Effective Strategies for Setting and Monitoring Dietary Goals

This bears repeating: If you set the bar too high starting out, you likely won’t reach it. Be honest with yourself about dietary changes that feel truly manageable given your current lifestyle and preferences. It’s better to meet a modest goal than repeatedly fail at an overly ambitious one.

Tracking Progress

Now that you’ve got your goals, you need to track them to see if they are working/you’re reaching them.

Some popular ways to do this are:

• Food Journaling: Keep a daily food diary to log what you eat. This will help you stay accountable and recognize patterns or areas needing improvement.
• Regular Check-Ins: Set aside time each week to review your progress. This could be a quick assessment of your food journal or a reflection on how you feel physically and mentally.
• Use of Apps and Tools: Utilize smartphone apps or online tools designed for diet tracking. These can simplify the process and provide insights into your nutritional intake.

TIP: No judging, and even if it’s small, progress is progress.

Pay Attention To How You Feel

Pay attention to subtle changes in your energy, digestion, cravings, and thinking. Increased alertness in the afternoon, less bloating or better bowel movements, declining soda cravings, and elevated mood all count! Note these wins and aha moments besides just the numbers:

• Felt focused without my usual 3 pm lull
• Digestion seems improved
• Realized I don’t actually miss sweets after dinner
• Noticing more mental clarity

This validates that dietary changes make you feel measurably better!