Food Tracking: a pain or helpful?

I loathe tracking my food and have always felt like it was an unhealthy method of weight loss for me because it feels restrictive. However, after months of winging it and assuming I was getting all the nutrients I needed, I finally decided to start tracking my food.

Here's what I have learned:

I was either overeating or under eating: When you aren't used to paying attention to what you consume, then you can easily miscalculate how many calories you're taking in. When I started tracking my food, I realized that I had days that I thought I was eating fine, when in reality I wasn't consuming enough. Or the opposite, I was under guessing and eating way too much. If calorie counting makes you want to pull your hair out, like it did me, I will say that it has been really helpful to know what I'm consuming so that I'm giving my body what it needs.

Not enough protein I was wayyyy undereating a sufficient amount of protein and didn't realize it. Again, because I was winging it and not getting an accurate account of how much I was taking in. Since tracking, I can see how much protein I'm getting and can adjust throughout the day.

Macros I'm still learning a lot about macros. Again, tracking has made me aware of what I am actually getting in the way of fats and carbs.

Measuring food makes a difference.

When I was just throwing Greek yogurt or cottage cheese into things and not measuring, I wasn't getting an accurate account on calories or protein. But tracking your foods forces you to add in accurate measurements so you know exactly how much you're getting. A half a cup of something may be a 6g protein difference that you don't want to miss out on.

Accountability for goals

I've set protein and water intake goals for myself, tracking my food has kept me accountable to those goals. I can't say I'm trying to eat 140g of protein in a day but then have no idea if I'm actually getting that amount. So, tracking has helped me stay on track with my goals....pun intended.

What I track with: An app called Lose It!

Funny story, I accidently bought the subscription and decided to use it just to get my money's worth...but actually ended up loving the app now!

My Fitness Pal is another great option that is free as well!