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Getting Back Together with Numbers

We have had our rough patches, but you know what, we can work things out. The numbers aren't always going to tell me what I want to hear, they do, however, always tell me what I need to hear. Honestly, though, where am I getting my assumptions of what I want to hear, anyway? Why are there certain numbers that I would prefer?

Am I trying to accomplish perfect macros? I say no, and yet I check the macro chart anyway, excited to see relatively limited carbs. What are perfect macros, anyway?

 Is someone going to reward me for staying on MFP's directed target number of calories for my day? No! MFP has tons of challenges they run and there are prize winners, and let me tell you something: I complete most of those challenges, and accomplish their intended milestones pretty early on, and they don't even reward me. So, yeah, no one is giving me accolades for the numbers I accomplish here.

Look, the thing is, the numbers help me see what I am taking in. They show me the reasons why my weight is going up. They help me reflect over my days and tracking gives me the accountability and consistency of habit to return to when I feel like I'm having an off day or I don't feel like doing any of the things. This is not my only tool.

I also keep a habit journal that has nothing to do with numbers I cannot control (the scale, the caloric deficit I want to accomplish, etc). Instead, I journal my habits: tracking, reading my Bible, reading a book that I enjoy, getting in 10 minutes of movement/day, playing for 20 minutes with my kids, doing Bible study review with them, and homeschool lesson times with them, drinking 100oz of water per day, to name a few. These things don't directly change the number on the scale, but they help me to refocus on the important things in life and manage my time so I'm not revolving my day around food.

So, yes, I am back to tracking on My Fitness Pal and because I have already been paper tracking and tracking my habits, I've been able to identify when my body is hungry and it's okay to stop eating - which I have rarely done up to this point in my life (if I have a plate of food, and it's been tracked, I generally keep eating through fullness).

With this new habit of habit tracking (ha), I have also been able to watch the flow of my week and set myself up for movement success. Mondays and Saturdays are for Yoga or Yin Yoga, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are for weights, Thursdays are for core and Fridays are for cardio. Sundays are free. Do I always accomplish 6 days of working out per week? Nope. But that's okay, because you can't out-exercise a poor diet anyway. I saw a beautiful quote the other day, and I have to share, "Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do, not a punishment for what it can't."




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