Deidra Mangus

Are you one of those people who is working so hard on their fitness journey, but can’t seem to figure out WHY your not losing the weight, or making any significant changes to your body? It’s so easy to think we have it all together, but in reality, if we are not tracking what we are eating and drinking, how much, and what time, we can easily lose sight of the “extra calories” and snacks that were taking in and that could be our answer to our questions of why we aren’t reaching our goals!

So one thing I have found EXTREMELY helpful is one simple thing… its easy not to do, and its also easy to do, just like anything else when you get yourself into the habit…. TRACK YOUR DAILY PROGRESS AND ACTIVITY!!

HOW DO YOU TRACK YOUR FOOD AND FITNESS?!?

1.  Journal it- Yes, some of us still like to journal because seeing it on paper makes it more realistic! There is just something about writing it down and adding up those small bites and added snacks that helps you see you may be snacking just a little too much or maybe your not eating enough! 
When I journal, I write down the date, and then meal 1-5 with the times…. I noticed when I did that, I was just eating too much in the evening rather than throughout the day. 

2. MyFitness Pal– Maybe you don’t like to use a journey and want something you can carry with you all the time. This is where My Fitness Pal comes into play!! This app is FREE on your phone or you can even use it on your computer.  It is a great day to track each food you eat and will tally up how many calories each food is!  Literally, you can search the food by brand, so you have the exact piece of food you are eating which is awesome! You can also add your workouts in with how many calories you burned, along with how much water you drank!!
https://www.myfitnesspal.com


WHY TRACK ON NOT GO BY THE SCALE:

• The scale does NOT give you the whole story- Everyone’s metabolism is different.  So you may be eating a lot of calories or even too few calories, but your body changes in a different way, depending on your metabolism, body type, genetics, etc! The scale does NOT show muscle gained and fat burned.  The scale does not show inches lost or how you feel inside!
• The scale does not show if your losing weight in the right places- You may be trying to focus on a certain goal such as toning your legs and thighs, or arms, but the scale can not show your progress in certain areas of your body.  You can be gaining muscle in areas and losing weight, but the scale can easily not change since you are replacing fat lost with muscle gained.
• The scale does NOT tell you how much your eating- Again, your metabolism is different for each person.  You can be eating too many calories and if you are trying to lose, the scale is not going to tell you to how many calories or macros you need each day to get your results by a certain date.  That is why we PORTION CONTROL, use apps and journals to help us be more specific about what we are ingesting.
• The scale doesn’t tell you if your getting stronger- Literally, if your building muscle, it could be easy to look at a scale and see muscle gained can show a couple pounds gained (if you do not have a lot to lose).  But There is a difference between a 130 pound female that has 20 % body fat and is strong and healthy than a 130 pound female who is “skinny fat” with 30% body fat.  You look and feel totally different!