A few days ago I shared how the nutrition tracker, for me, can trigger a whole bucket-full of negative reactions. Thank you to all who shared encouragement, good ideas, and questions. It got me to thinking about how I do approach my food intake. Because even without the tracker I've used intent or restraint.

I guess I use a mishmash of techniques that I've gained throughout a life of dieting.

- I try to mentally note that I've had enough protein and dairy in a day. That comes from following a diabetic exchange diet in my last two pregnancies.
- I make sure I get at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, which is a newly formed habit from the SP Spring into Shape Challenge.
- I use the mental image from the USDA MyPlate. Half a plate of fruits & vegetables, 1/4 plate of protein, 1/4 plate of carbohydrates.
- I've put several of Bob Harper's Skinny Rules into practice: water before a meal, going to bed with a mostly empty stomach, etc.
- I'm mindful of serving sizes.

So, without the nutrition tracker, and using those gentle approaches above I lost 3.5 lb. in February. Well, I also exercised a whole awful lot!

I'm not writing this post to give anyone an excuse not to use the tracker. I think you should. I want to get to the point where I can use it regularly without triggering my inner perfectionist guilt machine. But I do believe that we all can find a way to live healthier, even if it isn't by "standard" methods.

And in the spirit of full disclosure, I've used the nutrition tracker the past two days. I can't say it hasn't added an edge of stress and anxiety. I can't say that I won't drop it in the future. But I count it progress that I'm having a milder reaction that when I tried it a week ago.

I want to conquer this triggering situation tied to numbers. It will be a process and will take time. But I know I can get to my goal of a healthier life one way or another.