I’m Tracking My Way Back to You Babe!
Posted on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 11:22 amWell sorta. I know tracking works, but my perfectionism is getting in the way of tracking. Instead of seeing it as objective information about what I’m doing, I see it as damning evidence that I’m doing everything wrong.
When I lost 100 lbs, I was a great tracker. I was doing something I called “flore”, flex points but eating mostly core foods (now called filling foods). I didn’t eat activity points or extra weekly points.
I can’t do that now, so instead of owning what I’m doing, I’m just not tracking.
So, instead of tracking online, I got myself a little notebook. I’m starting by just writing down the foods I’m eating–no quantities, no points. Some days I’m getting everything in, some days I stop at noon. But I’m not letting it drop.
How do you get back on track(ing)?
Gah! I hear you on the perfectionism thing. I find trackers like SparkPeople just make me obsessive-compulsive and are ultimately defeating.
What works for me is a dry-erase whiteboard on my fridge. I plan the day’s meals out, then adjust for reality. (I’m tracking WW pts, not calories… the “close enough” approximation of points ameliorates my perfectionism.)
Oddly, I think it works b/c at the end of the day I erase and start new with the next day. Any mistakes are gone, and I start the day literally with a clean slate.
Then again, I live alone — might be weird having the entire household seeing your meals written out just so… but the same thing could apply to a scrap of paper that you toss out at the end of the day, I suppose…
Only recently fouind your blog — I like it! thx for sharing…
Thanks for the great idea! I’ve got two crazy boys who would draw all over a board, but planning things on a white board in your kitchen is a great idea. Even if there were other people in the house I think it would be good, because it is public accountability: other people seeing your plan makes you more accountable.
I’ve been tracking for about two years. I started off with a notebook but I now use the Daily Plate.
Although tedious, tracking comforts me — big time. I’ve started to give myself a break on the weekend but, otherwise, I need to know…