Quick and Easy Food Tracking Tools

When it comes to making changes to your diet* (meaning what and how you eat, not restriction) I have philosophy!
"You have to know where you have been, in order to know where you are going!"
I remember when my husband and I sat down and worked through Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover together. We came to the part of the book where we had to record where and what we were spending our paychecks on each month. My jaw was on the floor when the reality of our spending habits were in black and white! The same can also be true for what you eat and drink every day. I mean, I know I don't often sit down and take stock of every morsel that has entered my mouth. But then, I wonder, gee I've been packing on a few extra pounds lately - I wonder why!
Enter - food journaling!
If you want to pin point the areas that need improvement you should start with keeping track of your current habits.
Yep, you read that right! The first thing you should do is NOT change a single thing about your diet!
In fact, you should just eat as you always do!
First, you'll want to find a tracker or a journal that works best with your style and that you will be sure to keep up with! I'm going to share a few of my favorite with you here!

Digital Options:
My Fitness Pal
While there are lots of options out there I have used and like My Fitness Pal!
I like this option because not only do they have a full website that you can access from your desktop computer but a handy app as well! There is a barcode scanner and a recipe creator so that you can accurately track and calculate full nutritional info! Because MFP is so widely used there is also a huge database full of items from restaurant menus!
Check out this great article by Feel Great in 8!
8 Tips For Making the Most Out of My Fitness Pal

Fit Bit
If you have and use a Fit Bit and it's accompanying app they have also added a food log component! It also has a barcode scanner and a custom entry feature for quickly adding items!

You can also check out this FAB post by Bustle for more app ideas that will help you when making food choices!
8 Healthy Eating Apps to Download Now

Pen and Paper Style:
Here are a few cute printable options!

Weekly Food Journal by A Sunshiny Day

Weekly Health Log by My Muslim Life 

Printable Daily Journal by Our Sole Intent

Once you have picked your favorite method of tracking get ready to record! Remember to write down everything you eat OR drink! 

The few Doritos you snagged from your little one's plate and that energy drink you guzzled count too!!! Those things especially count because they can often be the culprits sabotaging an otherwise healthy diet! EVEN if the nutrition label reads zero - mark it down! 

Then, get ready to come back and find out what to do after you have been tracking and how to interpret that information!! 

Until Then....

8 Ways to Be Successful

With 2015 here and upon us, I imagine many of you have set some goals and are working towards achieving them. But, let's be honest, changing is hard! We often forget that we are working against many months or many years of one way of doing things. And, it's okay if it takes many months or many years to reach our end goal.
Take the case of changing your eating habits or weight loss. In the past, I would go cold turkey, I would give myself some crazy time limit (like one month to drop 30 pounds and get bikini ready), and inevitably, because I'm human. I'd slip up, I'd mess up, I'd fail and then.....I'd quit. Never really seeing my goals achieved.
So, I wanted to share with you how I overcame it! How I was able to get off that hamster wheel and do something different! If you face some of those same feelings and experiences, read on!

8 Ways to Create Excitement and Accountability when setting goals:

1. Find a partner or a group and ask for help - We've already acknowledged that change is hard, but that increases when you embark on a journey without help! Thanks to the many social media platforms there are many ways to find and relate to others that share your goals! But, keep in mind, it's one thing to ask for help; be sure you are ready and willing to receive it as well! One of the largest reasons people never achieve the goals they put forth is a lack of accountability! Even as adults, it's healthy, motivating, and helpful to have someone to check in with on a regular basis!
If you would like help being put in touch with a group or person that is right for you, contact me on my FB Like page.

2. Make a Detailed Plan - I like to use pencil and paper - but digital works too! Start by brainstorming ALL the things that will need to happen in order to achieve your goal. Then, go back and put the storm into an ordered list. Schedule the tasks and treat them as appointments you can't and won't miss!

One system I use for tracking and rewards.

3. Create Rewards - Try breaking the list of tasks into small chunks (for example 7 or 21 day cycles) and then create a reward system for finishing a cycle. I like to keep things budget friendly but meaningful as well!

4. Surround yourself with Motivating Tid Bits- start a board on Pinterest and fill it with motivating sayings and pictures. Start posting these sayings and pics on your social media platforms, write them down on paper and hang them up! Plaster them everywhere! The more you see it, the more you read it, the more you believe it, the more you become it!

6. Give yourself Grace - If you mess up or slip up once, twice, ten times, or 100 times - don't let that become a reason to give up completely! The results will come even if you have completed something with flaws than if you didn't finish it at all!

7. Strive to Reconstruct your Beliefs - In order to do something you have never done, you are going to have to change the things you are doing. You are going to have to let go of negative thought patterns and self defeating behaviors. You are going to have to become comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. When the thoughts and behaviors begin to creep in from the past, make every attempt to call them on their falseness and rid yourself of them. This is one key way, becoming part of a group, can help!

Some of my favorite podcasts.

8. Become Organized - Rid yourself of clutter - physical and mental. Do some "spring cleaning" and put away or get rid of things that are holding you back. If it's not serving you well, it may be time to say Good Bye. If your work space isn't tidy it can be difficult to get things done in an efficient manor, which contributes to feelings of failure. The same goes for our minds. If they are cluttered with thoughts and information that isn't propelling us forward then it may be time to replace some of that with useful information.
I'm currently a Podcast addict! There is a TON of good FREE information out there! Plug your phone in to your car and listen away! I also am an avid reader and if you'd like to check out what I'm currently reading you can see my list here!

If these tips strike a chord with you or you enjoyed them please let me know by leaving a comment or sharing them on your social media!

Until Then....

My Top 5 Fitness Equipment Picks for the New Year

I know I'm not the only one who got gift cards for Christmas! But, I am having a REALLY hard time deciding WHAT to spend them on! I was thinking you guys could help?!? Do any of you have any of these or use them regularly?
I have seen quite a few fun workouts on Pinterest and YouTube using these pieces of equipment and I think they'd be great tools to add to my regular at home programs!

1. First up is the TomTom GPS / Heart rate Monitor Watch: I have had my eye on all the different brands of heart rate watches that are coming out on the market now for awhile! I am a slacker when it comes to wearing the chest strap but I want a much more accurate calorie burn than my FitBit currently gives me. I have the Nike+ Sport Watch GPS that I wear for race training and race day, also made by TomTom, and I really like it because it's super user friendly. So maybe I should splurge and get the TomTom???

2. A Pink Bosu Home Balance Trainer: Versatile, fun, effective, and PINK....need I say more?

3. A TRX Suspension Trainer: Again, versatile, fun, effective. But, also, super portable!

4. A sweet set of Battle Ropes: I mean, they look fun and I'd probably feel like a total bad A$$ while using them....nuff said.

5. The Lebert Equalizer Bar and Sandbag combo....in Pink: Super fun way to improve my upper  and lower body strength and burn calories all in one! Oh, did I mention it was Pink?!?

The way I see it, I can't go wrong with which ever choice I make! But, I imagine now you can understand the dilemma I'm facing!

Leave a comment here on the blog or visit my FB page DAAT Fitness Gal to let me know what YOU would choose and WHY!

Until Then....