How will you Score on your Food Tracker Check-in? Discover what’s holding back your weight loss.

Before reading this post, you might want to check out the post on tracking your food, and why it can help you better understand your eating patterns/habits, which are likely preventing you from losing weight.

This post is the follow-up to the food tracking post (the how and why), and it’s about what to do after tracking your food.

Once you’ve completed at least 1-2 weeks of food tracking, take a close look at your data. Your goal is to make discoveries about what you’re really eating and drinking each week and to learn from those discoveries.

When you examine your food tracker, remember, my approach is not the only way to analyze your food consumption. There are other more general methods, like a food journal without analysis, but my process is based on what I know about food and based on the weight loss results I’ve seen from my own food tracking (and the weight gain).

I may not be perfect, and I may continue with my own struggle with food, but I know what works when it comes to weight loss (and I’m not talking about short-term dieting). I’ve been experimenting with healthy ways of eating and tracking my food for a long time. 

Although not a focus of today’s post, this needs mentioning whenever we think about weight loss: the big question after losing weight is how to keep it off. 

Consistency and a change of diet focused on a lifelong, healthy lifestyle are the answers, not trendy or fad diets that pull you in with their fast and easy promises. I don’t believe any successful, long-term weight loss is fast and easy. Frankly, it’s quite the opposite. Tracking your food is one of those things; it takes time and requires your commitment.

Tracking your food and analyzing the results are steps you can take to ensure you’re moving towards a healthier lifestyle that will naturally encourage your body to drop the extra pounds.

In addition to my perspective on checking in with what you’re eating over time, this process is for you, so ask your own questions and analyze your food tracker in other ways you deem important or useful.

Follow the steps below, or print it out (Google Doc) to do your analysis on paper. Again, before your analysis, you need to track your food for a couple of weeks.

There are three parts to analyzing your food tracker data:

Part 1 Questionnaire: Foods to Limit or Avoid

Part 2 Questionnaire: Foods to Eat More Often

Part 3 Analysis and Next Steps

Food Tracker Analysis PART 1: Foods to Greatly Limit or Avoid

Part 1 Questionnaire

For each question, look at your food tracker. Remember to be honest with yourself (I know that can be hard sometimes).

Part 1 Question #1 

Roughly, for EACH WEEK you tracked, approximately how many times did you eat food/beverages made by a restaurant/cafe or grocery store (restaurant dine-in meal, restaurant take-out/delivery, fast-food, prepared food from grocery store/deli you’d heat up at home)?

• A) 0 times
• B) 1 time
• C) 2 times
• D) 3 times
• E) 4 times
• F) Every day

Part 1 Q#1 Your Score: ________ A 0, B 1, C 2, D 3, E 4, F 5

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Part 1 Question #2 

Roughly, for EACH WEEK you tracked, approximately how many times did you consume a sugary drink? Those include:

• fruit juice/beverage with added sugar (not including fresh-squeezed)
• pop/carbonated beverage or energy drink with added sugar
• coffees/teas/lattes with added sugar/sweetener

A) 0 times
B) 1 time
C) 2 times
D) 3 times
E) 4 times
F) Every day

Part 1 Q#2 Your Score: ________ A 0, B 1, C 2, D 3, E 4 F 5

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Part 1 Question #3 

Roughly, for EACH WEEK you tracked, approximately how many times did you eat a highly processed food product? 

The further away a food is from its natural state, the more processed it is. Although not always true, a general rule is that if the food comes in a box/package, it is processed. 

How do you know if a food is highly processed or just processed? 

A highly processed food (link to Canadian government definition) is one that usually has a high number of ingredients. Ingredients in highly processed foods (link to Forks Over Knives definition) often include added oil and/or added sugar and/or high levels of sodium and/or ingredients that you do not know (you don’t know what they are or what they mean). 

The more ingredients in the product that are not a whole food (apple vs apple concentrate; soybean vs soy isolate; whole grain flour vs enriched/whole wheat flour), the more the entire product is processed. If you’re not sure if a food is highly processed, then you can look at the ingredients list on the product or online.

A brief list of highly processed foods:

• Baked and/or fried packaged products (NOT homemade) like refined flour products, especially white flour (breads, tortillas bagels), most breakfast cereals, cookies, cakes, pastries, donuts, cupcakes, muffins, crackers, tortilla chips, potato chips, candy, cake, cookie mixes, etc.

• Frozen packaged foods (not frozen veggies/fruit), such as pizza, chicken nuggets/patties, burgers, waffles, burritos, prepared dinners (heat up and ready to go), fish sticks, ice cream, frozen yogurt, desserts, and so on. Look at the box, and you’ll see tons of processed ingredients.

• Processed meats like bacon, sausages, deli meats, peperoni, salami, etc.

• Processed dairy products like cheese spreads, dips, yogurts, coffee creamers, etc.

