Before Starting

Using a Food Scale

If you’re comfortable with using a food scale, you can skip this part. If not, that’s normal! Having your scale out at home while you’re preparing a meal or eating a snack is something most people have to get used to. But remember, you won’t be doing it for long if you’re just sticking with the timeline of this reset.

Using a food scale to track your serving sizes will be important during this reset because we want to be as accurate as possible while measuring our intakes. This reset should be short and sweet, but to do that, you need to give it your 100% effort. Why track your intakes if they aren’t really reflective of what you’re putting in your body? I want you to feel what you’re feeling (hopefully better by week 4) and know exactly WHY you’re feeling that way.

Tips:

• Select a digital food scale with a tare function, which allows you to zero out the weight of a container or plate. Be sure your scale can measure in grams, ounces, and other units you might need.
• Add the food you want to measure into the container or directly on the scale, after you zero it out.
• The display will show the weight of the food in the selected unit (grams, ounces, etc).
• If you need a specific amount, you can add or remove food until you reach the specific weight needed.
• Add weight of the food for your meal planning or tracking app.

Entering Foods Into Cronometer

First, we are not affiliated with Cronometer in any way. They just have a great free App that gives you tons of information that we really like our clients to utilize. It’s easy to set up, and user-friendly. And did we mention it’s free?

Below I have explained how to set your Cronometer up to start this reset.

Beyond that, Cronometer has lots of online resources to help you navigate how to use it. I’ve linked two below my set-up instructions.

Cronometer App Set-Up:

Set up a profile with your name, email address, etc. – but ignore all of their calorie/macro recommendations (Apps often go too low for weight loss calories. It’s unsustainable and unnecessary).

Next, go to More > Targets > Energy Settings. Turn all of your activity/other App syncing. You don’t need to eat more or less based on your activity. This is nuanced of course, but in general, your body needs calories for recovery and rest as much as it does for activity. You also shouldn’t feel like you have to “earn” your food with exercise.

Then, set your calorie goal to zero. You’ll find this at the bottom under “Custom Energy Target.” Why? Because part of this reset is not fixating on the total calories you are consuming every day. By tracking your proteins, carbs, and fats, you’ll be able to see your total calories at the end of each day, but you don’t need to worry about a calorie goal.

Finally, go to More > Targets > Macro Targets. Expand “SHOW ADVANCED SETTINGS” at the bottom. Select Fixed for Fixed Targets and make the units at the bottom “grams” so you can set your exact daily macro goals for the day. Under “Track carbohydrates as” make sure you’re tracking “Total Carbs” so that fiber is included in your carb total.

As for what to make your goals for Protein, Carbs and Fat right now? Zero. Yes, enter the number zero into each spot. You’ll see when you keep reading that the first step is just tracking your intakes without aiming for specific goals. We will go back in and change this later.

Note: When you first click on the Diary view, you will notice 3 rings at the top that are showing calorie amounts. We do not want you to worry about these, as they will not give accurate or useful information during this module (or ever). Swipe left to find your macros, and leave it there!

Quick note for anyone who is used to tracking with a different App:

Change isn’t fun, I know. I hear from my MyFitnessPal users all the time that using Cronometer is annoying at first. However, they give it a chance as if they were using ANY App for the first time, and they are able to love it for what it is: a free App with a ton of micronutrient tracking (which is primarily what we’re using it for). While using Cronometer for this reset, don’t go back and compare entries to what’s in MFP, or another App you use. Don’t double track in both places. Use Cronometer only right now to minimize stress (which is also necessary for any type of reset), and you can go back to what you like best when it’s over.

Approaching Conversations Around Tracking

When you are tracking your intakes, it can be difficult to be around people who aren’t. Here are some ways to handle the questions that may come up so you can reframe the conversation.

Them: “Oh, you’re on a diet?”

You: “No, I’m just tracking my food to check in with my current eating habits. It’s not about limiting calories, it’s about making sure I have a healthy amount of protein, carbs, fats and vitamins and minerals throughout the day.”

Them: “Why do you have to be so strict?”

You: “Because right now, I’m working towards a goal and the more accurate and committed I am, the faster I’ll see results. It’s not forever, and I’m learning a lot.”

Them: “So why do you have to measure and weigh everything?”

You: “It’s difficult to eyeball grams, oz, and cups. This just makes sure I’m entering the right info into my App while I’m temporarily tracking.”

You can let them know what you’re doing or you can simply say “I am working with a dietitian to better my health” and leave it at that!

Alcohol

During this reset period, it will be best to hold off from having any alcohol. Even if you’re tracking it correctly, it’s taking away from more nutrient-dense food you could have that day.

Our primary focus is optimizing performance in a short amount of time, and alcohol will always make that more difficult, no matter the amount.

• Alcohol is a toxin. When it’s in the body, your body will do whatever necessary to metabolize it as quickly as possible. This includes possibly storing extra calories from food in the meantime.
• Alcohol often causes digestive issues.
• Hangovers often increase feeling of anxiety and depression.
• Excessive alcohol consumption can lower testosterone levels – a hormone that plays a role in muscle building, fat distribution, sex drive, strength and red blood cell production.

In other words, the reset won’t FULLY work if alcohol is involved, so plan ahead accordingly.

Tracking Macros While Eating Out

During this reset, when you know you will be eating out at a restaurant, look up the menu ahead of time and choose what you’d like to have. In your app, search for specific restaurants and menu items. If those entries do not exist, simply enter each meal item one by one and estimate the best you can based on online menu pictures if they are available. For example: “6 piece California sushi roll” or “3 roasted carrots, 6oz filet, 1 tbsp oil for cooking, 1 dinner roll, 1 tbsp butter, etc.”

(This is the only time it is okay to estimate your entries! And naturally because of that, I don’t recommend estimating too often during your reset if you can help it.)

Once your restaurant order is tracked in your app, you will now be able to see what macros you have left for your other meals and snacks that day. Then when you get to the restaurant, all you have to do is order without even looking at your phone because you’ve already tracked and planned ahead.

The End Goal

Let’s remind ourselves of the final goal with all of this. Once we get you to a physique you’re comfortable with, at a calorie amount you feel you can maintain, the end goal is to NO LONGER track. Instead of feeling like tracking is a restrictive, endless practice – start to think of it as a way to educate yourself for the future. Right now you are tracking everything to have a better understanding of the macro-breakdown in the foods you eat, and to get fat loss in a very healthy, specific way. You are learning what portion sizes are doable for certain foods. You will get better at estimating/eye-balling portion sizes the more you weigh and measure during this time. Intuitive eating is very hard for someone who has never tracked before! Thinking of tracking as a tool – you are becoming a nutrition guru, and WORKING towards a goal in the meantime. The more committed you are now, the sooner you’ll have more freedom!