To Count or Not To Count...

As promised, today I'm going to share something that just doesn't work for me. In one of my very first articles, I mentioned using a food journal to help me stay under my "calorie-limit" for each day and gave links to how you could find what your limit should be. This method works well for a lot of people - you may even be one of them - but not for me. I have tried food journals and counting calories several times and it's never once worked. This time I made it a little more than 3 weeks  before it fizzled out. 

The most common thing I hear people say in reference to food journaling is, "it's really helped me see what I'm actually eating and to see where I need to cut back." Honestly, my first reaction to this statement is really?? You don't know what you're eating each day unless you write it down and look at it later? That seems like a pretty big problem. The first thing we need to do is be aware of what we're putting in our mouth, as we're putting it in our mouth! That should not be the reason we are keeping track of what we eat. 

However, there are some good things that can come from keeping a journal of our food intake. It can help you make sure you've taken in everything that you need to - have I had all the fruits and veggies I need today? have I had 6 or 7 glasses of water so far today? Do I need more protein today? Also, if you record how you feel as well, it can help you link what you eat to how you feel. I have seen how sugar gives me stomachaches, how not enough water gives me a headache, how too many tomato-based sauces give me heartburn, etc. What we eat has everything to do with how our body functions and journaling can help you see the correlation. For these reasons, I will continue to give journaling a try because I think it's important to see how your diet effects your health. But I certainly don't need to write it down to know that I had too much junk one day.

The other aspect that fails horribly for me is counting calories. Being so concerned by keeping track of how many calories I've had and how many I have to go actually makes me hungry. It keeps my focus on food and eating all day long which naturally makes me hungry. I kept count for about 3 weeks and noticed that my calorie intake progressively increased with each day that I kept track. This is how it always happens for me so I don't think I will try to count calories again. For me, it just doesn't work. It wasn't all a loss though, counting calories did help me to get a better grasp on portions and meal times. The first week, when I was doing well staying under my limit, I ate at regular meal times (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner) and used smaller plates and servings. Therefore, as long as I make sure to eat only at regular intervals and not all day long, and to watch my portions when I do eat, I can be fairly confident that I'm staying within a healthy calorie range without actually going through the hassle of counting each and every one. If you really like the idea of counting though, there are some great apps out there to help you - the Livestrong app, the Spark People app, and My Fitness Pal are all great apps to help you keep track of not only your calories, but also your fat, sugar, carb, protein, fiber, etc. intake. And they happen to be a journal as well... win/win. 

For those of you who have tried calorie counting and food journaling, do they work for you? Why or why not?