They say that; ‘what is measured will improve’ and in almost 15 years of experience as a personal fitness coach that is true about monitoring food intake for weight loss. I also ask my clients to measure their BMI, weight and Heart Rate daily, but food intake is the most important performance indicator by far. I use a system where my clients information is captured instantly by camera rather than poring over food diaries for hours trying to remember what they ate for breakfast last weekend!
(Above: Watermelon - I need to drop 12 lbs in the next 3 weeks in preparation for the Ironman triathlon Austria so I'm taking in lots of fruit and water)
As soon as we start to strictly monitor what we eat then weight loss becomes rapid which starts the vital positive feel good cycle. Clarity on the specific quantities and quality of what we eat helps us to be in reality rather than in denial. The challenge is how long it takes to monitor our dietary intake in a traditional pen and paper or even using a digital document.
Why is monitoring my food intake is the most imporatnt motivator and performance indicator in losing weight?
The weight loss process is a bit like when someone needs to get out of trouble financially. Both problems usually only happen if we've been eathing too much or spending too much consistently (barring unusual circumstances). We eventually realise we're in trouble. Despite the warning signs it can end up feeling like like someone jumped off the other side of our see-saw and we hit rock bottom. How did I get to this place? (A bit like the Irish economy!!)
(Above: Mint, avocado, apple and carrot smoothie that Cara and I had on Tuesday. It was gorgeous by the way!)
Both problems are caused by being a little bit careless and/or unconscious about our eating or spending. If you've ever been in debt then you'll know that the thing that needs to be monitored is your daily financial expenses. To get out of weight trouble the important performance indicator is your daily intake of food and fluids.
With finances, when we spend a bit less than we earn eventually things improve and we get out of detb. Weight loss is just like that - it is science! If you eat a bit less food than what your body burns off today then your body will find the extra energy it needs in your fat reserves. Fat is actually a much more efficent fuel source. When you train your body to use fat as a fuel source you get more energy as a byproduct. As an endurance athlete I try to train my body to burn fat rather than sugar.
(Above: When I'm dropping weight quickly I eat lots of oranges - probably too many if that is possible!)
Clarity on exactly what you are eating means that your coach or dietitian can be employed to serve you even more efficiently. We can adress the real issues rather than trying to guess if food is the cause of the problem. Food almost always is the cause of the problem. Reducing quantity of empty foods while improving quality of food in 95% of my clients is the fastest way to shed weight!
(Green salad with dressing and Avocado and bean Salad - Lunch during the week)
The problem with keeping a traditional food diary is that the theory is great but the practical application is hard. Everyone should keep a food diary until they hit their ideal BMI range - right?
But the practice is another thing - who remembers and bothers to actually fill in how much water they drink every day? And if you backdate your food diary for last week then let's face it you forget half of what you ate! It is human nature to forget the sneaky secret treats too!
Backdating your food diary is better than nothing but it can give your coach/dietition the wrong information. The solution is so simple - photograph everything that you eat or drink with your mobile phone and store them for that appointment or else email them to your coach..
Every good personal fitness trainer that I know of, every dietitian and many other types of therapists insist that their clients use a food diary despite the obstacles because it is just so important but most people never fill it out.
I’ve been asking my clients to fill out food diaries years but it is like getting blood from a stone! Let’s face it, who wants to stop after every meal and find the document and write it all down? It is boring, repetitive and feels fruitless.. and yet we all know that if we just did it that the weight would improve, the quality of food would improve, the quantity of food would probably lessen due to the accountability aspect and the increased awareness.
(Above: People are always asking me for weight loss tips - here is one: I ate this many oranges instead of sweet treats like dark chocolate in the last week and lost 5 lbs!)
So here is the solution that I ask my clients to use. They take a photograph of every single meal they eat and send it to me and to their private accountability team. This way is so faster it is almost instant so it saves you time, it saves on paper, the accountability is even higher because the quantities are obvious to see in the image and it strengthens those vital relationships between coach and client and between them and their peer group.
Posted via email from michaelrossney's posterous
