When working towards a particular goal, changes in lifestyle and diet alongside calorie and micronutrient tracking, are all par for the course, but we often don’t envision ourselves maintaining that level of strict consciousness once the goal is reached. So to support the calorie and macronutrient tracking that you are doing now, we want to encourage you to also think about establishing healthy habits. If we can establish these, life will be a lot easier when we start to move away from tracking.

The below should help you feel better, adhere to the principles we are trying to achieve and help with maintenance when we move away from calorie and macronutrient tracking.

• Creating Structure & Routine
  • Planning ahead is one of my biggest pieces of advice when trying to change your diet. Making choices on the move can be really difficult, so try to give yourself an idea of what you are going to eat for lunch, dinners and snacks over the next few days. This will also help reduce food wastage as you will buy what you need!

• Evening Routine & Prioritising Sleep
  • A lack of sleep can have negative impacts on energy levels, performance and cognitive function. It can also make adhering to a calorie deficit harder by increasing hunger levels.
  • I would encourage you to try and start establishing an evening routine or a ‘wind-down’ routine, such as a bath, meditation, yoga or reading in bed, that will help you switch off for the night. Try to reduce the number of screens you are looking at before bed as well.
  • Work towards 7-9 hours of sleep per night!

• Hydration
  • Try to aim for 2-3litres of water per day and aim to start exercise well hydrated. A useful way to track this is using a water bottle that you can keep on you at all times!
  • If you aren’t sure about your hydration, using the urine colour scale can help. It should be clear and light - if it’s dark, try and up your intake. See ‘Basics of Nutrition’ for further details.

• Awareness of Portion Sizes
  • While you are tracking, be conscious of the way you are constructing your meals and relative portion sizes. This will give you a solid guideline to follow when we want to move away from tracking. Head to ‘Portion Sizes’ for more on this.

• Be Mindful
  • This goes for your training, daily activity, nutrition... all aspects of your physical, mental and social health matter so take the time to consider what is going to work best for YOU long term.