365 days ago, on May 21st 2018 – I settled upon a new commitment. It was a big one and a major challenge. It was to Consider, Measure and the Record everything I ate. Everything. Well, I am very proud to say that today is day 365 and I did it!
I recorded the consumption of 760,483 calories in one year. That is 2,084 calories per day on average for those of you who care about stats like that! According to the Federal Daily Recommended Allowance – 2000 calories per day is enough to lose approximately 1 pound per week. I lost a total of 85 lbs, but during this commitment, I have lost 50 pounds. Which incredibly is almost exactly 1 pound per week. The conclusion – yup, the stuff you read about calorie consumption is true. You just have to have enough patience to actually wait long enough to see the results.
You may think it is crazy, in fact even impossible to record everything you eat everyday. I cannot say that I kept the diary 100% perfect, but it is pretty close. I had to guess on measurements many times, but overtime I have developed an uncanny ability to guess the exact weight of food in ounces. I can now look at food and immediately guess the caloric content and macro nutrient mixture and be very accurate. This took time, 365 days worth of doing the same thing everyday. However, the most important thing I gained on this was portion control. I know exactly what energy a handful of nuts will give me versus a cup of raspberries. I know exactly what eating that chocolate brownie will do in terms of caloric levels for the day.
I also know the destructive patterns we fall into and how bad they can be. I had a habit of eating this one type of “protein” bar, just discover after analysis of the data that it was quickly spiking my calorie consumption in the morning and was the culprit of gastro distress. I cut those out and discovered how much better I feel. I have seen the devastating effect excessive caffeine consumption has on your overall consumption of sugars. In my study of 1 – there is a direct correlation between caffeine consumption and sugar consumption.
I have developed an ability to eat more when a pending exercise event is coming, and to eat less when I know that I am doing nothing. This has happened naturally and without planning. Overtime, when you are recording everyday, your mind picks up on patterns and implements new eating habits almost subconsciously. I have also become acutely aware of the impact of exercise on calorie consumption, and I can tell when my body is in a consumption state and the metabolism is efficient. I have learned the precise moment that glycogen stores run out in my muscles and I have to rely on fat to sustain mental energy. I know exactly what that feels like now.
I have also seen the impact of certain foods. When you measure and watch what you eat carefully, you start to notice things. Things that were obvious – foods with sugar alcohol cause bloating and distress and too much sugar creates excitability and quick crashes. The less obvious like spinach is poisonous to me. I had no idea that the toxin in a spinach leaf impacts me when I eat too much of it. I have also learned that adding a bit of fat to a meal can cause the food to sustain much longer. I am not afraid to add a tablespoon of grass feed butter now because it gives me an energy source that burns really clean.
Anyway, this commitment was a brutal one and took a lot of dedication to do everyday. To remember everything I consumed and then to try, in secret, with no one looking calculate what I ate. I had to change the way that I ate, because I discovered some things were easier to eat then others. I now prefer raw foods, simply because they are easier to track! I think this is a good thing. I have learned which raw foods pack the most macro nutrients that I need for the day.
I used MyFitnessPal as the tool for this. It provides me some interesting reports and it is really revealing to see what food sources produce the most of a certain nutrient. I can see what foods produced the most calories, which ones I could remove and have the biggest impact. Above all, I think the act of doing this has changed my behavior. I did not set out to eat less, I just decided that if I recorded what I ate, then I would have a better sense of my food. That worked, and in so doing I have been eating much better than ever before.
Not sure if anyone reading this would ever make this type of commitment. I highly recommend it. I can almost guarantee improved health and weight loss. However, it will not be easy. Give it a shot for 100 days perhaps!? Download an app and start your path to Consider, Measure, Record!
Guy Reams
13 Days Until 1st Marathon
