Access Change: 10 Ways To Make Logging Your Food Easier

Wednesday 10 August 2016

10 Ways To Make Logging Your Food Easier

Your Food Log Is Your New Best Friend

It will be your confidant. It will be there for you when you need a reminder of what you’ve eaten. As long as you are being honest with it, it will always be honest with you. Here are ten ways to make food logging as easy as possible:

1. Find A Food Logging App That YOU Like

This is crucial because if you don’t like it, you won’t do it. Make sure that your food log is easy to understand and something that you will want to use every day. It can be an app on your phone or a journal that you carry around. Our members tend to like MyFitnessPal and the dotFIT program.

2. Start With Where You Are Now

To get an idea of how many calories you are currently eating and what needs to change, log one “normal” day. This isn’t meant to be shameful, it is just your starting point. It is a powerful tool to know where you are because then you can develop a precise plan on how to get to your goal. Come talk to a trainer to find out your individual calorie intake goal.

3. Substitute One Item at a Time

Once you know what you are currently eating, you can make changes as needed until you reach your goal. Certain foods can be eliminated while others can be substituted for an alternative. Ask yourself, “what do I like to eat” and figure out a way to make that part of your daily plan. This can be by arranging other meals around your favorite food to balance calories and macronutrients or by substituting that food for an easier to manage alternative.

4. Log Your Food and Prepare Your Meals The Night Before

Lack of time in the morning is a common reason why people don’t log and prepare their meals for the day. Don’t let this excuse stop you! The easiest way to prepare for the day is by getting everything ready the night before. Sit down with your food log and plan out what you are going to eat the next day. That way you can make changes beforehand to avoid running out of calories later. Once you have a plan, pull out the tupperware and prep everything in your log. You could do everything from pre cooking chicken to portioning out snacks. This will actually SAVE you time in the morning because you can just grab and go.

5. Eat The Same Thing Every Day

I know eating the same thing everyday sounds boring but it is a big time saver. When you develop a meal plan that fits your calorie goal and macronutrient balance, eat that same meal plan everyday. As long as you don’t deviate from that plan, you don’t need to do any logging that day. You already logged it once!

6. Use The Barcode Scanner

Many food log apps have a barcode scanner. Use it! It is a HUGE time saver! All you have to do is scan the barcode on a food package and it inputs the food content for you. Then, just adjust the serving size and quantity to what you actually ate and you’re done!

7. Use a Food Scale

Food scales are an easy and accurate tool that EVERYONE should use. They give you the exact amount in grams and ounces to put into your log. All you need to do is put your plate on top of it as you dish up, zeroing it out in between food items. You don’t even have to dirty a measuring cup!

8. Create Custom Foods

If you can’t find exactly what you are looking for, don’t settle for the next best thing. Use the custom food tool to create your own entry.

9. Favorite The Food Items That You Eat on a Regular Basis

If there is something that you eat on a regular basis, add it to your favorites. This will make it easier to pull it up each time you log your food.

10. Create Custom Meals

In addition to “favoriting” a food, you can also favorite a meal. You know that subway sandwich that you love? It’s tedious to put in every single item every time you eat it. This is where the “favorite meal” button becomes useful. You can group together food items into one meal and name it as a whole. That way, next time you want to eat that combination of food items, all you have to do is input the meal.

Food logging can become an easy process by following these steps. It doesn’t have to be an added stress to your day. Through persistence and dedication, you can do it!

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