How to find the right food tracking method for your life

We all know there are many ways to track your food.

It can feel overwhelming though because of our thoughts about it:

• There are too many options to choose from.

• I don't know where to start.

• I tried tracking once and it was too much.

• I'm not sure tracking my food intake actually helps me.

• I don't know why I should bother tracking my food.

• I should find the best way to track how much I eat somehow.

Those thoughts don't lead to productive action.

They leave us feeling stuck and without the result we want.

If our desired result is to lose 50 pounds and eat health foods, what actions do we need to take to get there?

One of the first actions is to track our food.

We need to feel inspired and motivated to make that actually happen.

That means we need to think helpful thoughts like:

• This post can help guide me in the right direction.

• I want to lose 10 pounds and eat healthier.

• I can take steps to lose weight and eat healthier.

• I know this isn't complicated.

• I want to do the work.

• I'm going to find the right food tracking method for me.

See how those thoughts lead to a positive feeling with true action?

The best news is that you get to choose your thoughts.

You have to find thoughts that motivate and inspire you.

Take a second to write down the thoughts that guided you to open this post. What comes up for you?

The secret to tracking your food isn't in the method itself.

It's actually doing the work of tracking.

You can track your food on paper if it works for you.

You can track your food on your phone if it works for you.

Looking for some helpful top food tracking apps to keep track of the food you eat?

• Lifesum

• Lark

• My Fitness Pal

Let’s be clear - an app or a piece of paper won't actually do the work for you.

You have to do the work and want to do that work.

Once you have a positive cycle of thoughts leading to results, you'll gain momentum.

Here's an intentional example -

Circumstance - Downloaded My Fitness Pal on phone.

Thought - This app is going to be really helpful for tracking my food and activity.

Feeling - Motivated

Actions - Tracking the food, getting mini rewards with the app

Results - The app is really helpful for tracking.

It's easy to have an unintentional model too -

Circumstance - Downloaded My Fitness Pal on phone.

Thought - I don't know how to use this app.

Feeling - Frustrated

Actions - Not tracking food, ignoring the app

Results - Not using the app to work towards ultimate goal of losing weight and eating healthy foods.

See how two people could both download the app, but get completely different results?

It's all in their thoughts. Not the tracking method itself.

Thinking thoughts that food tracking can be helpful is crucial.

I love this article about the 7 biggest benefits of a food diary by Runtastic. Those are the kinds of reasons that lead me to think, "Yeah! I want to track my food! I can do this!"

Don't view tracking your food as something you have to do the rest of your life.

You can commit to a week of tracking at first. See what you learn. See if you have any "aha" moments.

Talk about your food diary with a life coach. See what insights you uncover.

Check in with your reasons for losing weight and how to commit to losing that weight.