Nutrition – Accountability is the Key

Let's talk a little about nutrition and diet. My biggest fault is that I know exactly what I need to do and should be doing, but just have not been doing it.  I have always had a taste for junk - sugary, sweet and salty junk. Not to mention my love affair with carbs, which has been a life-long romance. I have a tendency to eat portions that are too big, eat past the point of being full, and to binge on snacks when stressed and tired.

I have been gradually making changes in my diet since last year, cutting back the junk and working on eating more nutritious  meals. What helps me most of all though, is using an app to track my calories and nutrition (as well as my exercise). There are so many apps that it makes it really easy, but I personally use MyFitnessPal.  

You should start a log of your intake even before you start to modify your diet, so that you can see where you are starting from. It makes a huge difference to see all the calories, fat, carbs and protein that you are eating in black and white. Once you've gotten some data logged, sitting down with a nutritionist to help you work out the most important changes to make to your diet is an awesome idea. He or she will be able to give you really targeted recommendations to help you meet your goals in a healthy manner.

I also love that you can use an app to track your water intake. I drink a lot of water, especially when I'm working, and I try to get 100 ounces per day.  I have stopped drinking pop, including diet, I rarely drink juices, and I try to just drink water as much as possible because there are so many calories in drinks! Now, I will still indulge in the occasional wine or cocktail, I'm human, but changing out the rest of my beverages to water has made a giant impact for me.

For me, the accountability is the biggest factor here. When you are logging all your intake, it makes it very hard to pretend you didn't eat that piece of cake, bag of chips, or pint of ice cream. 

 And once you get on the right path, it becomes easier and easier over time. So, when you do have a bad day and eat (in my case) multiple nutty bars, you will have the tools you need to get back on track!