Newbie Tip #3: More Tracking
 

It's a rare person who starts out tracking their intake. It's a rare person who reaches their weight loss goals... and never does.

Yeah, I know. We're too busy. The tracking program is too confusing. We read labels so we know the carb count. We multiply the stupid tiny serving size, then subtract the fiber if we are doing net carbs... and that other label said the carb count was zero!

Fact is, if we aren't tracking, we don't know. If we don't know, we can't tweak. And if we don't tweak, we can get stuck. If we get stuck, we give up and gain all the weight back.

So let's start demolishing those excuses:

It's too much trouble. Hey, if you are here, reading this, there's yellow text on the toolbar, above on the right, that reads: My P.L.A.N. That's the site's tracking software. Free. Easy.

You might prefer something like a phone or iTouch app (I use CarbsControl) because it's always with you. I used My P.L.A.N. to figure out recipes, and CarbsControl to enter them as servings; and I input a typical meal in less than a minute! But whatever you use, it's like anything else: the more we use it, the easier it is.

Yes, there's a learning curve, and there's a certain amount of time involved in adding our favorite recipes and meals. But since we tend to eat our favorites over and over, it gets easier and easier. Within a week, we'll have it down to a few minutes out of our day. And it's a skill we always need, isn't it?

But don't I need to just count carbs? Sure, we all start out that way. But the information we get back from tracking can be incredibly valuable in so many ways. In the early days, it gave me information I hadn't realized; like balsamic vinegar is much higher in carbs than the red wine type. And just how much higher in carbs those cashews (really a legume) were, compared to my current fave, almonds (a true nut. Like me.)

But it also reassured skeptical relatives and concerned friends that yes, I was getting all my vitamins (and I was, except D. So I started supplementing.) It let me know that 80% fat seemed to work well for me, and that led me into more Primal eating patterns. Other people find that tracking tells them they actually drop weight better by increasing their carbs a bit.

I know what I'm eating. We're pretty sure that was one third of an avocado. What do you mean, was it a Haas avocado? That guacamole I picked up on the way home... is it really that different from the kind I make at home? Do I really have to bother looking it up online?

Let me tell you; somehow, nobody overestimates the carbs they are taking in, or what's in a meal, or what happens to your takeout dinner when you start taking parts off. These questions may not matter when we are cruising along in Induction or dropping at a steady rate. But the instant we stall, we're going to want to know what to do about it.

I'll just ask the board for help. We're glad to, but we can't help you if we don't know what you're doing. Often the first callout says "I don't get it I'm doing everything right" and we have to pry a typical day's meal from the person we really want to help.

But this doesn't indicate sizes (not too big is not a helpful indicator) and we still don't know the all important ratios.

Are you 70% fat? Are you 25% protein? The first is pretty good, the second, maybe not. You can be under the 20 carbs a day induction limit, or think you are, but if your fat is not high enough, or your protein is too high for your body and activity level; you will stall.

That is because: Guessing is not knowing.

Anoher really helpful post werebear - thanks :)

Okay, okay. :o I am new and have expressed impatience with tracking, but I can see that it's important. It's so frustrating, because I never exactly measure anything, even when I'm cooking (especially when I'm cooking)! My DH jokes that he never knows what he's getting from one day to the next, because even the same dish is different every time. :eek:

<Trotting off to read the My PLAN thread> :roll: :lol:

This post has helped me decide to start tracking in My Plan. I played around with it the first day I found this site then decided it was too complicated and started manually tracking in a journal. But I gave it another shot and it's not that bad at all. I can't get my weight to show up on a graph but I'm sure I can play around with it and figure it out.

Thanks so much, WereBear, for your amazing posts! They are a huge help!

Personally this was so incredibly important for me in the beginning
I even charted my water intake

thanks for this post. i have been going back and forth on the idea, and the idea of actually weighing myself.. this is good info!

Bumping
 

:agree: :agree: :agree: :thup: :thup:

thx for this - i like tracking too - using fatsecret.com

Bumping because I have a way to let folks see all the tips:

See all my Newbie Tips!

Gotten so much great feedback on these. Thanks, everyone!

I'm new here, but not real new to low-carb. I'm diabetic and last December a friend told me about Dr. Richard Bernstein's book, "The Diabetes Diet." It made sense so I started the first week in January. I did really well for the first month - lost 10 pounds - then stalled and gave up in March. I gained back every ounce (plus a few extra) over the next 5 months.

During the "bad" months I didn't track my foods - I even went for weeks at a time not checking my blood sugar.

At the beginning of September I decided to try again with the better knowledge I now have of the danger of wheat for me, and the trigger foods that will derail me off the diet.

So now I'm tracking everything that goes into my mouth and I'm doing better than I did in January! I've cut out one of my diabetes meds (on medical advice) and I've lost 5 pounds in the last two weeks. What is even more important is that my fasting blood glucose is finally - for the first time EVER - below 100!

Tracking food is so important for the diabetic. It's the only way the BG numbers make sense and enables me to fine-tune my diet.

God bless,
Bonnie, OFS

Can i please just ask if the carbs on the my p.l.a.n tracker are total or net carbs? thank you.

It's total, but it also lists fiber.

Great, thank you so much for your reply. I'm still figuring it all out.

Kate

Great tips!!

Btw, you originally wrote this, I was long since my newbie days, and so this is the first time I am reading it. I love this post!
Is it stickied in the two posts with general newbie info at top of page? If not, I think it should be. :thup: