Embrace the Process: Food Tracking with Purpose (New Challenge)
Take this Two-Week Challenge to Understand Your Body, Build Awareness, and Support Your Health Journey
I’ve officially taken over your inbox! I am grateful you’re coming back for more. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or just joined, I appreciate your commitment to improving your health and well-being.
As I’ve mentioned before, the goal is not a life overhaul but to help you develop just five new health rhythms by the end of the year.
This week, we’re exploring a topic that might make you feel uncomfortable: food tracking. But don’t worry—this isn’t about perfection or restriction. It’s about awareness and understanding.
Let’s take it slow, step by step.
We’ll dedicate two full weeks to this challenge, giving you plenty of time to adjust, process, and heal from any shame you might have felt doing this in the past.
Why Food Tracking?
Let’s address the elephant in the room: food tracking has a bad reputation. For many, it’s been tied to feelings of shame, deprivation, and rigid dieting rules. If you’ve had a negative experience with it in the past, that’s completely valid.
But here’s the thing—food tracking can be a powerful tool when used correctly. It’s not about judgment or punishment. It’s about gathering information to make informed decisions for your body.
Think of it this way: you wouldn’t try to fix your car without first figuring out what’s wrong. Food tracking is the same. It helps us understand what’s happening under the hood—your body’s unique needs, patterns, and signals.
Shifting Your Mindset
I know this might bring up resistance, and that’s okay. Instead of avoiding those feelings, lean into them. Ask yourself:
What’s making me feel this way?
Are these feelings rooted in past experiences?
How can I view this challenge differently?
Here’s the truth: tracking your food is not about shame or guilt. It’s about empowerment. It’s about learning how to better support your body, not restrict it.
Stop letting food tracking be about shame and guilt. Use it as empowerment.
Deep breath in…. now let it out. You’ve got this.
The Purpose Behind Food Tracking
Understanding your food intake is essential to building a strong foundation for health.
Most people struggle to maintain a healthy weight because they don’t know their baseline. As I mentioned in the weight loss class, most people are either:
Under-eating, pushing their body into survival mode and slowing metabolism.
Over-eating nutrient-void foods, leading to energy crashes and imbalances.
But, the only way to know where you stand is to track consistently over time—not just for a day or two, but at least two weeks.
Here’s what tracking can reveal:
Caloric Intake: Are you getting enough calories to meet your body’s needs?
Nutrient Gaps: Are you missing out on essential nutrients your cells need to thrive?
Patterns and Habits: What are your eating patterns telling you about your energy levels, cravings, or stress?
This isn’t about numbers on a screen or about less—it’s about creating awareness and building a foundation for better health.
It’s a tool I want to help you heal from so you can use it to help support your body.
The Challenge: Tracking Your Food
I want you to log everything you eat for the next two weeks. And I mean everything—meals, snacks, and even that piece of candy from your coworker’s desk. This is not about judgment; it’s about honesty and curiosity.
Here’s how I find the easiest way to do it.
Log everything I eat by:
I write everything down in my Nourished Planner or a notebook, or I use the Note app on my phone.
Input your data:
At the end of the day (or when I find time), I enter that information into a tracking app like Chronometer or MyFitnessPal.
Calculate your average:
We’ll find your average daily calorie intake at the end of the two weeks. This will give us a clearer picture of whether you’re living in abundance, starvation mode, or somewhere in between.
Don’t stress over the details (including macros):
For now, we’re focusing on overall calorie intake rather than breaking it down into proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. You can track these if you want, but it’s optional and, again, not up for critique!
»Download this printable guide to keep track of your food intake. «
A Word of Encouragement
I know this challenge might seem daunting. The diet industry has misused food tracking for so long that it’s easy to feel skeptical or even scared. But the harmful narratives of restriction and shame no longer deserve space in your life.
This isn’t about dieting. This is about understanding.
You are not defined by what you eat; tracking is simply a tool to help you live your healthiest, most vibrant life.
Take it one day at a time, and remember: growth often happens in the uncomfortable moments. You’re capable of amazing things, and I’m here with you every step of the way.
Make sure to do a daily check-in with me over in the chat!
I’ve put together a video below to help deal with some of the resistance you might be facing!