Food Tracking: Your Ultimate Sidekick for Breaking Weight Loss Plateaus

So, you're embarking on the epic quest of weight loss. Two obstacles often bring out the villainous laugh track—lack of accountability and those irritating plateaus where the scale seems to snicker at you. But fear not! In this blog post, we'll dive into why food tracking is the Robin to your Batman and how it can help you smash through any weight loss plateau.

Let’s really get into why food tracking is like that BFF who always has your back when you’re navigating the maze of calories, macros, and the occasional food coma.

Accountability Partner

First off, let’s talk about accountability. Picture this: it’s a lazy Sunday, and you’re eyeing that jar of cookies on the counter. No one’s watching; even your dog seems to be napping. Tempting, right? Well, with a food tracking app, you've got an ever-watchful eye that silently judges you (in a helpful way, of course).

Every nibble, bite, and gulp you take gets logged, giving you real-time feedback on your calorie intake for the day. So the next time you think of sneaking in that extra cookie, remember, your food tracking app is silently watching—like Batman from the shadows.

Data-Driven Decisions

Ever tried to eyeball your portion sizes and thought, “Yeah, that looks like about 150 grams of chicken,” only to find out later you’re way off? We’ve all been there. The beauty of food tracking is that it eradicates guesswork. You know exactly how many grams of protein, fats, and carbohydrates you’re ingesting, and how they align with your fitness goals.

The data you collect turns eating into a tactical game. This isn't just lunch; it's Mission Lunchpossible. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves hitting your nutritional goals without going over your calorie budget. The data from food tracking gives you the strategic edge you need. Think of it like having cheat codes for a video game, but in this case, the game is your waistline.

A Mirror to Your Eating Habits

Let’s get real for a moment. How many of us genuinely remember what we ate two days ago? Or even yesterday? Most times, you may have a general idea, but the specifics become a hazy blur. This is where food tracking shines. By meticulously logging your meals, snacks, and that handful of crisps you ate while cooking dinner, you get a high-definition snapshot of your eating habits.

Food tracking can reveal patterns you may not have noticed. Perhaps you’re unwittingly skipping meals, leading to overeating later in the day. Or maybe your “healthy” snacking consists mainly of high-sugar granola bars. Or perhaps it’s your liquid calories—from lattes, smoothies, and yes, even that innocent-looking herbal tea—that are doing you in.

Once these patterns come to light, you have the power to change. It's like finding out you've been wearing your superhero cape backward and then flipping it around for optimal swooshiness.

Now we know why food tracking can help, but lets say you've never tried it and you've done pretty well alone without it. How about we go through how it'll give you a boost with weight loss plateaus as well. 

Smashing Through Weight Loss Plateaus

Ah, the dreaded weight loss plateau—a fiendish foe that’s as demoralising as a movie sequel that never lives up to the original. It’s a common villain in many weight loss sagas, but luckily, it’s one that can be defeated. How? By channeling your inner Sherlock Holmes through food tracking.

Identifying the Culprit

So, you’ve been doing everything “right.” You’re eating clean, exercising, and even saying no to office birthday cake. Yet the scales are as unchanging as the expression on the Mona Lisa. What gives?

This is where your food tracking data becomes invaluable. By examining the evidence—each calorie, macro, and micronutrient—you can start to identify the culprit behind your weight loss plateau. Maybe it's not the cake but those seemingly harmless salad dressings loaded with fats and sugars. Or perhaps it's those post-workout smoothies that are more sugar-laden than a can of soda. Knowing is half the battle; the other half is doing something about it.

Reassess and Recalibrate

Alright, detective, now that you've gathered your clues, it’s time for some good old-fashioned problem-solving. One of the major benefits of food tracking is that it allows for precise adjustments to your diet. Stuck in a plateau? Time to shake things up!

You could lower your daily caloric intake by a couple of hundred calories or adjust your macro ratios. If you’ve been going heavy on the carbs, maybe a switch to a higher protein intake will kickstart the weight loss engine again. The key is to use your data to guide your strategy. It’s like upgrading your character in a game, but the game is your life, and the character is you.

The Power of Fine-Tuning

Think of your weight loss journey as a car trip. You've got the basics down: fuel (calories), the vehicle's condition (your general health), and a destination (your weight loss goal). But what if you could optimise the car's performance by fine-tuning the engine? That's what food tracking allows you to do with your body.

Sometimes you don’t just need less fuel; you need better quality fuel. Using your food tracking data, you can optimise your intake of micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. Maybe a little more magnesium could help your muscles recover better, or perhaps you’re low on vitamin D, affecting your mood and motivation. Fine-tuning these details can give you the extra push you need to break through a plateau and rev up your weight loss journey.

Options for tracking 

Wondering which app or how to track food? There are many to chose from including free and paid apps but you can also go old skool and just use pen and paper. The main thing is that you track rather than spend time finding the best one. Plus, to be honest most of apps pretty much do the same. 

Apps:

MyFitnessPal: The granddaddy of them all. Easy to use, with a huge database of foods and meals. Great for tracking macros, exercise, and water intake.

Cronometer: Perfect for the detail-oriented. Not only tracks macros but also micronutrients. It’s like the Iron Man suit of food tracking apps—packed with features.

FatSecret: A solid choice with a unique social component. You can join community challenges and share your progress. Think of it as your very own Avengers team but for weight loss.

Lose It!: Tailors your food plan based on your goals, lifestyle, and preferences. It's like having a personal Alfred to manage your diet.

Yazio: Offers personalised diet plans based on whether you want to lose weight, build muscles, or simply maintain. The app considers allergies and dietary restrictions too.

Analog Options:

Pen and Notebook: Old school but effective. Jot down what you eat as you go. It’s low-tech but still a classic—think of it as your Captain America shield.

Photo Journal: Use your phone to snap pictures of everything you eat. Great for visual learners and the Instagram-savvy. It’s the Snapchat of food tracking. The along with another food tracking option can be super useful for my clients. It links a photo of the food with the amount of calories it has. Helps massively for people to understand processed foods give you very little for the calories. 

Spreadsheet: Create a custom Excel or Google Sheet to log your meals. It's a bit more DIY but gives you full control—kind of like tinkering in your own Batcave. Here's a LINK to one I have on Google Drive that some of my clients like to use. Just use the option to copy to your own account. These can also be used digitally once you've saved a copy.

Whiteboard: Stick one on your fridge and jot down what you eat throughout the day. Simple, visual, and easy to update. Imagine it as your Daily Bugle front page but for food.

Hopefully I've shown you how food tracking can be the sidekick you've been searching for in your fitness journey. Whether you're aiming to break free from a weight loss plateau or wanting to level up your dietary game, tracking your food is like having your own supercomputer for fitness (and let's face it, even Tony Stark needed Jarvis).

Ready to step into the spotlight and transform into the superhero you were born to be? Then it's time to embrace food tracking. Download a food tracking app, get yourself a food scale, or go old-school with a pen and notebook—whatever works for you. Just start!

Gear up, aim high, and may the macros be ever in your favour. 🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️🚀