You are not the Problem - The System Is!
I posted this blog back in late January and wanted to repost it.
Why? With anyone who comes into one of my programs (6 week program, 10 day detox) simply has not found the RIGHT system. They are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with no success.
So the moral of the story is...YOU are not the problem; the system is.
Instead of beating yourself up about constantly falling short of your expectations, you may need to shift your approach. Most people struggle to be consistent with tracking their food.
No matter how hard they try, they just can’t stick to food tracking for more than a week or two at a time.
So they get frustrated and blame themselves for lacking willpower and discipline, but the REAL problem is usually their approach to food tracking.
They approach food tracking by logging food into Fitbit or MyFitnessPal as they eat it. This approach CAN lead to failure because it requires you to constantly be thinking about food and remembering to log it as you go. Now this method CAN work great for some people, but that may not be you! Instead, another approach would be to pre-log food the night before or to meal prep once per week so that your food is already measured out and you just have to log the same things each day. But for some, this approach still won’t stick.
Oftentimes, when we perceive that something will require too much effort, we give up entirely and do nothing instead. If pre-logging your food or meal-prepping a week in advance seems like too much, you can still track your food in other ways:
You can keep a written food journal to help you stay mindful of food intake and plan your meals.
You can use the Ate app to keep a photo log of what you ate and why you ate it.
You can write out a meal plan at the beginning of the week and stick to that plan. You can even create a meal plan on the free website here: Eat This Much
Whatever you decide to do, it’s about making self-monitoring a part of your lifestyle in a way that feels most sustainable and natural to YOU. Stop trying to force yourself into a system that isn’t built to your lifestyle. Look for ways to change your system so that you can stay consistent.
Remember, simple and consistent beats complex and inconsistent.
If you need guidance on what maybe the best way for you do not hesitate to reach out and ask for help :)
