Track and See
Eat. Sleep. Repeat. It’s our basic function as human beings. Fuel our bodies for the daily grind and march on. Now obviously our days aren't as simple as our basic function, but this is what we constantly do on a daily basis. My fitness pal wants to add another routine into the mix, tracking your food. Their site claims that “keeping a food journal doubles your weight loss” but is this the best approach quitting a craving? Do I really want every single meal I eat recorded? Is this really worth my time? The answer, absolutely.
It’s a great method to understand normal daily consumption. That initial assessment can now be used as a guide to see what nutrients you go over the recommended daily allowance and what nutrients can be lacking in your diet. Tracking what you eat is the perfect initial assessment because it will expose the issues of larger portion sizes and the nutritional differences of cooking methods.
When I initially started tracking my data, I enjoyed scanning a bar code or measuring my serving before I ate. I took pride in it and when I meal prepped the first three days, the process was rewarding. On the fourth day, I had dinner plans in which I was going to get sushi. After I enjoyed the meal, I noticed that I needed to record it into my food diary. I became incredibly frustrated that not only did my meal not have a calorie count, but I couldn't find my option on the list. To be completely fair, if I am whole hardly dedicated to record each day, I have to keep options simple and potentially eat at restaurants that record the nutritional information with the app. Not a seemingly impossible task but definitely should be noted.
The nutritional break down the free version created was pretty basic but helpful. I found that my levels of sodium and sugar were high and that I needed to increase my vitamin A levels. I can now take that as feedback and look vitamin A rich foods and try to add those to my diet. I can now process my nutrient, calorie and macro levels in an easy to read chart. The difference in the paid version of the app would be two specific features; The Food Analysis which explains which foods rank highest in nutrients you care more about and Food Timestamps that allow the user to learn how you eat impacts your energy, workouts and general fatigue throughout the day. Interesting information if you are really looking for that additional feedback.
The app also has social features as well. Allowing users to interact with one another to keep track of their goals and motivate others around them. There are different forums you can be apart of based on your which community fits you best. You can join a Fitness and Exercise, Recipies or a general “Chit-Chat” group. The app truly had a diverse array of chat groups that if your into that, would be a great feature to stay engaged and focused on your goals. However, I didn’t find myself using it.
Cost for premium: $10 monthly or $49.99 annually
Overall I think its a great way to monitor what you're eating. It will encourage you to pre plan portion sizes and helps people understand the nutritional value behind each choice. It’s also a great way to identify what your diet is lacking and starts the conversation of what food(s) can be added to your diet to meet that deficiency. Having a weight loss, gain or maintenance goal is a start. This program will allow you to keep track and monitor your nutritional values to meet your desired goals. Highly recommend.