Gauging Nutrition Progress

Tracking nutrition progress can be frustrating. The amount of work that goes into changing behaviors, even in a relatively short few day period, with no or little measurable change to metrics such as weight or waist, can cause people to quit.

What can become important, not just in these first few days but in general to become someone who builds some mastery in the realm of self-control and nutrition, is observing the feelings associated with feeling bad and feeling good.

How do you feel during training? Do you feel depleted, bloated, or energetic? Are you full, satisfied, or hungry? What do these actually feel like (e.g. how do you feel after eating an appropriately portioned healthy meal versus overeating versus undereating).

Observing these sensations and associating them with behaviors that connect to certain outcomes can help you see that you are on the right track or need to make adjustments.

Some of these feelings are longer-term feelings (e.g. tight pants, the seat belt test) others you can experience soon after a meal or after a day or a couple days of behavior changes.

Really, what you are learning to do is trust in the process by knowing the sensations that come from behaviors that will lead you toward your goals.

Gauging Nutrition Progress: Objective, Quantifiable Behaviors