Food tracking...what do you track?

SKHaz1

What are the most important things to track? They give you so many options, but which ones are the most important to stay within a certain range?

justbecause2014

Everything I put in my mouth!

JeSuisPrest

Everything I eat and drink and the cardio that I do.

kateroot

Depends on your goals. For example, you may want to track sugar if you tend to eat a lot of sweets. I track protein, carbs, and fat (obviously), but also sodium and fiber because I'm trying to keep my sodium low and fiber high.

ETA: To PPs, I think OP was referring to what nutrients to choose to track in your diary settings.

KickingDarkness

Yes I'm new to this but so far I've tracked everything I put in my mouth even if it doesn't have any calories (like diet soda).

Dawna954

I too track everything I put in my mouth. It becomes painstakingly clear where you are making the mistakes in your diet. I ate a salad last week and was so proud of my choice until I logged it and found out it was 550 cals! Now I check before I eat. It really does work as it makes you accountable for your choices. Happy Logging!

tifmarie9

I like to track protein, sugar, iron, fat.

hailzp

I track protein, fat, carbs, fiber and sodium. High protein, low ish carb the rest fat. Low sodium and high fiber

dalgal26

Protein, carbs and fat.

morgansmom02

I try to keep the sugar low. I also try to make sure I am close to the chart for carbs, fat and protein

dalygirl_2010

I track everything, and I mean everything!!! But I have huge weight loss goals so in order to have the progress I want I need to keep track of everything

mimi31

I track everything, but sometimes i don't log the extra apple or orange!

jezlightyear

yep pretty much just track everything i put into my mouth, unless it's like chewing gum or medicine.. lol!
or if i have one bite/sip of something..that's just sillyness!

amoffatt

Right now I track calories until I get closer to my weight goal, then it might be sodium and sugar, even carbs

shaj316

Besides carbs, fat, protein, I track sugar and sodium...it was a real eye-opener to see the difference in salt from food I buy at restaurants vs what I make at home.

melaniecheeks

Calories is the most important for weight loss - the rest is down to individual preference.

I'm working on strength training, so protein is quite important to me, and I aim for 100g a day, so I track that.

I also find that I do better when I keep my carbs low-ish, so I track those, aiming for a max of 100g.

My big weaknesses tend to be fat and sugar, so I track those too, even though I'm always over!

thelassiemickyjames

I track mostly only calories and protien. I try to get 30% protien intake although its hard. I guess I care about that more than anything else because I know it feeds my muscles and doesnt break down into sugar. If I try to keep track of too many things I get discouraged, other than getting enough protien I just eat whatever I want within my calorie limit.

luvmybaby333

I'm tracking Carbs, Fats, Proteins, Fiber, and Sodium. I'm not concerned if I go "over" on my Fats or Protein. I rarely meet my Carb allowance, and frequently go over on the other two (even after adjusting the ratios), but it doesn't worry me too much. I know that as long as I'm maintaining a proper calorie deficit, then I will lose weight. I *am* concerned with making sure I get enough fiber (I mean, who wants to get too little?) and I'm really, really concerned with my sodium intake. I have high blood pressure and I've battled a salt addiction my whole entire life. I remember being like 3-years-old and sneaking pinches of salt. It's that bad. So I've decided to pay attention to how much I'm eating, even if I'm not entirely able to get in under control yet. Tracking my sodium on here has truely been eye-opening for me. I can't believe the amount of sodium that I used to consume on a daily basis. Even now that I'm monitoring it and making smarter choices, I still go at least 500-1,500 over the recommended amount of 2,500 every day. Skeery.

ChristineS_51

Everything I put in my mouth!

Ditto! And I measure portions as well, also double check nutrition values of stuff in database - some are not correct so be careful

nattypatty26

everything i eat even if its a small bite of something it still counts!

SKHaz1

Yes, I meant what do you track carbs, fats, sugars, fiber etc.

I also track everything I eat...otherwise whats the point of only putting this and that down!

kateroot

The OP is asking what NUTRIENTS she should set up in her diary to track.

Not whether or not she should track everything she eats.

ETA: As she just mentioned 30 seconds before I posted this. Oops!

lorac321

Besides carbs, fat, protein, I track sugar and sodium...it was a real eye-opener to see the difference in salt from food I buy at restaurants vs what I make at home.

This & cardio.

Grokette

What are the most important things to track? They give you so many options, but which ones are the most important to stay within a certain range?

Fat
Protein
Carbs
Sodium (because I don't get enough)

Rayman79

What are the most important things to track? They give you so many options, but which ones are the most important to stay within a certain range?

I think a lot have people have missed the point of the question.

The most important ones to track, without question, are your macronutrients (Carbs, Protein & Fat). The ratios will vary from person to person, but dont be afraid to go well over the protein as recommended by MFP on the default settings. Going a bit over on fat is ok too, but as long as the primary sources are not saturated or trans fats.

Aside from the macros, I personally track sugars and sodium. My advice on this is to look at your average diary for a couple of weeks, and see where your trouble areas are and track those most closely. Eg if you eat a lot of pre-packaged foods your sodium will likely be too high, so track that and try to make a conscious effort to get that number down.

Feel free to PM or friend me if I can help further.

Cheers,

Ray

albinogorilla

Everything............calories being most important for weight loss............and protein a close second for muscle retention............

SKHaz1

The OP is asking what NUTRIENTS she should set up in her diary to track.

Not whether or not she should track everything she eats.

ETA: As she just mentioned 30 seconds before I posted this. Oops!

Haha thank you!!! I couldn't think of how to word it!

ms_erica

besides the calories..i really try to track on sodium and sugar

kateroot

The OP is asking what NUTRIENTS she should set up in her diary to track.

Not whether or not she should track everything she eats.

ETA: As she just mentioned 30 seconds before I posted this. Oops!

Haha thank you!!! I couldn't think of how to word it!

Haha, I think you worded it perfectly, just a few posters had a reading comprehension fail. Happens to us all!

sarahgilmore

carbs (although I don't really care about these), saturated fat, protein, fibre and iron.

aimeelouwhite

carbs, protein, iron, fibre and fat