Step 1: Diet Recall To know where to start, it’s a good idea to know where you are. When you are lost at the mall, you stop at the big map and find the star that reads, “YOU ARE HERE”. Once you locate that, you can find your destination and map out how to best get to that desired place. It is the same in all areas of life including your diet or nutrition. There are a lot of online calculators available that will tell you how much/how little (depending on your mindset/perspective) you SHOULD be consuming each day for this reason or that. These calculators or equations can be a tool one may utilize as a starting point. They are based on a number of factors such as age, gender, activity level, etc. However, it is a pretty big generalization to make especially if you have not taken the time to be aware of what you are consuming or have been restricting or binging for years.
What some of us in the training world believe is best is to get an accurate snapshot of what you truly are consuming. The best way to do this is by starting with a diet recall or food journal. You can download an app on your phone such as My Fitness Pal or something similar. You can also simply write it down throughout the day as you go and then plug it all in at the end of the day or week. Some individuals are brand new to this idea so I suggest that you don’t get so complicated with measuring and/or weighing things out. Simply start by writing down what you consume. You won’t want to change anything - keep your diet as it currently is even if you are having something like a piece of cake at 7 am or an entire large extra cheese pizza at 10 pm. There is no shame here - it’s important for you to truly believe that. We must face the facts concerning the daily decisions we make if we desire to change something. Our decisions lead to what we experience or see in our lives. Choices have consequences whether it’s positive or negative. We cannot change an outcome if we are not willingly to face the truth about the decisions we consistently make.
I would recommend doing this activity for 5-7 days. If you are taking the route of just writing down items without measuring/weighing, your next step would be to spend the next 5-7 days getting a general idea of the amount of the food you are consuming by either weighing or measuring. I would recommend weighing things out with a food scale that can be purchased on Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc. For some of you this may lead to a lot of anxiety or frustration especially if you have had a history of eating disorders. Please do not proceed in the name of “health” – your best choice is to find a RD /nutritionist to work one on one with. Please do not just sign up with an online coach who is not an RD to begin your journey. It’s critical to your success that you take this journey with a professional who can help you navigate through your relationship with food and it’s role in your life.
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Love - Tiff
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