Raise your hand if you've been personally victimized by the scale 🙋🏼We've all been there, you track your food and hit your numbers consistently, but for some reason that scale doesn't want to budge. If this sounds like you, here are some reasons you may not be seeing results.
1. Using Generic Entries: A "slice of 🍕" could mean a whole lot of things. Is it thin crust? Stuffed crust? Loaded with veggies or loaded with meat? We need to break down everything into its components - crust, cheese, sauce, toppings etc. Similarly, try to avoid entries like "medium banana" and instead record "50g banana".
2. Using Volume Instead of Weight: 1 tbsp. of peanut butter measured out in a measuring cup vs. 15g of peanut butter measured on the scale can equate to a difference of up to 100 kcal! See the photo for more examples. It is ALWAYS better to measure using weight instead of volume.
3. Eyeballing 👀 Rather Than Measuring: Just like the above example, we have to weigh our food for a long time before we can accurately guesstimate. Macro and calorie counting only works if we are inputting accurate information!
4. Not Pre-Planning Your Day: Plan your day in advance so you have no reason but to crush it! It's really hard (and sometimes gross) to play catch up after smashing 4 cookies at the work meeting and realizing you're left with 120g protein and no carbs or fats for the day. Plan "treats" in advance, and don't put anything in your mouth before you track it!
5. Not Double-Checking Nutrition Info: Sometimes what pops up in MFP does not match the actual nutrition label. Make sure when you're scanning labels and entering food that you are double checking the MFP info with the food label.
Tracking macronutrients is one of the best ways to see results, but there is room for error. Make sure you've got the above on lock down and you'll greatly increase your chances for success! 👊🏼