The Importance of Tracking…..
borrowed from Mrs_Hoffer and only slightly edited..

If you don't measure or track something, you can’t improve it. It could be a bear or it could be a wolf!!!

Because, if you don't measure something, and know the results, you can’t possibly get better at it. For example, it’s very difficult to lose weight without stepping on a scale once in a while to measure your results – if you don’t, you have no idea if you are succeeding or not.

Or, if you're only using the scale to measure weight loss, and not taking any body measurements, then you could easily get discouraged when you've only lost a couple of lbs one month. You may not have any idea that you've lost several inches instead!!

One of the best ways to increase your chances for success with weight loss or improving your diet is to TRACK your food. This simply means recording everything you eat and drink throughout the day. Or, as we like to say in the UAC, every BLT (bite, lick, and taste!)

And research agrees. Studies show that participants who track what they eat can lose up to TWICE as much as those who do not track. That's a BIG difference in weight-loss achieved just by simply tracking your food!

3 reasons why you should track your food intake.
It shows you what's really going on. Did you know that on average, most of us UNDERESTIMATE our food intake by 40-60%!? That means we are taking in about 50% more calories than we think we are each day. That's BAD news for weight loss.
Tracking can really open your eyes to the amount of food that you are not only eating but overeating. When you track (especially PRE-LOGGING), you'll be a little less likely to eat that extra dessert or indulge in an additional spoonful of peanut butter. You'll think twice before grabbing that extra snack or treat that you really don't need because you have an instant visual of what that looks like to your day. These once mindless additions to your day that you ate just out of habit, boredom, or stress, add up quick and can easily account for an additional 200-600 (or more!) calories per day. But don't despair….. you can also "plan" to have a snack or treat occasionally. You just have to work those extra calories into your daily plan so that you can still stay UNDER your calorie goal.
Tracking also helps you to increase your consistency. If you want to lose weight, you need to create a consistent calorie deficit. This means we need to burn off more calories than we consume on a very consistent basis. We need to dial our nutrition in for the entire week, not just a day or two. This is one reason why it's so important to not sabotage your results on the weekends after a great week of eating and working out. This consistency is a valuable key for weight loss. If your calories end up where you want them to be one day, only to be too high the next day, it's going to be very hard to lose weight. Tracking will allow you to be consistent throughout the week and allow you to continually work towards your goals.

Tracking is one of the 3 "pillars" of the UAC. And you only cheat yourself when/if you don't track every single thing that goes into your mouth!

Thank you @SummerSkier, this is well said.
From my last few weeks of tracking, I have noticed my veggies drop.
I seriously need to jump back on my veggies wagon.


August 4, 2021

Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? Yes
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? Yes
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? Yes, and I am increasing my veggies! Do you know that veggies is filling? Of course most of your nutrients are in your veggies!

Kitchen Closed? Yes
Going "nuts" with nuts today? No (3 days-free )
(I go "nuts" with nuts most times, trying to continue a good habit this month. Counting the number of "nuts" free days.) I am still learning a lot about myself in this area!
Okay veggies, here I come...

Pass day 1/3 (this is for accountability to myself and my records).

Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? Yes
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? Yes
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? Yes 👍 👍

August 4th:
✅ Tracked all my calories
✅ Stayed under calorie goal
✅ Exercised more than 20 mins (walk)

4/4 days
0/3 pass days used

Tracking really does help me to stay on track. Even if I do overindulge or have a binge, I think it's important to track it. It's hard to own up to those sort of things, but the reality is my body is tracking it anyway, so I may as well let my mind in on the information as well! One of the most important things for me is consistency. So if I miss a day of tracking, it's much harder for me to get back into it right away. One of my goals for August is 100% tracking!

Yes, yes, yes

August 4

The Big Three (I personally want to get these right before worrying about anything else)
✅ - Exercise 20+ Minutes
✅ - Calories within budget
✅ - Tracked every detail I consumed

Pass Days Used: 0/3

Additional Challenges (I feel confident enough with my discipline in the Big Three to further challenge myself with these)
✅ - Net Carbs 30g or less (25g)
✅ - Protein 180g or more (209g)
✅ - 5+ Fruits/Veggies (6)
✅ - 15k Steps or more (19,433 so far)
✅ - Eat back fewer than 30% of exercise calories (29% - 369 of 1257)

Additional Challenges Met: 4/4 days

Today's Exercise

• Morning Walk - 69 mins (4.32 miles)
• Afternoon Walk - 69 mins (4.19 miles)

✅ - Exercise 20+ Minutes - 90 minutes, shopping/walking/circuits
✅ - Calories within budget
✅ - Tracked everything

3️⃣ Pass Days left

Totally agree that tracking is essential

✔️✔️✔️
Learned how to do a handstand push ups today in CrossFit... Tried with out the trainer and hyperextended my elbow. 😡 Ice is in my future and so is ibuprofen and KT tape.