Hacking Accountability

Okay, so logging your food is tedious and boring. I get that. I feel you. I felt the same way.

At first it is going to be tedious and boring.

The gold is worth the dig. Risk out on it and you'll see.

I just want to go over a few perk I found on my personal accountability journey I think may convince you to pick up your mental shovel and start sifting.

The week you lost 5 pounds. You don't have to work to remember what you ate to get there. It's written down.
The week you gain 5 pounds. You don't have to work to remember what you ate to get there. It's written down.
You become more aware of the food you consume. You are able to assign nutritional and caloric values to food.
You can review and begin learning what foods are a great fit for your goals and what foods are a bad fit for your goals.

The Fun Stuff

This is when you can start hacking the system in your favor. This is where the Nutritional Rubik's cube finally makes sense.

This is where you really start winning. This is where it gets fun.

You can slowly start divorcing from meals that are bad fit for your goals. You don't need to go cold turkey on junk food.
You can start adjusting meals that aren't a great fit into meals that may be a better fit for your goals. This is where you get to play with your food!
You can start repeating meals that are a great fit for your goals. All you need is to find like 10 meals and you win.
You can start planning in advance what meals to eat that match and/or beat your goals. Victory.

Winning

Even with junk food, you can win with this process.

Let's take Jake's 1000 Calorie Burrito Story.

For lunch, it's not the best idea, but if you halve it and save the other half for dinner or split it with a friend, you are winning!

I do this all the time with my wife. We'll split entrees. When done, we are very satiated. We aren't overstuffed miserable, and the ticket is very reasonable.

Depending on how comfortable you are, you can do the same with a friend or even a coworker. Most restaurants will even split the plate for you. Some charge a small fee but it's reasonable. Ask.

In Review

I want to hit up a few more points.

Learn to forecast a healthy diet you can enjoy. This way you're GUARANTEED success.
Don't aim for your minimum viable calories for the day. It set you up for failure.
Find a happy medium between a stabilizing diet and a weight loss diet and explore it. Be curious.
Don't sweat the days you go over your caloric budget. Log it and accept that it is what it is.
Stressing about food doesn't burn enough calories to be worth it. You're a work in progress.
Failing doesn't make you a failure. Failing is a prerequisite to success.

My next article, I'll discuss how you can use these same principles to hacking accountability to combat anxiety and depression. No kidding, this changed my life. You don't want to miss it.

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