23 Feb To track or not to track? The truth about calorie counting
When we go into any endeavour expecting it be easy, you will walk out unsatisfied and overwhelmed.
True, the more we do a task the easier it becomes and then it is applied as second nature.
But, we have to make sacrifices to attain any goal worth having.
I truly love this topic and have been studying it for a number of years.
Here’s the truth when it comes to the aesthetic side of fitness, If your NUTRITION is not in check, you will not yield the results you truly want.
In the beginning of your journey tracking calories and macronutrients is a task and let’s face it, a pain in the ass ! but what this does is not only teach you how to estimate portions more accurately when you don’t have a food scale on hand, it gives you the discipline necessary to reach your goals.
Making better food choices and understanding how to manipulate your calories to suit your goal as well as include foods you enjoy, is worth all the effort, trust me on this one.
It WILL become easier over time. Just start and be consistent in your efforts and honest with yourself about what truly holds you back. Is it YOU?
Let’s examine the dark side of meticulous calorie tracking.
For many years I asked myself, ‘How is it that individuals like our predecessors seemed to stay slim?’ True, our lifestyles were far more active and jobs far more physically demanding, but is that the only factor?
Indeed not. With the rise of technology (Including food technology) we find ourselves surrounded with ready-made convenience foods that are unnaturally high in calories and additives, something that was very difficult, almost impossible to find 50 years ago. Without a solid knowledge in nutrition and reading food labels, overconsuming becomes extremely easy.
This then leads me to the point that with this evolution in man-made food products, it becomes almost necessary to pop them into a food tracking app to learn their contents. So there’s our answer, our parents and grandparents did not require superior tracking technology because they were faced with whole foods that were easily digestible to the body and naturally lower in energy.
So yes, tracking can be extremely useful in modern day and I am personally fond of Apps like My Fitness Pal, but it becomes a problem when these behaviours become obsessive and one becomes extremely food focused. Could this lead to eating disorders and an unhealthy relationship with food? I think it absolutely can, which is why I’ve provided you with a few tips to ovoid obsessive behaviours with food tracking Apps:
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