Our best practices for avoiding this mistake so that you can finally get the results you want

Keeping a food journal is a fantastic way to draw attention to what, how, when, and how much food you are eating and is a key tool in making health, fitness, and physique changes.

If you’re going to use this tool then it is essential you avoid making the most common mistake I see guys make.

You need to track everything. Every nibble, every lick, every gulp, every dunk. Collecting inaccurate data is a surefire way to build a faulty system.

When food journaling, here are our best practices;

1. Enter the data as you’re eating that meal. The longer we wait to enter the data, the less accurate it becomes as we’re likely to misremember.

2. Weigh the food you’re eating for more accurate data. Food labels can be, by law, off by 30-40%. If you eyeball the portions, the chances are you’re operating with an error rate too high to be accurate enough to see reliable change.

3. Put it on a plate. If you’re eating standing up, on the move, or with a hand held item, it is easy to dip and dunk here and there. Make mealtimes more conducive to accurate measurement.

4. Make it digital. Use the technology at your disposal. MFP and Chronometer are robust tools that make tracking easier. If you prefer to write it down, then it is essential you follow points 1-3.

5. Note when and where you’re eating. Our environment plays a significant part in our eating habits. Recognize the patterns of food behaviors by tracking when you’re eating, where you’re eating, and even, who you’re eating with.

The farther away from these best practices you get, the harder it becomes to record reliable data. If your plan is to then make changes to your diet, then you’re doing so based on faulty data.

Here’s the worst bit about this…you get all the difficulties of dieting, with none of the results. You get all the preparation costs, all the sacrifices, and all the effort without actually getting progress in the direction you want to go in. Fabled philosopher calls this “all retch, no vomit”.

As with any tool, If you’re going to use food journaling, it pays to know how to use it for best results.

USE THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB

Food journaling is just one of the many impactful tools we use in the builtXyou transformation program. This tool is systematically layered into a daily curriculum that supports busy guys in losing 30lbs of body fat and gaining 5lbs of muscle in 16 weeks or less. Guaranteed.

If you’ve tried to go it alone and achieve your health, fitness, and physique goals without the support of a coach and a like minded community then it doesn’t have to be this way. Join the builtXyou transformation program and get the expert coaching and community support you need to make long term progress by applying today.