This is going to be one of my more colorful posts...and by that I mean I'm going to tell ya how I mean it, see it and feel it right now about this whole "calorie tracking" business.
Yes, when I started the MyFitnssPal tracking nearly two weeks ago, I loved it. I did! The amount of information I learned about my eating habits, sugar intake (WAY too high), the lack of any solid eating pattern from day to day - all extremely valuable stuff. I was feeling it 100%. As someone that never had tracked a calorie in her life, it was eye opening. AND before I go any further, I will say as a some day trainer I will HIGHLY recommend the tracking of calories, proteins, carbs and fats for weight loss goals BUT, and this is a big BUT (not BUTT) - I will not in any way, shape, form endorse calorie counting as the end all be all of staying "healthy".
Pardon my rant here, but you've been warned.
After the first week I was very happy with the process of tracking. I enjoyed scanning the little bar codes on my foods and playing the game of staying at my recommended calorie intake. I took great joy in entering my calorie burning cardio but felt some disappointment in not being able to track my calorie burn for weight sessions at the gym...none-the-less I was enjoying it.
For the first week.
As week two began, I started to notice I was becoming a "bit" obsessive. Meaning I was starting to get nervous, literally nervous when I was approaching my "max calorie intake" for the day. I began to deny myself things like FRUIT because I was concerned about my sugar and caloric intake from an apple.
AN APPLE.
Now...please understand, and please remember, I never knew what it was like to have to track a calorie. And I will reiterate...I DO see value in tracking. But...not for me. I truly believe that I must just live, eat, exist in a healthy manner with clean eating whenever possible, weights and running. And maybe that is a luxury for me because i'm blessed with a fairly speedy metabolism. Maybe the reason this was a shock to my system by the end of week two is because I started to feel angry and concerned for any person that has to live that way. I believe the value in the process of tracking is VERY high, and can be used as a tool and mechanism to keep a person on track and on course for a healthier way of life and healthier weight. But to live like that, every single day took the joy right out of me.
I mean seriously, when I start questioning my fruit intake, I KNOW something isn't right.
My plan is to evaluate the results/bar graphs/etc from the app over the past couple weeks and come up with a plan of attack for me regarding eating in a more balanced fashion. My biggest learning is that my sugar intake is VERY high. I mean WAY WAY WAY high. Something needs adjusting and now I have the knowledge to change it and alter it. THAT is an empowering side effect from the calorie intake experiment.
Overall, I guess what I'm saying is...I do not want to be ruled by numbers. I rarely weigh myself. Because my measurement of how clothes fit and the ole naked in the mirror test are pretty much fail safes to judge if i'm on track and progressing. Some would rather have a scale, but it takes courage to stand naked and say "yup, that's my body...it's not perfect but its mine and it does amazing things...(ya know like running 13.1 miles!)"
I'm excited to implement the MyFitnessPal app into my client consultations and plans but will marry it with the advice that those numbers do not define WHO THEY ARE. Just as the saying goes you are not fat, you HAVE fat. We ALL do. Yes, even me.
So...there's my rant. Sorry if it went in circles but I was talking from my heart. I'm passionate about changing peoples' lives for the better and i'm still finding my own way too. These are all learnings for me of incredible value. Calorie tracking was a humbling experiment. And I will leave it at that.
stay strong,
Rachel
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