My mom once told me that the key to losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise.  She knew I’d be happy to receive this advice; most of my life, I constantly made excuses to avoid working out.

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When I got to college, I was hyper-aware of the dreaded ‘freshman 15,’ the tendency for new college students to gain 15 pounds when faced with collegiate buffet-style dining options and limited time for exercise.  As a way to combat this worry, I joined the club tennis team and tried to find healthier options at the dining hall. So why did my body feel and look worse?

When I came home for winter break sophomore year, I was about 15 pounds heavier than I had been when I started freshman year.  I didn’t understand why I had gained weight; I was working out more than I ever had. I went to more tennis practice, started going to the gym a few days a week, and was using the elliptical for extra cardio.

My mom still reminded me: 80% diet, 20% exercise.

During the winter break, she introduced me to MyFitnessPal, a free smartphone app and website that allows users to track their daily food intake and exercise.  ‘Tracking’ has become a new fitness craze focused on the idea that if you eat and drink fewer calories than you’re burning, you’ll be able to lose weight.

Tracking has been an extremely helpful tool for my fitness goals.  I’ve not only lost the weight I could never seem to get off, but I’ve also become more aware of how the food I put into my body affects my everyday life.  Despite these benefits, there are days when I’m hyper-focused on the number of calories I consume or go overboard on my calorie intake when it’s too difficult to log my exact intake.

While tracking may not be the solution for every lifestyle and fitness goal, I’ve found that there are more than just physical benefits to recording food and exercise.

The Benefits of Tracking

1. You’ll see weight loss results faster.

The National Weight Control Registry states that 74 percent of people who are successful at losing weight track their food.  If you’re trying to lose about a pound a week (3,500 calories), you’ll need to decrease your intake by 500 calories a day.  Logging your food and exercise can help you visualize and track how to hit your goal instead of simply guessing.

2. You’ll understand how your diet affects your body.

The MyFitnessPal app does more than track calories; it also gives you a breakdown of nutrients in your food and goals you should reach for daily intake. Learning about how protein, carbohydrates, sugar, fat, fiber, and sodium made up my diet allows me to understand why my body is feeling the way it does.  For example, increasing my protein to the suggested intake decreased my afternoon fatigue and allowed me to feel more full throughout the day.

3. You’ll learn serving sizes and portion control.

If you decide to track your calories, having measuring cups on hand will make your life a lot easier and will increase your awareness of serving sizes.  Portion sizes and serving sizes are not always synonymous.  While the portion size is how much we decide to eat, a serving size is what’s recommended for our nutritional needs.  Paying attention to labels and measuring out our food based on serving sizes can help us avoid overeating and realize where our extra calories are be coming from.

4. You can find balance.

While tracking, I’ll eat dessert nearly every day and won’t always choose a salad when eating out.  However, I’ve still managed to achieve my fitness goals.  Tracking has taught me that if I workout and eat well during the day, I’ll often have ‘room’ on my log for some ice cream or fries.  I now understand that the ‘healthy’ substitutions I was making before -- choosing nuts, cheese, and peanut butter over things like chocolate and candy -- actually increased my caloric intake much more than I suspected.  While those choices are better for my nutrition, they don’t always support my weight loss goals.  Finding balance rather than eliminating foods from my diet has helped me stay on track in the long run.

The Downsides to Tracking

1. You may become obsessive about logging.

Recording everything you’re eating and doing can be a great way to stay on track but can also become troublesome if you’re fixated on logging.  Obsessing over how many calories are in every bite you take can make you limit your food intake, leaving you tired and undernourished.  If you’re worried you’ll punish yourself for going overboard one day or feel guilty for not choosing the healthiest snack, don’t jump into logging all at once.  Try logging just your exercise and breakfast for a week or two, then slowly increase tracking from there if you feel comfortable with the process.

2. You can stress over every pound.

Because tracking is primarily helpful for those trying to lose weight, it can be disheartening and frustrating to get on the scale and not see a difference.  A number on the scale should never define you, but I’ve found it’s helpful to have a numeric way to measure my progress.  MyFitnessPal sends notifications reminding you to weigh yourself weekly. If you think this may be an issue for you, simply turn these notifications off and focus instead on the nutrient and calorie breakdown of your food intake presented on the app.  Remember: your weight can fluctuate throughout the day depending on your salt and water intake, as well as your exercise and bathroom habits.  If you do decide to weigh yourself, make sure you choose a consistent time of day.

3. You can’t always log perfectly.

MyFitnessPal is one of the oldest tracking apps and has numerous food and exercise inputs options.  While some restaurants have shared their menus with the app to allow for easy selection, it’s difficult to track certain foods when you don’t have the nutrition facts or measuring cups in front of you.  Guessing what and how much you’re eating can affect how quickly you reach your goals. If you’re someone who tends to eat out instead of making your own meals, tracking successfully may be harder.

Tracking has shown me how my food and exercise decisions affect my daily energy levels, appetite, and long term weight goals.  While tracking may not always be a sustainable option when I head to the dining hall, I’ve become more aware of the nutrients my body needs and how to keep a balance that works for me.

Zoë is a rising junior at Wesleyan University majoring in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. To read more of her writing, please visit www.writersblock.space or The Wesleyan Argus.