Resolution 2: Track Calories

Track calorie intake: always remain aware of what I consume each day.

With one successful resolution week under my belt, I have set my second resolution. This week, in addition to maintaining my previous goal of drinking 6 or more 8oz. servings of water, I will be tracking my calorie intake. My primary reasoning for setting this goal is not so much to stay under a set total of daily calories (although, I do have a total in mind in which I will aim to stay under), but rather to always remain aware of what it is I consume each day. 

On a typical day (especially when I am bored, stressed, or busy), I snack without really paying attention to the specifics of what I am eating. Often I choose snacks that are healthy, but serving size is critical for them to remain that way; however, when I am bored I pay little attention to the quantity of food I am taking in unless I measure it out ahead of time. Likewise, when I am stressed, I crave sweets and unconsciously give in to these cravings. Commonly, I can control these hankerings for sugar by simply not keeping sweets around home or in my classroom, but when I find myself in a situation where sweets are simply sitting out, such as at a union meeting or during lunch at work, I will almost always help myself. Certainly, one of my largest challenges with food, is my busy schedule. When running from a day of teaching to a session of negotiations, or from coaching speech team to a haircut, I stop quickly to grab a bite while on the go. McDonalds or Arbys, always conveniently located, routinely get my business. These three issues keep me from really focusing on what I am taking in, which is why this week I resolve to write down all I ingest each day. 


Paying close attention to the food I take in is one the first steps to establishing a more healthy lifestyle for myself. Years ago, when I tried Weight Watchers, tracking my food intake was one of the first skills I learned--albeit, the process WW uses is much different than simply keeping a list of foods and the calories in each. Additionally, this past summer, the Livstrong website posted a story about the importance of tracking food intake for weight loss as well as weight maintenance. In fact, seemingly, remaining always aware of the number of calories (among other things) that one is taking in is one of the most fundamental rules of living a healthy life. For that reason, this resolution for week 2 is a critical one for me.