Back in my fitter, healthier days, I relied heavily on My Fitness Pal to help me navigate my daily food choices.  Not as much for the calorie count (unless it was to ensure I was getting enough to fuel my workouts), as to keep track of my protein, sodium, and calcium intake.

It was also a good tool to show me when things were starting to get out of control.  If I went over a handful of calories, it didn’t bother me.  If I started noticing a trend of overeating for a week or more, I scaled it back.

It was almost impossible during pregnancy and breastfeeding to keep track of my daily diet since I ate all the things, but now that I’m recommitting myself to a healthier lifestyle, I’ve decided to start up MFP again.  I’m sure, like with everything else in my life these days, that I won’t be as diligent as I was in the past, but I think it is an excellent tool to help me get back on track.

For example, today for breakfast, I ordered a half-caf soy latte from Starbucks, and with it, ate a Mango Chobani with a crushed up Nutrigrain Blueberry cereal bar.  I planned, for a snack, to eat a PowerBar (one of my go-to snacks from the past).  According to MFP, I’m already almost out of calories for the day!  I will NEVER skip a meal, but I may choose to par back for lunch and/or dinner to help balance (no I won’t).  Believe me, I know that what I have chosen to eat so far are in no way the healthiest choices… I haven’t made it to the grocery store yet this week, so I grabbed what was handy (and tasty!) when I stopped for coffee (which is also a habit I have to ease up on).

One of my favorite quotes:

This weekend, I’ll make a plan!