Track EVERYTHING?

SparkPoints: (43,633)
Fitness Minutes: (24,364)
Posts: 2,325
8/25/12 7:31 A

yes

Total SparkPoints: 43,633

	40,000 42,499 44,999 47,499	49,999
SparkPoints Level 16

SparkPoints: (114,188)
Fitness Minutes: (26,924)
Posts: 17,158
8/25/12 5:56 A

114,188 SparkPoints

SparkPoints: (161,281)
Fitness Minutes: (77,251)
Posts: 17,192
8/24/12 10:41 P

Tracking wasn't just about calories for me. It showed me how out of touch I was with what a real portion size was. And it also showed me that I was snacking ALL the time - seriously, does anyone really need four snacks in six hours?

As for being in FastBreak, concentrate on the goals you chose for yourself, and keep exploring the site (which includes the nutrition tracker). If your nutrition goal is to drink your water, then that is all you need to focus on ... For the moment. The rest will be worked on in it's own time, and hopefully will fall into place for you then.

Judi

May Minutes: 1,455

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2000

SparkPoints: (29,428)
Fitness Minutes: (6,729)
Posts: 589
8/24/12 10:01 P

I know what you mean, Maggie, but after being on SP for over a year I quit tracking. Then I started eating all those things again by rote habit, not really hungry. Now I've gained most of the weight back. I'm going back to tracking and looking at it as just a reminder of what I'm eating each day. I'll be able to tell which comfort foods I'm eating too much of. Today I went way over, but instead of beating myself up I've decided I'll remember not to eat some of those things tomorrow. Hope you do GREAT!

Pounds lost: 8.5

0 21.5 43 64.5

86

SparkPoints: (3,039)
Fitness Minutes: (845)
Posts: 101
8/24/12 8:04 P

Maggie, I totally get you. It seems kind of conflicting---You're only supposed to make three, small, achievable goals as to not overwhelm yourself, but then there's all this pressure to track and stay within all sorts of calorie ranges, and do x amount of exercise minutes, burn x amount of calories, and do all your measurements....

I've come to look at tracking like practice. I track, but I don't beat myself up over when I slip up, because I'm simply not ready to start that phase of stringent lifestyle changes. I track to practice, I track to start looking at what I'm eating (even if I'm not ready to change it completely yet,) I track so that I have a mile-marker for my progress when I look back, things like that. I congratulate myself on my fast break goals and am just practicing the big steps for when phase 2 kicks in.

Pounds lost: 5.5

0 12.5 25 37.5

50

SparkPoints: (5,983)
Fitness Minutes: (3,951)
Posts: 278
8/24/12 6:35 P

I track everything. You need to. Everything adds up. It's to educate you so that you can make changes not to punish you.

current weight: 172.6

172.6 160.7 148.8 136.9

125

SparkPoints: (114,188)
Fitness Minutes: (26,924)
Posts: 17,158
8/23/12 9:04 P

114,188 SparkPoints

SparkPoints: (249,559)
Fitness Minutes: (198,439)
Posts: 35,876
8/23/12 7:04 P

Every morsel. its not a punishment...its information! For instance..i own a small bakery. you have to taste EVERYTHING. but i didnt realize just how much i was tasting until i tracked EVERYTHING. spoonful of buttercream? 10 times a day? YIKES!!!
i do it at home too..making spaghetti? take a spoon..try the sauce. 6 times!!! it all adds up.
so heres what i did to correct..i bought those tiny sample spoons. they hold a quarter of a teaspoon. before the amounts, mounded, were more like a tablespoon. not only did i start losing again, but i didnt have to run my dishwasher nearly as often, and there are now spoons in the drawer!!!
it really DOES matter..think of it as a GOOD thing not as guilt!!

Pounds lost: 63.5

0 40.75 81.5 122.25

163

Posts: 2,223
8/23/12 1:34 P

EVERYTHING

SparkPoints: (74,100)
Fitness Minutes: (63,088)
Posts: 4,054
8/23/12 12:50 P

yes

current weight: 55.0  over

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-60

Posts: 48
8/23/12 10:51 A

I know that everyone tells us to track every single thing we eat, but sometimes I feel like it's negative reinforcement. In this first phase of "Fast Break" we were told to make three goals. Mine are to exercise daily, write in my journal and drink 8 glasses of water. I've done that every day for 3 days (which is a lot longer than lost of my diets have lasted!). I eat pretty well, but always manage to slip in a donut, muffin or cookies at some point in the day. As I track these, I feel so bad! I feel like I'm incapable of staying on this eating plan. Granted, that isn't exactly my goal this first week, but it still gets to me when I see it there on the page. Any thoughts?

Maggie

current weight: 197.0

197 185.25 173.5 161.75

150