• Other products, such as margarine, salad dressings, canned/packaged soups and chiles, packaged pastas with sauces, and so on.

By the way….yes, we are still in Part 1, Question 3, but I think this explanation, and the example that follows, help to clarify just what highly processed food is.

Crackers Example 

Crackers are highly processed or moderately processed, which means they (and all highly processed foods) do not look like the original, whole food from which they were made. The original whole grain in most crackers has had its nutrients removed, and has been finely ground into a powder. In addition, many crackers have a long list of ingredients (some of which may be natural, and some of which may not be so natural) and would be considered highly processed. 

However, the quality of a cracker product varies from brand to brand, and the secret is to read your ingredients list. There may be a few brands of crackers out there with mostly whole ingredients and with few ingredients, which makes them less processed.

Let’s look at 4 brands of crackers to see what I’m talking about. I’ve numbered the brands, 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Let’s look at these ingredients briefly, so you can see that, although many people would view two to three of these products as healthy, most of these crackers are not what I would call healthy or suitable for weight loss.

• Each product has a fair number of ingredients (10-14).
• 2 of the crackers are made with wheat flour (no nutritional value; highly refined and mostly empty calories); 1 product is made with enriched wheat flour, which means it began as wheat flour, and then the manufacturer added in some vitamins (which existed originally in the whole grain before it was stripped to make the refined flour); 1 product is made with whole grains and does not use wheat flour. Refined flour fills us up less than whole grains or whole grain ingredients and offers poor nutrition.
• 3 of the products use some kind of oil: palm oil and/or vegetable oil or soybean oil or partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil (partially hydrogenated = trans fats); 1 product has no added oil. All oil is highly refined and looks nothing like the original whole food from where it came. Oil has little, if any, nutritional value and is 100% fat.
• 2 of the products have wheat flour and oil listed as the first two ingredients, which means those ingredients make up the bulk of each cracker.

Would you like to know what brands of crackers those lists are from?

If you really want to test yourself, look at the first image with the cracker packages. THEN, look at the answers in the second & third images.

Here…

come…

the answers….

I would consider three of the brands to be highly processed and one, Mary’s Crackers, to be moderately processed.

Ok. Now that you’re clear on what a highly processed food is, we can continue with Part 1, Question 3:

Roughly, for EACH WEEK you tracked, approximately how many times did you eat a highly processed food product?

• A) 0 times
• B) 1 time
• C) 2 times
• D) 3 times
• E) 4 times
• F) Every day

Part 1 Q#3 Your Score: ________ A 0, B 1, C 2, D 3, E 4, F 5

Before moving on to question #4: if you haven’t yet downloaded my FREE guide on Reading Food Labels, check it out. You’ll be a savvy label reader in no time.

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Part 1 Question #4 

Roughly, for EACH WEEK you tracked, approximately how many times did you add oil to your food? 

This means you added oil to your food, either in the preparation, while cooking or when serving. This means all types of oil. Some examples are pouring olive oil on your salad or using it in a homemade dressing. Adding oil is also the case when you cook food in or with any oil (stir-frying with oil, frying in oil, spraying oil on anything, making popcorn with oil in a pot on the stove, etc.).

• A) 0 times
• B) 1 time
• C) 2 times
• D) 3 times
• E) 4 times
• F) Every day

Part 1 Q#4 Your Score: ________ A 0, B 1, C 2, D 3, E 4, F 5

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Part 1 Question # 5 

Roughly, for EACH WEEK you tracked, approximately how many alcoholic beverages did you consume?

One serving of wine is about 5 oz (not a 9-oz; that’s almost 2 servings); one serving of beer is 12 oz and one serving of hard liquor is 1 oz. Determining your alcohol consumption is not an exact science; use your best judgement, and remember, be honest.

• 0 – 1 drink
• 2 drinks
• 3 drinks
• 4 drinks
• 5 drinks
• 6 or more drinks

Part 1 Q#5 Your Score: ________ A 0, B 1, C 2, D 3, E 4, F 5

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

You’ll come back to Part 1 later.

Food Tracker Analysis PART 2: Foods to Eat More Often

Part 2 Questionnaire

For each question, look at your food tracker. Remember to be honest with yourself.

Note: the values in part 2 are reversed, so pay attention when you record your score.

Part 2 Question #1 

Roughly, for EACH WEEK you tracked, approximately how many times did you eat greens?

Greens include things like kale, arugula, spinach, romaine, chard, collard greens, darker lettuces. Iceberg lettuce does not count (not much green there!). Also, I’m not talking about a piece of kale as a garnish. Greens means you ate them raw in a salad or you had some cooked as part of a dish/meal.

