*NEW* Habit of the Week #8
The Busy Woman’s Guide to Tracking Food for Fat Loss (Without Obsessing or Restricting)
Hey friend,
If you’ve spent the past handful of years dieting, cutting out entire food groups, and still haven’t seeing the results you want… It’s not your fault.
You’ve just been following an approach that wasn’t built for your specific lifestyle.
Most of the women I work with are doing so many things right.
They cook at home, eat “healthy,” skip dessert, and still can’t seem to get the scale to move.
They don’t lack willpower.
They most likely just lack clarity.
And that’s where food tracking (done the right way) becomes a game changer.
Tracking your food the right way isn’t about counting every bite or obsessing over the numbers.
It’s about building awareness, learning what your body actually needs, and creating balance that fits your lifestyle.
By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to:
Track your food without stress or restriction
Use an app like MacrosFirst confidently
Stay consistent, even when life gets busy
Avoid the most common mistakes that stall progress
Build a relationship with food based on trust and freedom
So if you’ve ever thought, “My metabolism must be broken,” or “Nothing works for me anymore,”— you’re in the right place.
Let’s simplify the process, together 💪🏻.
Why Tracking Matters (and What Most Diets Get Wrong)
I’ve heard they words come out of my clients mouth probably hundreds of times:
“I’m eating clean, cutting carbs, drinking more water… but nothing’s happening.”
You feel like you’re doing everything right and yet your body doesn’t respond.
Here’s the truth most diets never teach:
» You can’t change what you can’t see.
Fat loss isn’t just about eating “healthy.”
It’s about understanding how much you’re eating and how that adds up across the day.
You don’t have to track forever.
You just need to track long enough to build awareness.
Most women are unknowingly eating 300–500 calories more than they realize — from little things like oils, dressings, snacks, or those few bites while cooking.
And over time, that’s the difference between seeing progress and hitting a plateau.
Food tracking shouldn’t be a punishment.
It’s mainly about clarity.
Think of it like your bank account.
You wouldn’t try to save money without knowing what’s coming in or going out.
You’d look at the numbers, see where you could make small changes, and use that awareness to reach your goal faster.
Food works the same way.
When you track, you’re not being “strict” — you’re being smart.
You start seeing patterns like:
Where your portions might be a little bigger than you thought
When you’re skipping protein without realizing it
How weekends quietly undo your weekday progress
Once you can see it, you can change it.
That’s why tracking is one of the most powerful tools for sustainable fat loss.
It’s a short-term practice that can build long-term awareness.
The Simple Approach to Food Tracking
I do just want to clear something up really quick…
I DO NOT believe in obsessive tracking, weighing every bite, or labeling foods as “good” or “bad.”
That kind of approach only leads to burnout and guilt.
My approach to tracking is built around flexibility, awareness, and sustainability.
The goal isn’t to be perfect — it’s to learn what works for your body.
Awareness, Not Perfection
Tracking isn’t just about control…. It’s about clarity.
It’s not always about restricting food — it’s about understanding it.
When you know how much you’re eating, how much protein you’re getting, and where your energy is coming from, you can make choices that align with your goals WITHOUT feeling deprived or restricted.
This allows you to STOP eating out of habit or emotion and you START eating with intention.
The Simply Food Framework
Here’s how we keep it simple:
1️⃣ - Calories:
You must be in a calorie deficit to lose fat but that doesn’t mean starving yourself.
Tracking helps you find your balance (enough food to fuel your body, but not so much that progress stalls.)
2️⃣ - Protein:
This is your anchor.
Protein keeps you full, supports lean muscle, and helps your metabolism stay strong.
Most women eat far less than they need. Once you fix this, everything changes.
3️⃣ - The 80/20 Rule:
80% of your food comes from nutrient-dense meals that make you feel good.
The other 20%? That’s for the moments that make life fun — date night, pizza night, or wine with friends.
Because sustainability comes from balance, not restriction.
Tracking with this framework helps you lose fat, feel in control, and actually enjoy your life along the way.
Setting Up Your Tracking App (MacrosFirst Walkthrough)
Now that you understand why tracking matters and how we approach it differently, let’s walk through how to set it up in a simple, stress-free way.
Step 1️⃣ - Download the App
Search “MacrosFirst” in your App Store or Google Play. Download it and create a free account.
Once you’re in, you’ll see a clean, user-friendly dashboard where you’ll log your meals and track your daily progress.
Step 2️⃣ - Set Your Goals
Inside the app, you’ll enter your calorie and macronutrient goals.
If you’re a 1:1 client of mine, I calculate these for you personally.
But if you’re getting started on your own, here’s a baseline:
Calories: Body weight × 12–13 (for fat loss)
Protein: Body weight × 0.8–1.0 grams
Example: If you weigh 160 lbs → 1,900 calories, 130g protein
Don’t stress about carbs or fats — they’ll balance naturally when calories and protein are set.
Step 3️⃣ - Log Your Meals
Tap “+ Add Food” and type in what you’re eating (e.g., “Greek yogurt”).
