So, so many times people will reach out to me and ask for a tip, a suggestion or quick guidance. They tell me their story and then some of their goals and I hear them out. Most people will ask if they should do more cardio at the gym, go longe
r during a run, or add more training to their line-up. So the conversation turns out like this:
Me: Ok, glad to hear your program and systems. Now tell me about your food intake and tracking. Are you aware of what you’re eating on a daily basis? Do you track what you eat? Do you have knowledge of how much you intake and what it actually is made of?
Other person: <insert crickets here!>
It goes silent. Most people do not have any system of monitoring their food intake or tracking or general awareness of how much or what quality of food they’re eating. They usually want to go right into the mindset of “I need to DO more.”
So if that has been your pattern, we’re going to treat that as a thing of the past. The time has come that we put an end to thinking we need to go harder and longer and faster all while starving ourselves along the way. We must learn how to work smarter and EAT to fuel the body we want to live in!
Yes, it is time to EAT
and track and journal and learn what fuels you best!
Additionally, people come to me and say, “I want to learn how to track macros” (carbs, fats, proteins, and fiber 
grams). It’s a hot topic in fitness right now and somehow I feel people think it’s got some magic to it that will transform them overnight. Then I ask, “Oh great. I love tracking my macros. It’s very effective. Are you currently tracking your daily calorie intake?”
Well, no, no I’m not.
And that’s ok, but if you want to see change in your physique and strength and energy and most importantly overall health, stay home from the gym, don’t run the extra mile, but instead spend 20 more minutes a day in your family room or at your kitchen table putting some initiative into your food choices. I’m telling you you can sleep a little longer, enjoy more time with family and friends, save a tank of gas AND get more results bang for your buck by staying home and spending a few extra minutes planning, tracking and listening to your body than you can by actually doing more activities elsewhere. The food you eat has that much of an impact on your whole system, mindset included.
After almost six years on this journey myself, THIS is truly where it’s at! Your food awareness IS your ticket to lower body fat, more energy, a smaller number on the scale, better fitting clothes, improved confidence and self love, and steps toward improving your health and wellness.
So how do you get started?
1. I suggest people write out everything they eat for 2 weeks or record it in an app or online website. My Fitness Pal is my tracker of choice, but you may have others that work better for you.
2. Be honest about what you eat and record it. If you eat 4 Oreos and only record 2, or you drink 3 beers and only record 1, or you have one whole apple and only record half, for example, you are only hurting YOU by not being honest with yourself. The rule is if you snack it, you track it!
3. Don’t try to diet. Just because you know you’re watching yourself now and will be looking back over it, don’t try to “be good” as many would say. Just eat like you usually do so you can truly learn your patterns. Awareness is knowledge and power and activation for your journey.
4. Vow to follow through and be consistent. This step right here is where I lose 7 out of 10 people. They come to me, I give tips and feedback, I suggest tracking for two solid weeks, and then we can get started coaching, but many, many, many people literally disappear.
Gone. Vanished. Just quit.
That I will never understand because had they just kept going through the discomfort and the reality of themselves, they could have gotten through to the changes they desired. Instead most are willing to do an extra hour of cardio a day versus taking time to study themselves. Don’t do that. Just vow to finish out.
5. Once you have an awareness of your patterns, make changes. Look at your carb, fat, protein, sugar, fiber, and overall calorie intake. Don’t evaluate if you are “good” or “bad”, just use it as knowledge. You’re studying you at this point. Once you have a baseline, you can listen to what your body wants and needs as optimal, you can experiment with adding or taking out foods for a time, you can eat in a caloric deficit or maybe even ADD calories to be eating enough, and you can pay attention in general to how you look and feel after you eat certain items. It’s a process, not a punishment.
6. After, and only after many successful weeks and months of tracking calories would I advise anyone to take it up a notch and try to track macros (short for macronutrients=carbs, fats, proteins, fiber). This is higher level monitoring and most people don’t need to go there or are not ready to get to that level of investment of time and energy. If you can get there, you’ll love it and reap the benefits, but don’t try to push it before you’re ready. When you’re ready to get one-on-one assistance with your wellness for calories or macros for general fitness guidance or for coaching for contest prep, I’d love to be your Coach and help you along in your journey!
If we as Americans keep going down this “I need to do more and eat less path”, we’re getting further and further from our goals. Our frustration levels rise, our body fat levels increase, our well-being is challenged, and many will just throw in the towel. Our bodies were made to eat, eat often, eat well, and eat to perform. We were created to be active, exercise in balance, rest, sleep, and recover. It’s amazing what happens when you feed and rest your system!
I don’t mind people stopping me for a tip or two, but please digest the importance of knowing what you’re eating, the impact that has on the body AND the long-term effect it has from monitoring it over time. It’s truly powerful and THIS is where we need to put our energy and focus. There is just no way around it, bottom line.
Sure, it takes time, effort and intention. You have time, 24 hours in your day to be exact! Use some of that to dive into getting to know YOU, not spending extra time on another mile.
Happy studying you, eating the correct amounts, and actually doing LESS so you can do MORE with the life you’ve been purposefully given!
-Mindy