Are you one of those people who knows how much you weigh better than you know how much money is in your bank account? Do you think that if you are not overweight then you are healthy?
I have always been a numbers person. I remember birthdays, phone numbers, credit card numbers and bank account numbers. It’s not a talent I developed, it just seems to be the way my brain works.
TRACKING NUMBERS FOR THE WRONG REASONS
For most of my adult life whenever I was making food choices, I considered 2 numbers - in this order. First, how many calories would I be consuming? Second, what do those foods cost? I never considered the meaningful numbers related to nutrition, like grams of macronutrients, grams of sugar, or grams of fiber. I was a walking encyclopedia that could spew how many calories in any food I purchased with any regularity at the drop of a hat.
About 10 years ago, after witnessing family and friends in failing health, and after struggling with chronic fatigue, hormonal imbalance and extreme inflammation all that changed.
CHANGING MY THINKING CHANGED MY LIFE
Over time (a journey that I took gradually over a period of about 3-4 years) I transitioned from a diet that constantly, and exclusively considered calories to a completely whole food plant based diet. The benefits to my health and energy level were nothing short of miraculous. Ironically, without thinking about calories any longer I watched that other number that was always top of mind, the number on the scale, go down over 20 pounds without even thinking about it.
Today, I can no longer tell you how many calories I consume in any single food or any single day. I don't pay attention to it, and it is of no significance to me. Instead, I am focused on quality and quantity of macronutrients - protein, carbs, fat - and fiber that I consume. I can tell you I’m having a lot more fun and I feel a lot better!
Are you tracking numbers that are serving you?