Success is all in the tracking.
My Weight Watchers leader this week was focused on the process of tracking every calorie, carbohydrate and food put into my mouth. “Losing weight is all numbers — it’s simply all about the tracking”.
I happen to agree with that statement, but for anyone who has ever, will ever or is now trying to lose weight that statement sums up all the frustration because it isn’t simple. Tracking, the art of jotting down everything you eat, is very difficult!
I’ve made every excuse in the book — can’t use the tools on my phones, can’t find the paper tracker, not enough time — you name the reason to track and I’ll throw an obstacle up in front of it. Why? Because tracking means being accountable and taking responsibility for your loss or gain every week. When I track I can no longer blame anyone else for my bad choices.
This week I pledge to track every morsel that passes my lips and let the chips (no pun intended) fall where they may.
What food tracking can do for me.
My mother, who is 83, is literally wasting away in front of us because she can’t remember what she had for lunch or simply forgets to eat. We nag and argue with her that she needs to keep a food diary so we can be sure she’s getting the nutrition her body needs to function.
My waistline has been expanding since I came out of the womb, or at least since I got permanent teeth. But I really have the same problem my mother does. My body is getting plenty of calories, but I might still be suffering from nutrition deficiencies because I’m not necessarily eating the right foods to keep my body healthy.
Dieters who track their meals lose 50% more weight!
Amazing. That’s a statistic I hear almost every week. Weight Watchers says that people who use the etools (interpret that as people who actively track their eating habits) lose more weight. So tracking doesn’t really cost anything but you can see a huge improvement in results. Let’s face it, if someone offered me a 50% bonus in my income I’d be studying the materials day and night. Get 50% better gas mileage at no additional cost? I’d do whatever it takes.


I started a walking plan today. Alright, I haven’t actually started, but I’m getting all jazzed up for it. My goal is that magic 10,000 steps a day. Dr. Oz said it on his program yesterday and I’ve read it all over the internet. I figured that is about 5 miles a day and since I work from home a big chunk of that is NOT going to come from parking in the last spot at work. My total commute is 39 steps to my desk so whatever steps I take (literally) are going to be driven by the desire to exercise.









