previously tried and failed (a couple times!) at food tracking - help

[Anonymous]

I'd love to track food but I've never made it more than a few days. I try to not eat a ton of prepackaged things where I can just scan the label and thats that. But then what gets me is the measuring out everything that can wildly swing calories (oils or sauces) or not having time to track in the morning and then what's the point of the rest of the day or meal at a restaurant or work meeting and then what's the point of the rest etc etc etc.

If anyone else has had a really hard time really getting started and sticking with it but then found a way to overcome that, please tell me how!

[Anonymous]

I tracked with Weight Watchers.

[Anonymous]

For me, I think it was just repeatedly starting and stopping, and realizing that I eat much better when I track. Also, I used Lose It at the time I really got serious about tracking, and I think that helped. I found it to be really intuitive and easy to use, much more than My Fitness Pal or other trackers I've tried.

Go for progress, not perfection. If you forget to track breakfast, and can't remember what you ate, just start w/lunch. If you forget to measure, use your best estimate. It's good to measure/weigh at first so you know you're getting the portions right, but once you've done it a bit you can probably skip that step (I do), which makes it simpler.

Also, I mostly have the same thing for breakfast every day, and similar things for lunch - which makes portions and tracking easier.

[Anonymous]

I use MyFitnessPal and enter the recipes. The first couple of times I make it, I weigh and measure carefully so I get the correct counts. After that, I just use the recipe I created without strictly measuring (will use tablespoons and cups and not weight out the grams each time).

[Anonymous]

Don't let perfection get in the way of progress. Accept that it won't be 100% perfect but you will do the best you can.

Track things like breakfast the night before and save common meals. Most people tend to eat the same meals over and over so once you get in in there the first time it gets easier.

As for meals out- do the best you can at estimating. A meal out here and there will not blow everything. Now if you eat out a lot then yes, it could have an impact if you are trying to lose weight because the meals are more difficult to track.

[Anonymous]

It's boring, but I eat simple foods: an apple, an egg, a cup of yogurt, a cup of rice, one chicken breast...Pick a few foods you enjoy well enough and eat them on repeat. For me, I find that variety and complex stuff leads to temptation and overthinking. Not thinking about food all the time is key.

[Anonymous]

Its gets easier as you do it more- so keep trying- because it turned out I don’t eat that big of a variety and once you log it once you can easily find it