Track Your Eating and Exercise Habits = Lose More Weight (And Keep it Off) The two things that control your weight â your eating and exercise habits. Youâll Eat Less   The dieters who lose the most weight in the short and long-term also tend to be the most diligent about self tracking. Youâll Exercise More Small changes in your physical activity levels like standing and walking, even at a slow pace, can make a big difference in your weight loss efforts. Youâll Get Immediate Gratification Weight loss usually doesnât start until a week or two after youâve created a caloric deficit. It often takes far longer than that for you to see large changes in your appearance. Changes in water weight can often mask weight loss and make it look like youâve gained weight. Tracking your food and exercise habits gives you immediate feedback on your progress. Weight Loss Goals Become Easier to Achieve self tracking helps you make this goal far more manageable. You wonât feel overwhelmed with your larger goal, but youâll still be on the path to achieving it. Diet Becomes a Game Each day you try to do better than the last, or to maintain your progress. You can also use different exercise tactics to defeat your opponent (your caloric deficit).Having objective numbers to chase on a daily basis can make dieting almost like a game. Warning: Like other sports, you have to know when to stop. Eating disorders = bad. More Flexible About What, and How Much You Eat allows you to budget your time, calories, and food choices with greater flexibility, which can help you lose weight.     EXAMPLES: Not eating anything after six pm. Never eating foods with more than 5 grams of sugar. Eating no more than 500 calories per meal. Great goals, but what if a friend throws a party after six, or dinner has more than 5 grams of sugar. This is when we setup weekly calorie intake therefore we can cut back on Tuesday's sugar intake to save for Friday Nights Dinner. You Can Avoid the âOh S#%tâ Effect   Instead of despairing over small deviations from your diet, self tracking allows you to see exactly how much (or little) your choices will affect your goals You Can Enjoy Your Favorite Foods Without Feeling Guilty Self tracking also lets you put the term âmoderationâ into objective numbers. Most studies indicate that you have to consume more than about 20-25% of your calories from added sugars. Tracking your food intake gives you the ability to indulge in your favorite treats. You Can Avoid Weight Loss Plateaus Weighing yourself is a great first step, but you should also record your weight. If you see youâre falling behind, you can exercise more and eat less. If youâve lost more weight than you predicted, youâll be even more motivated to continue.
