journaling, you ask?
Well, in my humble opinion, keeping a food journal is one of the most helpful tools to
help you achieve your nutrition-related goals.
Not only can it help with, er, weight management, but it can also help you identify food
allergies, manage blood sugar, and optimize athletic performance!
If you’ve never tried it before, here are some tips that can help you get started:
– Enter your meals and snacks as soon as you eat them. Don’t wait. You’ll forget.
Even if you do remember, you will likely under-estimate how much you actually ate. Mindless eating is a common culprit when it comes to forgotten foods and packing on the pounds!
– Better yet – plan ahead. Try logging your food before you even eat it. When I
know I need to get back on track and be disciplined with my eating, I will often
plan out my meals and snacks for the entire next day before I go to bed at night.
That way, I know I have a plan. I’ve already checked calories and macros, and I
know I’ll be where I need to be! This really helps me stay on track the next day
and avoid temptations!
– Be honest. This is the time for FULL transparency! Make sure to include all your
deepest, darkest secrets. Your food diary won’t judge you for eating that extra
piece of cake, but it will give you some valuable information as to how that piece
of cake impacted your overall diet!
– Be accurate. On average, we tend to underestimate our food intake by 30%! On
a 1,800 daily calorie diet, this means an extra 540 calories each and every day!
Over time, this will add up. It can mean the difference between whether you lose
that last 10 pounds, or gain another 10 pounds! Therefore, using tools like the
Nutrition Facts labels, measuring utensils, and food scales can help you make
sure the portion sizes you enter in your food diary are accurate.
– Be consistent. Try using a food diary every day for at least a week or two. Trust
me on this – it does become easier the more often you do it! It will give you a
great snapshot of your diet in different situations – work days, weekends, out to
eat trips, holidays, etc. It will build your confidence in knowing that one special
occasion will NOT derail all your hard work!
While there are many tools on the market that help you track your food intake, my
personal favorite is My Fitness Pal app. It ‘s free, easy to use, and stores all the food I
typically eat, which means that I can enter my nutrition in a snap and I always know if I
am on track or not!
Here’s to wearing real pants and not being uncomfortable!