Tips for Tracking Food When Eating Out

I have told you in the past how important it is for me to track my food.  I really believe that if you want to lose weight or eat healthier that you need to track your food at some point during that journey.  For some I know, they have been able to track for a certain period of time and then keep the weight off and eat healthy without tracking anymore.  That is not me!  I will be tracking for the rest of my life but that little "bother" will be well worth it to keep off the 65 pounds that I have lost.

One of the hardest times to track is when I am not eating at home.  At home, I track on my computer or my tablet.  I love my tablet for tracking.  My mom gave it to me and Bryan for our birthdays and I have hogged it most of the time.  We have wireless in the house and WW has a free app for tracking if you are a member. If I am going somewhere that I can access free wi-fi I can track on my tablet but that's not always the case. Here are some things that I do to track my food when I'm not at home.

1. I always keep a WW tracker in my purse with a pen so I can write it all down if I eat when I'm not at home. It may seem strange at first but it will become habit and no big deal soon.  I have no problem pulling it out and putting it on the table even in a restaurant. I don't care what anyone thinks about me tracking my food and have never been chastised for it.

2. I don't have a smart phone but my phone has a notepad on it.  I make a notepad entry with everything I've eaten on some of my trips out. I even include estimates on portion sizes.  If I know I am running low on points, I also estimate the points so I am sure not to go over. I just look at it when I get to my computer or tablet and enter everything then.  Just knowing that I am keeping track makes me eat less even if I don't know the exact points of what I am eating.

3. If your phone has a camera, you can take a picture of your plate.  I have rarely done this but have talked to many people who have. I find it easier to take notes but I know others love this technique.

4. I am in the habit of always checking how many points I have left before I leave the house if I am going to eat elsewhere.  That way I know just where I stand.

5. Sometimes I keep track with pennies.  I know that sounds silly but it works.  Last night Bryan and I went to State Fair with the kids and some friends.  I was wearing shorts with pockets.  We have a large family so we packed some sandwiches, fruits, veggies, water and treats.  We knew we would have some treats at the fair but can't afford to feed our bottomless pits entire meals and snacks at the Wisconsin State Fair.  My daughter, Gabriella, made my sandwich while I was packing all of the extras for everyone else.  I told her exactly what I wanted and then tracked it knowing that I would eat it.  I then looked at how many PointsPlus Values I had left for the day and put that many pennies in my right pocket.  Then, as we ate things at the fair, I would transfer the pennies one at a time from my right pocket to my left pocket.  When I was out of pennies in my right pocket, I knew I was done eating or the day.  To make it easier I calculated the PPV's to the treats I had packed and wrote the number on the package so I knew exactly how many PPV's I had eaten of those treats.  The Wisconsin State Fair treats that I ate, I estimated the PPV.  This was not the first time I've used this method.  I've used it several times over the years and it works for me.

I hope these tips help you while you are eating out.  Pick what's comfortable for you and use it. Use more than one method or come up with your own.  Feel free to share your own here too.

Have a great day,

Corinna

"Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observed the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God." -Romans 14:5-6