Tracking Food is Too Strict and Obsessive?

Do you feel measuring your food intake in grams or counting calories is too hard?

Do you think people who measure their foods are neurotic or have an eating disorder?

Let’s talk about tracking a bit more and why it is actually a very effective and flexible strategy for fat loss.

First of all, tracking should not feel obsessive or neurotic. If it does and you get super frustrated when you cannot perfectly track a meal or know its ingredients then you have gone too far and have too much of a perfectionist approach.

The point of tracking is just to be able to know the direction your eating habits should change towards, and to find the right calorie amount in order to lose fat.

When you track your food, you actually give yourself a lot of flexibility.

Had some ice cream on a Friday? If it fits your calories and you didn’t exceed your fat or carbohydrate targets, then all good.

But if you were on a meal plan that didn’t have ice cream you’d feel like a failure.

Meal plans are good for ideas and inspiration, and to have some recipes. But besides professional bodybuilders, most people cannot stick to a meal plan day after day. This is why learning to track is more beneficial.

If you don’t have a meal plan and you don’t track, well, there is the answer why you aren’t losing any weight.

You need some sort of plan. If you didn’t keep a budget you’d probably overspend. If you don’t have a “calorie budget” your natural inclination is likely to eat too many calories.