Adjust the serving size, save it to your meal, and move on.
You can scan barcodes, add custom meals, or use voice logging for convenience.
Example:
Breakfast – Greek yogurt, berries, honey → 230 calories, 12g protein
Start simple. You don’t need to log every bite to learn.
Step 4️⃣ - Review Your Day
At the end of the day, check your dashboard.
You’ll see your progress toward calories, protein, carbs, and fats — color-coded so you know where you stand.
That awareness helps you notice patterns without judgment.
How to Stay Consistent (Even on Your Busiest Days)
Tracking feels easy when life is calm but that’s not where most of us struggle.
The real challenge is staying consistent when the day gets away from you.
But here’s the good news: consistency isn’t built from doing things perfectly.
It’s built by doing just enough to get the job done each day.
Simple Ways to Stay Consistent
Pre-log in the morning. Spend two minutes entering what you plan to eat. Decisions made early are easier to stick to.
Save your go-to meals. You probably eat the same 10–15 meals weekly. Save them so logging takes seconds.
Track as you go. Log right after eating instead of waiting until bedtime.
Estimate when needed. When dining out, choose a similar meal in the app — it’s better to be roughly right than perfectly nothing.
The Bare Minimum Plan
When life gets chaotic, do less — but don’t quit. Track one meal. Hit your protein goal. Drink your water.
Those small actions keep momentum alive.
When i was creating this guide for you, i thought about one of my clients that used to stop tracking every weekend because it felt “too hard.”
We simplified her goal: track just her protein at each meal.
That one small shift helped her stay consistent and she lost 15 pounds in 12 weeks without cutting out a single food she loved.
Consistency comes from simplifying, not from forcing perfection.
Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them
Even with the best intentions, most people make these same mistakes.
1️⃣ - Trying to Be Perfect
You don’t need 100% accuracy when it comes to tracking your food. If you miss a meal, just pick up at the next one.
Progress comes from staying in motion.
2️⃣ - Forgetting Protein
Protein is the secret weapon for fat loss.
Build each meal around it — eggs for breakfast, chicken or fish for lunch, Greek yogurt or protein shakes for snacks.
3️⃣ - Logging After Eating
Log before or as you eat.
It helps you make better choices in real time.
4️⃣ - Skipping Weekends
Weekends aren’t “off limits.”
Track something — even just your dinner or protein.
Awareness always wins.
5️⃣ - Giving Up When Busy
Create a bare-minimum plan for hectic days.
One meal tracked is still progress.
How Tracking Builds Freedom (Not Obsession)
If you’ve ever felt anxious about tracking food, I get it.
I used to feel the same way.
There was a time when my entire identity revolved around eating less, moving more, and having zero exceptions.
I thought more restriction meant more results.
And it worked… for a while.
Until it didn’t.
I was lean, but I was miserable.
I feared food, skipped social events, and was always thinking about my next meal.
It wasn’t until I started tracking differently (not to control my food, but to understand it) that everything changed.
When I finally saw how under-fueled I was, I started eating enough.
My energy came back. My focus improved.
And for the first time, I stopped feeling guilty about food.
Tracking didn’t trap me. It freed me.
It gave me awareness.
And awareness builds confidence.
Every time you track a meal, you’re teaching yourself something powerful:
You’re in control — not your cravings, not your guilt, not your diet history.
Over time, you won’t need the app to stay on track.
You’ll know what your body needs because you’ve practiced awareness long enough to trust yourself.
That’s the real goal.
Your Next Step
You’ve learned how to track your food, how to stay consistent, and how to make it work in your life without obsession.
You’ve built awareness.
Now it’s time to build momentum.
When you track with intention, you’ll:
Feel more in control of your choices
Stop second-guessing your progress
See results that actually last
You don’t need to overhaul your life.
You just need a clear plan and the right kind of support.
If you’re ready to take the next step…
You’ve got two options:
1️⃣ - Join my FREE 5-Day Fat Loss Challenge
In just five days, I’ll help you create your calorie deficit, hit your protein target, and build a fat loss plan that fits your lifestyle — all while eating foods you love.
It’s completely free and designed to help you start seeing progress fast.
👉 Join the Free 5-Day Challenge
2️⃣ - Apply for the SimplyFit Coaching Program
If you’re ready for personalized 1:1 coaching, structure, and accountability, this is where we take everything you’ve learned here and tailor it to your life.
You’ll get a flexible plan that works, mindset support that keeps you consistent, and the confidence that comes from knowing you’ll never have to “start over” again.
👉 Apply for SimplyFit Coaching
Final Words
You don’t have to track forever.
You don’t have to be perfect.
You just have to stay curious — and consistent.
Food tracking isn’t about controlling yourself.
It’s about learning yourself.
Because when you understand your body, you stop fearing food.
And when you stop fearing food, you finally start living again.
You’ve got this.
And if you ever need help — I’m here, ready to guide you through it.
Much love,
Coach Anthony
Wanna work with me 1-on-1? Click below to check out the SimplyFit Coaching Program👇🏻