• A) Every day
• B) 4+ times
• C) 3 times
• D) 2 times
• E) 1 time
• F) 0 times

Par 2 Q#1 Your Score: ________ A 0, B 1, C 2, D 3, E 4, F 5

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Part 2 Question #2 

Roughly, for EACH WEEK you tracked, approximately how many times did you eat raw vegetables? This includes raw veggies you might have eaten with a dip, or raw veggies (not greens) added to a salad. 

A) Every day
B) 4+ times
C) 3 times
D) 2 times
E) 1 time
F) 0 times

Part 2 Q#2 Your Score: ________ A 0, B 1, C 2, D 3, E 4, F 5

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Part 2 Question #3 

Roughly, for EACH WEEK you tracked, approximately how many times did you eat cooked vegetables?

A) Every day
B) 4+ times
C) 3 times
D) 2 times
E) 1 time
F) 0 times

Part 2 Q#3 Your Score: ________ A 0, B 1, C 2, D 3, E 4, F 5

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Part 2 Question #4 

Roughly, for EACH WEEK you tracked, approximately how many times did you eat fresh or frozen fruit? Canned can be ok if there are no added sugars, or very little, (packed in fruit juice or water). Fruit packed in syrup should not be included here.

A) Every day
B) 4+ times
C) 3 times
D) 2 times
E) 1 time
F) 0 times

Part 2 Q#4 Your Score: ________ A 0, B 1, C 2, D 3, E 4, F 5

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Part 2 Question #5 

Roughly, for EACH WEEK you tracked, approximately how many times did you eat beans or whole grains? Beans from a can or cooked from dried count. Beans canned or packaged with sugary/fatty/salty sauces should not be included (brown beans don’t count). When I say beans, I also mean chickpeas, lentils and peas; a whole grain could be whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa, barley, oats, couscous, millet, etc. Pasta made from whole grains or beans works too.

A) Every day
B) 4+ times
C) 3 times
D) 2 times
E) 1 time
F) 0 times

Part 2 Q#5 Your Score: ________ A 0, B 1, C 2, D 3, E 4, F 5

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Food Tracker Analysis Part 3: Analysis and Next Steps

Now that you’ve tracked your food and completed Part 1 and Part 2 Questionnaires, you’re ready for Part 3: Analysis and Next Steps. In this part, you’ll put your questionnaire scores in front of you, all at once, so you can see your problem areas. Then you’ll plan your next steps.

NOTE: The closer you scored to zero on any question, the better. The higher your score for any question in both parts reveals areas for you to make changes.

—Low Score – better for weight loss (Part 1 low score = eating unhealthy foods infrequently; Part 2 low score = eating healthy foods often)
—High Score – holds back weight loss (Part 1 high score = eating unhealthy foods often; Part 2 high score = eating healthy foods infrequently)

Let’s look at an example before you dive into your own analysis.

Example: Sarah’s Results for Part 1 and Part 2 Questionnaires

—Low Score – better for weight loss (Part 1 low score = eating unhealthy foods infrequently; Part 2 low score = eating healthy foods often)
—High Score – holds back weight loss (Part 1 high score = eating unhealthy foods often; Part 2 high score = eating healthy foods infrequently)

Sarah’s Analysis and Next Steps

When you look at Sarah’s results, you can see right away where she can make some changes. If I was coaching Sarah, I would recommend the following.

Recommendation 1: Reduce Unhealthy Foods

• Sarah doesn’t drink sugary drinks, and she uses little oil in her food. She should continue with these two habits. 
• If Sarah limits her restaurant meals to once a week, she’ll reduce the hidden fat, sugar and sodium that we usually don’t notice in most restaurant meals. 
• The two areas Sarah should focus on are reducing her processed food and alcohol intake. 
  • Although her processed food consumption isn’t crazy, she can start to look at the fat, sugar and salt in those foods and choose similar foods that are less processed or even homemade. Alternatively, she can avoid them except as a treat once a week.
  • Sarah is likely to slowly lose weight by reducing the empty calories in alcohol. By reducing her alcohol to 2 drinks per week (or fewer), she will give herself a greater shot at dropping weight.

Recommendation 2: Add More Healthy Foods

• You can see that Sarah enjoys her fruit, as she eats fruit every day. She should continue to eat fruit daily. 
• One area to improve is Sarah’s consumption of cooked vegetables and beans/grains. She’s eating beans or a whole grain only twice a week. With 14 to 21 opportunities to eat her meals each week, that number can be increased. Beans and whole grains are healthy and filling. Cooked vegetables and beans also help to crowd out less healthy foods on your plate.
• The two biggest areas in the healthy food category that will greatly help with Sarah’s weight loss are eating more raw vegetables and greens. A great way to get in more of these healthy foods is to eat a salad at least 5 times a week. I’m not talking about a tiny salad with a wisp of lettuce, but a big salad that’s like a meal, filled with her favorite chopped greens (easier to eat) and raw veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, snap peas, broccoli, etc.). Topping her salads with other additions for pops of flavor can really make the salad a joy to eat (capers, lemon juice, homemade & oil-free dressings). It takes a little experimentation to find what you like. I enjoy adding a bit of fruit to my salads (grapes and mandarin oranges are nice, and especially in the summer I like to add berries).

