Tracking Foods

tracking foodsI hate tracking foods.

Pulling out my phone between bites to log my meal and track calories or macros isn’t my idea of fun.

But you know what is fun? Crushing goals. It doesn’t matter if you want to get stupid lean or look like an angry Bruce Banner, getting great results is exhilarating.

Tracking foods and hitting macros gets better results.

Every. Single. Time.

There was a time that I didn’t mind tracking my food. That changed when an old coaching job of mine required it.

Their policy stated that in order to coach nutrition, you had to log at least five days per week. They wanted their coaches doing more than talking the talk, they wanted us to walk the walk. Totally reasonable.

At first, I didn’t think much of it at all. I had been tracking foods for years.

Then life happened.

It came at me fast, slapped me in the face, knocked me on my back, then kicked me while I was down.

It’s Easy to Stop Tracking Foods When Life Gets Hard (or Busy)

Just over nine feet.

That’s how much snow we got that year—literally the worst in Boston’s history. Trudging through snow to get to the bus or train was a battle for everybody in the greater Boston area. But most people had boots. I wore a pair of Nike Janoskis that sported massive holes in the thin canvas.

When members at the gym saw the salt-stained shoes—ravaged by snow and ice—they’d go into mom mode.

“Ben, where are your boots? You’re gonna freeze.”

I was too embarrassed to tell the truth—I couldn’t afford new footwear. Or a heavy winter coat. Or anything for that matter.


Side note: I ended up getting new shoes. But not until a friend that worked at Champs Sports offered me 30% off my “sneakers.” She had no idea how desperately I needed it. Simple saying thank you never felt like enough. So you get a shout out. Plus, I love that you always said sneakers.


Overworked and underpaid doesn’t begin to do it justice. I was working more than full-time hours and on pace to make less than the national poverty line ($11,770 per year).

As if that wasn’t enough, my car was hit two different times parked outside my house. They left no notes. That meant money on repairs. I also partially tore my patellar tendon. That meant money on doctors, an MRI, and physical therapy. If not for my insurance and incredible parents helping out, I wouldn’t have made it.

I was drowning.

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My commute was long, work was exhausting, and I lived in complete financial panic.

When I did my taxes, I looked at the math. After paying my bills each month I had a budget of $19.28 per week. (Apparently Boston’s the fourth most expensive city in the US. Cool.) Not even twenty bucks for food, groceries, gas for the car, or any guise of a social life I might have had.

Forget tracking foods. I needed to make sure I was eating.

But then I’d get flack at work for not logging everything. No, I didn’t know the macros of the cookies my roommate made last night. And I didn’t care either. It was food.

I started to hate tracking.

For one, my food log was an utter embarrassment. I saw no point in “being an example” when that example wasn’t a good one. Also, I didn’t have any fitness goals. Making ends meet consumed me. I wasn’t thinking about losing fat or building muscle. I was thinking about how to make my rent.

So I stopped tracking.

Even after my situation changed, I didn’t start back up. I had such a negative association with it, I didn’t want to. And it looked like a lot of work to get back into the habit of tracking foods again.

What was once habitual had died and overcoming the inertia to start back up was all too much.

But then everything changed…

Why Tracking Foods is Worth It

As soon as I had a specific goal in mind, I started tracking again. I even started enjoying it again. Because I know what tracking everything and hitting my numbers means—better results. I’ve seen it time and time again.

People that track their foods and nail their macros get the best results. Period.

Fat loss, muscle gain, body recomposition—you’ll achieve goals faster when you track foods. Why? Because it creates awareness and accountability. Being more aware of what you’re eating will help you make better food choices—even without thinking.

Pattern interrupt is a popular tactic in habit change. The habit loop starts with a cue, which leads to a routine, and ends with a reward.

For example…

Bad Day (cue) –> Crushing a Pint of Talenti (routine) –> Delicious Euphoria (reward)

Habit Loop-Pattern Interrupt

But if you’re logging your food, you interrupt the pattern. Rather than following the normal routine—mindlessly grabbing your favorite frozen flavor and eating your bad day away—you open up a food tracking app and log your food.

Pattern interrupted.

This can do a couple of things. Maybe you decide you don’t really want the ice cream and do something else to cheer yourself up. Like watching pug videos.

Habit Loop-Pattern Interrupt (1)

But let’s be real, sometimes you need ice cream. Because ice cream. The pattern interrupt keeps you from posting up with the entire pint, and you find room in your macros for a couple scoops.

This is huge.

Tracking foods just helped you become more aware of what you were eating. This awareness teaches you which foods are going to help you hit your goals and which foods won’t. You’ll learn what’s high in protein, carb-heavy, or loaded with fat and be able to make choices that help you see better results.

Major win.

Food logs also give you instant accountability, which is a major key to success. Even if you’re only accountable to yourself because of whatever app you use to track your macros, it makes a big difference. Each and every day you get to see if you’re moving toward or away from your goals.

And every time you know you’re on point, you build momentum.

Momentum and Little Victories

Success breeds success. And it has a snowball effect.

But most people are so focused on their long term goals that they’re stuck looking beyond the mark—here and now. In order to succeed in the long run, you have to succeed today. And tomorrow. And next week.

Want a six pack? Cool. Do what you need to do make it happen. Today.

Want a booty that looks impressive in yoga pants? Yeah, me too. Do what you need to do make it happen. Today.

Then celebrate in the thrill of success with your daily goals. These small wins along the way build momentum and breed more success.

Food tracking gives you crystal clear daily goals. It’s an opportunity to dominate the day and build momentum. Big or small, achieving a goal—like hitting your macros—brings the thrill of accomplishment.

These little victories every day launch you forward. Focus on them. Celebrate them. And you’ll succeed more.

Your Starter Kit for Tracking Foods

Is the tedium of logging food always fun? No. But crushing goals and having daily success is. And that can easily outweigh any conceivable downside of tracking your foods.

So I want you to get started. Right now.

Download an app like On the Regimen (iOS) or My Fitness Pal.

Set your macros using The Macronutrient Cheat Sheet.

Start getting better results.