“I lost 25 pounds just by tracking what I eat on my phone using an app called My Fitness Pal.”
“Really? That’s incredible. Congratulations.”
I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts in the car on my way to work, “Happier in Hollywood,” hosted by Liz Craft and Sarah Fain.
In this episode, Liz and Sarah were interviewing ABC Studios Executive Juan Alfonson. The topic of the interview was actually what his job entails in Hollywood (developing tv shows to make it to primetime), not his weight loss goals. The above quote was actually an aside but it caught my attention after my intermittent fasting fail.
The comment triggered a memory when four years ago I was asked by my personal trainer at the time to record everything I eat. I didn’t need to limit myself; just record what I eat and show it to my trainer.
Crazy Kristen and Crazy Amy "clean up well" when you drag them out of the woods!
I thought to myself, “Sure. Like this is really gonna work to lose weight. All I need to do is record my food but I can eat whatever I want. Whatever, but I’ll do it.”
Boy, was I in for a surprise.
I quickly discovered that the mere act of recording every little thing I put into my mouth (food, drink, my nightly glass of wine and bowl of ice cream for dessert) very quickly had an unexpected deterrent effect.
Every time I reached for a snack, I would remember that if I ate it, that I would have to record it. And frankly, many times it just was not worth the effort.
So I put the Oreos down. I did not want to be reminded later of that mindless 200 calories I ingested without actually enjoying it.
I downloaded My Fitness Pal last week and, let me tell you, the app is having the same deterrent effect on my eating habits again.
I have not purposely limited myself but I am acutely conscious of the calories for each little thing I pop into my mouth.
Geez. That bowl of oatmeal with walnuts and raisins for breakfast has almost 750 calories?! That’s insane! (Granted, I was eating a BIG bowl for breakfast.)
So, although I’m not exactly limiting myself in the cuisine department, I have made minor changes that are making a difference on the scale. Accounting for water weight fluctuations, I am still down a pound and a half so far.
Tracking makes you accountable. You track what you want to change.
I do this with my clients too. Just as my personal fitness trainer held me accountable for my food choices when I was working with her, I also hold my clients accountable with their estate planning “homework.”
The homework varies for each client obviously, but it usually includes updating titles on vehicles and updating beneficiaries on financial accounts based on their specific planning goals and custom crafted plan design.
We then review their homework at each meeting as we progress through the planning process.
If you are a Florida resident and you are ready to be held accountable with your estate planning goals, you can schedule your personal strategy session with us either online here or by calling our office. 850-439-1191.
I will continue with tracking my food, water and exercise with My Fitness Pal for the next several weeks to see if my results continue. I don’t necessarily need to lose a bunch of weight but I recognize that every few pounds makes a huge difference in my energy, speed, and how I look and feel about myself when I look in the mirror.
Does this make me vain? Maybe. But hey, I’m a woman after all so I know I am in good company.
Kristen “Holding Herself Accountable” Marks
