I like electronic food diaries. Don't get me wrong, I HATE keeping it, having to be conscious about every bite that goes in my mouth, but it makes tracking macros, calories, nutrition, food variety, and weight progress infinitely easier than the old paper journals. We no longer have to tediously look up approximate calorie counts or grams of fiber. Perhaps even better than the running calculations is the ability to identify trends. What isn't so useful is the the predictions they make, based on past numbers, supposedly to keep you motivated. "Hey! Keep it up! You're going to reach your goal by June 1 next year!"
First of all, I can't think about next year. I have to think about dinner. I have to think about the next five pounds. Even though I haven't changed dress sizes, and won't for weeks and weeks, I have to believe what I'm doing makes a difference right now. If I do, next June will take care of itself.
The other thing that bugs me about that predictive banner is that it's simple math. It assumes that if you do what you've done for the last week, this is where the math comes out. But that math doesn't take into account bad days, holidays, my birthday that will not be without chocolate cake, water retention, travel, or times when I failed to plan. It's a simple equation that doesn't include all the variables I'm expending great effort to control. That June date means nothing. I wish I could hide it. I have no illusions about just how long this is going to take. In fact, I can't even think about what maintenance is going to take since gaining is so easy. I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, one healthy meal on top of one healthy day.
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