Tracking: Is It THAT Important? PLUS - BONUS FREE DOWNLOAD!

Many of us start off in the weight loss world gung-ho. We are 100% invested in doing everything "right" and "just-so". Then, we start to trail off from things. We're not as vigilant as we were. We backslide, we falter, we mess up.

This is how the majority of us started our weight loss journey - even pre-surgery. In fact, for most of us, the faltering and messing up is what made us stop doing whatever current diet fad we were on and go back into old habits.

While it's almost impossible for most of us to return to old habits such as extreme overeating and sugar consumption, we can still "eat around" our surguries. And for those that haven't had WLS, falling into old habits is a simplistic task.

With these thoughts in mind, I have asked several successful friends things they did to become and remain successful in their endeavors. And every one of them said the same thing:

"I tracked every bite of food ..."
EVERY. BITE.

For a while I fought against the prospect of tracking my food. I had a hard time writing down everything I was eating. For one thing, I was often embarrassed at what - and sometimes how much! - I was eating! Often I'd go through an entire bag of popcorn or sleeve of crackers (gotta love slider foods!) Who wants to write that down and look at it later??

Then, after talking to friends, I came to a realization.
The fear of tracking comes from my food addiction.

I don't want to track, because I don't want to admit there's still a problem.
I don't want to track, because when I do, I'll see the things I'm eating - and need to stop eating.
I don't want to track, because it will force me to do something I don't want to do - regardless of how much I NEED to do it.

So, why is tracking important?

There are several reasons:

First, it helps us figure out if we're getting enough protein. We're supposed to be getting a MINIMUM of 60 grams of protein (optimum of 90g).
Second, it helps us figure out "where we went wrong". For example - if we are stalled out or gain weight, tracking can help us see exactly what and how much we're eating. This can help us to find a trend somewhere, such as eating too many carbs, or not eating enough protein.
Third, it helps us stay accountable. Often, we'll eat what we're supposed to, simply because we don't want to have to track the bad things and see them again later.

What should we be tracking?
For bariatric patients, the first thing we need to track beyond everything else is protein. We HAVE to keep our protein counts up.
Equally important is our water. We should be getting at least 64 oz of water, (that's eight 8-oz glasses of water).
Then we need to track our exercise. Why is tracking exercise important? Sometimes our caloric output is more than our input. When that happens, our bodies tend to hold on to what it can - this can cause a stall or, in some cases, can cause us to even gain weight. Sounds strange doesn't it? That even with our surgeries we can gain weight? Even when exercising! So tracking this is important - too much and we can have issues. Too little, and we can have issues. Tracking helps us gauge if we're getting to much or too little activity.
We also need to track our vitamins. Are you taking your vitamins? If not, YOU SHOULD! And tracking can help you remember to take them! When you revisit your tracker if you haven't marked them, you know you should take them!

To help you with your tracking goals, mom and I have developed our ultimate tracker. The 7 Bites Ultimate Tracker will enable you to track your food, your protein, water, vitamins, and exercise. The best part? It's 100% FREE! It is a one-page PDF download - and you are welcome to print off as many as you need. Try it for a week and see if it helps you stay on track!