We all know how important it is to track – that’s how you know whether you’re within your Points budget or not – but sometimes it’s easy to forget to do it and it can be a little tedious. So, we asked WW coaches for their tips to make tracking quick, easy and even FUN. Here’s what they had to say.
Plan ahead and pre-track
Leslie B., who coaches in Hamilton and St. Catharines, Ont., suggests pre-tracking your snacks for the day ahead of time so that if you want to have a snack, it’s already been accounted for.
Pre-tracking is also helpful on busy days.
“Pre-tracking eliminates poor last minute choices,” says Victoria P., who leads #WWafterdark meetings Tuesday nights in St. Catharines, Ont. “By pre-planning you can fit in your favourites! Even your favourite beverage!”
And if you’re finding it difficult to track everything, you can at least pre-track your biggest Points meal each day, suggests Mississauga South coach Corenne J.
“If you have challenges tracking consistently, at least pre-track, daily, the meal that will consume the most points. Therefore, it will be less challenging to track the remaining points in your head.”
Track ASAP
Lots of coaches suggest tracking right away to make sure you don’t forget – and so you don’t have to do it all at the end of the day.
Coach Judy D. suggests taking time to enjoy your meal and tracking while you do it. “Take time to sit for each meal and track while you’re sitting there. You won’t forget what you ate.”
If you aren’t able to track right that second, Leslie B. suggests taking a photo of your food to track it later. “If you don't have time to track or are out on a hot date for a meal where you don’t want to pull out your WW app to track at the table then you can just snap a picture of your meal and track it later.”
Track everything – literally, every single thing
You’ve got to be honest with yourself, says Kanata, Ont., coach Jeanne S. “Bites, licks, tastes, and sips count.”
Coach Lisa J., from Burlington, says, “Track everything, even ZeroPointTM foods! I have a saying that I use: ‘In my app, before my yap!’”
Coach Maggie has another rhyme that helps: “If you bite it you write it, snack it you track it, nibble it you scribble it, drink it you ink it, and if you lick it you tick it!”
Challenge yourself
You can focus on getting blue dots each day. “Tracking to get blue dots gives you flexibility while keeping you in a healthy eating zone,” says coach Cindy G., also from St. Catharines. “Also [it’s] a fun way to challenge yourself to get as many blue dots in a week [or] month as you can.”
Try new recipes
“Try new recipes and get excited. This is a lifestyle and you deserve to enjoy yummy food,” Victoria says.
Bonus tip: Just do it. “Even if you are not happy with the number and you may be way over your points allowance ... track! It helps you be mindful, and you may be surprised by the results,” says Burlington coach Laurie W.