The benefits of tracking your food intake

We know that counting what you eat isn't fun but tracking what you eat from time to time is a great way to increase your understanding of what is going in your body and your improve your health and fitness results.

Now, we're not recommending you track your food every day of the year but understanding what it is you're eating on a day to day basis is the perfect tool for improving your choices and to make sure you're not overeating.

Another great reason is the fact that without looking at what's actually in the foods you're eating you're completely blind to any hidden nasties that might be lurking in the dark.

Where do you start?
Well if you're looking at the long term then tracking one macro at a time is best. Protein, carbs and healthy fats are all needed but we're generally overeating one and under-eating another so start tracking just the one and work on improving that before taking on any more.

For those of you who are looking for a quicker result then calorie tracking is your best option for now. Decreasing your calorie intake by 20-25% while keeping your protein intake adequate (0.8-1g per lbs of bodyweight) will bring some serious results.

How long do I track my intake?
We recommend tracking for 7-10 days in order to find your average intake (take the total and divide by the number of days) as this will take into account the weekend where most people let loose and generally lose control.

What format is best to track my intake?
You can go old school and write down what you're eating, however, there are plenty of apps out there that can help too; MyFitnessPal is a perfect example.

We all need to know what we're eating but tracking your intake all day everyday isn't something we'd recommend so make sure you find your balance and use the tracking tool to your advantage.

Let us know your tracking techniques! Speak soon, Nutri-Team.