why you shouldn’t track your food. . . forever.
You don’t know what you don’t know. And unfortunately, our culture tries to tell us that we need to either do all the things to “get into shape” or else we are failures. Psychologically, that makes zero sense. As we know, health and knowledge are a process; and we need to THINK STRONG, to BE STRONG. So let me share a little insight with you that I have learned from people in the health industry with true wisdom. . .
Tracking your food is not the solution to your nutrition!
Here me out- is it a great option to get started? Yes. Is it good for bringing awareness of what you’re consuming? Definitely. Is it the solution for long-term, sustainable nutrition? NEGATIVE. And here’s why. . .
I learned that we need to think of our food habits in 4 different categories:
Unconscious Unawareness - This means that you don’t know what you don’t know. And we all have this in different areas of our lives! You have no idea what foods to eat other than what you have, and you don’t have any idea of any potential changes you need to make.
Conscious Unawareness - As we move up the ladder of “awareness” we start to come into a state of exposure where we KNOW that we don’t know haha. We know that we’re not eating the best, yet we don’t know what to do to change it. We don’t have the tools or the motivation to change. . . we hate changing enough to [keep loosing].
Conscious Awareness - Here is where the fitness industry gets it wrong. They think THIS is the end goal. What this means is that you know you need to change, and you are consciously choosing to change. Now is this a bad thing? NO. But it is not our end goal. This is a great STARTING place on our journey of making lifestyle habits. It is where we start tracking our calories/macros, start food journaling, limit portion sizes, and/or conscientiously say yes and no to certain foods (even when our brain and gut say otherwise). Obviously, this phase is very time intensive, and while it has it’s place, we can quickly see why this is not sustainable in the long term of keeping healthy relationships with food. This stage will look different for everyone. I find that some foods I just have to say no to indefinitely (like processed, refined sugar), while portion sizes I typically need to consciously be aware of for about 30-60 days. These timelines are not just to meet a deadline and to drop off, but ultimately to progress on to. . .
Unconscious Awareness - Now THIS is where we should aim to end up. As we move through conscious awareness, we SHOULD find that our taste buds start to change. Our mentality of what foods make us feel good vs. bad start to change. We listen to our belly rather than visually rely on what’s left on our plate. This is where conscious awareness meets intuitive eating; and while some are born with this gift, most are not. And that’s okay! Here we don’t have to track all of our food because we are paying attention to our other senses that set intrinsic guiding posts for us to live by. This phase is the most freeing because it’s when you make the choices to change because IT FEELS GOOD and YOU WANT TO. You no longer feel confined or forced into DO’S/DON’TS, but rather you are free to say “no” because you have more control over your body than your body has over you.
See where you are at on the spectrum. Sometimes we regress, but education is the first step. Keep progressing! If you fall off, get back on and try again! If category 3 is not your thing, that great news is that it won’t last FOREVER. It should just be a temporary platform that elevates us to category 4. THINK STRONG, BE STRONG.