Now it’s YOUR turn.

Look at your scores for Parts 1 and 2 and see any areas that could benefit from some changes. 

Remember, you’re not looking for perfection in your diet; you’re looking to see if there are any unhealthy foods you could reduce and any healthy foods you could increase in your overall diet. You can make changes all at once, or you can transition slowly into the changes you want to try.

Congratulations!

You took the time to track your food and analyze it for hidden gems of information.

Once you’ve completed your Part 3 Analysis and Next Steps, are you still wondering what you’re doing that’s keeping the weight on? Did you score well in most areas and still aren’t sure what to change with your food consumption? 

Have a look at the additional tips below.

• You might be surprised to see how high in fat animal products (meat, dairy, eggs) can be, which doesn’t help you lose weight. According to nutritionix, a 227 g (8 oz) salmon fillet is 53% fat! …how? The fillet has a total of 468 total calories with 252 of those calories coming from fat (28 grams x 9 calories). Even if you have only 4 oz of salmon, there might be fewer calories, but the fat percentage stays the same. And we think of salmon as a good choice if we’re trying to lose weight and eat healthier. If you’re curious about learning all the tips and getting the real scoop on what’s in your food, download my FREE guide on Reading Food Labels. 
  • Some animal products have additional salt and sugar, which also adds more calories. If you haven’t considered the idea of reducing your consumption of animal products before, start looking more closely at the calories you’re getting from them, and tweak the amounts you eat by reducing portions or having meat-free and dairy/egg-free meals. Reducing your intake of animal products could be the one thing that makes a difference for you. And don’t worry, millions of people around the world are healthy without eating animal products; your nutrition will not suffer.
• Watch out for foods high in sodium. Processed foods can be loaded with sodium. Certain foods like soy sauce, have an excessive amount of salt. If you use a lot of these types of products, you’ll retain water, which not only keeps you bloated and heavier, it’s bad for your body (your heart has to work harder, and your blood pressure rises).
• Liquid calories can add up fast. Even if you’re not consuming sugary drinks, keep an eye on your liquid intake of calories. Eating an orange has more nutritional value and is more filling (has fiber) than a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice.
• The more fiber and water your food has, the more you’re going to lose weight. What has lots of fiber and water? Veggies and fruit!
• Heard of the 50/50 plate? Half of every meal is vegetables and the other half is whole grains or starches. Of course, this is without added fatty/sugary toppings. Give that a try at every meal, and if you’re not eating a bunch of unhealthy foods at other times, your weight will drop. I talk about the 50/50 plate in my Month 2 Update on my 40 lbs weight-loss mission (see Day 52 in the food record for details about the 50/50 plate).
• Eat your veggies first, or start your meal with a salad. This fills you up with fiber and water, leaving less room for unhealthy foods.
• Eat 1 lb of raw veggies every day. There’s not a ton of room left after you chew on this many raw veggies! Measure out 1 lb in the morning, and snack on them throughout the day or eat as a meal. Add some homemade guacamole, and those veggies will go down with a smile.
• Look at your eating patterns. If you overeat, graze all day, snack a lot or nibble while you’re cooking, you may be consuming a lot of unnecessary calories.
• Check your stress levels. High levels of stress can cause us to turn to booze or comforting foods. If you’d like to learn how to turn away from food or other unhealthy choices to deal with your stress, you might be interested in digging a little deeper on this topic. Check out my comprehensive guide: A Roadmap to Calm: A Practical Step-by-step Guide to Discover your True Stressors and Shift to Calm
• Drink lots of water. Aim for at least 1 ounce of water per lb of your body weight (max: 1 gallon) per day. You weigh 125 lbs? Drink 125 oz. You weigh 190 lbs? Drink 1 gallon of water. You might not reach your ideal water amount each day, but by shooting for it, you’ll get in more water than you might normally consume.
• Leave a 14 hour (or more) period of each day without food, especially in the hours before bed. For example, eat between 8 am and 6 pm (10-hour eating window) and fast (water, black coffee or herbal tea only) between 6 pm and 8 am (14-hour fasting window) This is known as intermittent fasting and gives your body enough time during sleep to heal and maintain itself (instead of using its energy to constantly digest food all day long).
• Move your body daily. Get moving. Period. Walking, yoga, dancing…keep it simple. Start with 10 minutes a day and build up over time.

If you haven’t tracked your food for 1-2 weeks or more, give it a try. It really makes a difference to see everything written out. You can use photos too. My post on tracking food includes a few different templates for tracking your food, and one is an editable Google Doc where you can add photos.

Good luck to you with your food tracking.

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