Last month Perfect Keto launched an online 1-on-1 coaching program. We are one month in and we already have some incredible health transformations that you’ll be seeing on social media soon!
One of the biggest things I’ve noticed working with these clients is that calorie counting/food tracking is helpful but it’s a pain in the ass. Nearly every client says that tracking their food and sticking to calories/macros helps them stay accountable and on track with their goals. But those same clients say how much they hate logging their food in a food app.
I’ve had this same experience with food tracking. Once upon a time I competed in a physique competition and during the training I tracked my food, macros, and calories to a T. This approach got my body right where it needed to be for the competition, but I hated the process. It took much of the joy out of eating and really just added more work to my already busy plate. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience.
If so many people are having this experience with food tracking then I think it might be time for a shift in perspective. Maybe rather than looking at food tracking as a job that has to take over our lives and stress us out, we can look at it as a tool that we use to guide us to our health goals. A tool that we use when it suits us and abandon when it doesn’t. A tool that we always know is in the toolbox whenever we need to or want to achieve a health-related goal.
I tell my clients this all the time: You don’t have to track every day and you don’t have to track every meal. Think about food tracking like a financial budget. If you have terrible spending habits then you probably need to create a budget and do your best to stick to it by figuring out what works best for you. Eventually, once you understand your budget and have developed some financial control, you won’t need to count every single dollar spent here or there. This is exactly what can happen with your food tracking and calorie counting.
Create a set of nutrition controls. Use food tracking and calorie counting to learn what a good day of eating is for your goals and to see what it looks like. Then use food tracking/calorie counting to check-in periodically to make sure you are staying on track and see if adjustments need to be made. I think you will find that with this approach, you can use calorie counting as a tool and not let it become a job!
Thanks for reading!
Chris Irvin