Motivated Mondays - Back to Tracking and a new plan!

Well I survived a month without tracking food or exercising...barely! On the drive home yesterday (my husband and I were out of town for Labor Day) I mentioned how much I hated not tracking and my husband was shocked! I've tried to get him to track food many times so that he can easily identify foods that upset his digestive system but he just can't get into the swing of doing it and it drives him nuts trying too.

I get that.  I felt that way when I first started tracking points with Weight Watchers years ago.  I realized in our conversation yesterday I have been tracking on and off for 11 years.  ELEVEN YEARS! Oh. My. Goodness.  I clearly needed a break but I also clearly have found something that, for me, works very well.  I like seeing exactly what I've eaten each day.  When I feel lethargic, I like knowing that my protein was low for the day.  When I feel bloated and puffy, I like being able to look back and see that I had a ton of sodium and that's what is causing me to feel gross.  I like both the accountability of tracking and the information that is easily at hand, allowing me to easily see what might be missing and fix it.

 Today I calculated my macronutrient needs using the site iifym.com so that I can experiment with the If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) way of eating.  The idea behind IIFYM is that instead of being a slave to "clean eating" and fueling up on asparagus, chicken and broccoli, you can eat within your macro needs (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) and still lose weight/stay lean.  Now, I am a nutrition student as well so I am not going to ignore everything I know about the needs for vitamins and minerals (micro-nutrients), nor am I going to ignore the negative health implications of a diet full of sugar, trans-fats, vegetable oils, fried foods and high fructose corn syrup.  My diet will still be at least 80% healthy, aiming for more like 90% healthy with 10% whatever I want.  But I do like the flexibility of fitting cravings and indulgences into a weight loss plan (or in my case, a few more weeks of bulking up my muscle followed by a fat cutting phase).  I feel incredibly motivated with the idea of a new plan and I am entirely too excited about tracking my food and exercise again!

A little IIFYM humor: 

Have you tried IFFYM?

Do you track your food?

What's your favorite indulgence?