The Keys to Success: Action

Keeping track of food (and exercise) can be every bit as difficult as you want to make it, but it doesn’t have to be. As with any new area of learning, it helps to start small, reconsider your assumptions, and experiment a little to find what works best for you.

Here are a few articles from 2014 about methods for keeping track of your progress and food intake, and improving your skills in the kitchen.

Tracking Progress

Should I Junk My Scale? — Maybe weighing yourself isn’t helping

The First Question after BMI — A refinement of the super-simple body-fatness/risk snapshot

Keeping Score — Thinking about exercise burn

Food Tracking and Some Alternatives

Accounting Without Counting — Detailed food records are not the only way, and there are easier ways to start

Keeping Score — Basic food tracking

Getting a feel for portions sizes is a great skill to have but tough to learn. Here are some visual aids (and practicing with a kitchen scale helps!):
What Does 20 Grams of Protein Look Like?
What Does 200 Calories Look Like?
What Does 100 Calories Look Like?

Learning to Cook is a tall order, but you don’t have to become a Cordon Bleu chef — you just need to some basic skills around the kitchen to make a few key choices and meals that will help you stick with your eating priorities. Here is a start.

What Is an Empty Calorie? — Some suggestions for “fuller” choices

Nudge Yourself into a Sound Grocery Strategy, and then use Strategic Fridge Filling and other tips for How to Store Groceries

Cooking 101 — A simple intro to kitchen techniques

Vegetable Cheat Sheet — “How do I prepare this?”

There are so many different ways to improve the way you eat and move that you are bound to find some that agree with you. Never feel obligated to change more than one thing at a time — and start with what looks easiest!