I am really struggling with tracking my food. I have tried many different trackers, both digital and paper but I just can’t seem to stick to it.
I have ADHD, time blindness and object impermanence (out of sight out of mind). The crazy thing is that even when I eat, I do not think “Oh I need to write this down” never. It just doesn’t occur to me.

I recently switched to clear acrylic tumblers because I still wasn’t meeting my water goals. I bought (2) 40 ounce tumblers so I only have to refill it once. This has been working for me. The goal is 64 ounces of water per day so if I don’t completely finish the refill as long as I get below 1/2 on the second round I am good. Switching to the acrylic tumblers helped with my out-of-sight-out-of-mind issues so now I can see exactly how much water is in the tumbler as opposed to others where I had no idea… it’s just a bottle… wonder how much is in it? LOL

I have a huge aversion to meticulous counting. I bought Japanese-style condiment dishes to use as plates/bowls to control portion sizes. They hold approximately 3 oz of food. I also purchased multiple sets of pretty “toddler” flatware that matched my regular flatware… it’s just smaller…. This controls my “bite size”.


So, how I do go about hacking my brain to be able to track food? Because even if I do remember to do it at the end of the day, it is inevitable that I will miss something or not remember exactly how much I ate. The memory clarity/issues are a daily struggle. I struggle using digital apps with my all or nothing brain. I have an iPhone and iPad and use native apps like Reminders, Notes and Calendar to move through the day. I really don’t want one.more.app.to.keep.up.with… but I am willing to try if someone has found something that works for spicy brains.

Does anybody else struggle with this? How did you work through it?

My first question is why are you feeling like you need to track your food?

I know some people find it helpful, but in your case, it sounds like it's just causing more stress than it's worth?

I feel like I need to track because I’ve only lost 40 lbs in a year since my surgery. Though I did have some significant issues about 4 months after surgery. Things are going much better now and I feel like I “need” to “do” something. This was a lot of pain, effort and mental anguish/anxiety to go through and my final result be just 40 lbs. LOL

I do know clothes are fitting better. Wearing smaller sizes. But I also know that I will forget to keep tabs on myself because I become blind to things that are not built in/hardcore habits for me. I think because I have the issue with object impermanence that I need to be super aware of what I am doing/eating or else all this effort was just an exercise in futility.

Does this make sense?


EDIT: I also forget to eat or wait too long to eat. Food has never played a vital role of importance in my brain in my life … it’s more like a fire… I don’t notice it when it is out or smoldering. I do notice it when it’s become a full blown issue that needs to be corrected. Like I don’t remember I need to eat until I start getting shaky or jittery because I’ve let my blood sugar drop too low. This has been an issue my entire life.

So I need a way to stay on top of my food / eating habits, etc so I can be more balanced in my approach. This is my thinking anyway. Maybe it’s not right… I don’t know

Edited January 29, 20251 yr by omgsharon

I am a tracker and I have ADHD so I have to meal prep and I track most my food (breakfast, lunch and snacks) for the week once I am done meal prepping. This is kinda crazy I know, I use mynetdiary, I have it on my phone and you can access it on a desktop which is important for me so I can look at it while at work.

This leaves me my calories for the day so I know around what I can eat for dinner and a dessert if I want (which I always do like a sweet treat to end my night LOL) I am a little over a year out and I feel like tracking keeps me focused, I am not comfortable not tracking yet, its something that keeps me focused. I even track on the very high days. Like on my birthday, I tracked it was NOT pretty but I tracked it.

17 minutes ago, omgsharon said:

I feel like I need to track because I’ve only lost 40 lbs in a year since my surgery. Though I did have some significant issues about 4 months after surgery. Things are going much better now and I feel like I “need” to “do” something. This was a lot of pain, effort and mental anguish/anxiety to go through and my final result be just 40 lbs. LOL

I do know clothes are fitting better. Wearing smaller sizes. But I also know that I will forget to keep tabs on myself because I become blind to things that are not built in/hardcore habits for me. I think because I have the issue with object impermanence that I need to be super aware of what I am doing/eating or else all this effort was just an exercise in futility.

Does this make sense?


EDIT: I also forget to eat or wait too long to eat. food has never played a vital role of importance in my brain in my life … it’s more like a fire… I don’t notice it when it is out or smoldering. I do notice it when it’s become a full blown issue that needs to be corrected. Like I don’t remember I need to eat until I start getting shaky or jittery because I’ve let my blood sugar drop too low. This has been an issue my entire life.

So I need a way to stay on top of my food / eating habits, etc so I can be more balanced in my approach. This is my thinking anyway. Maybe it’s not right… I don’t know

Well, you know yourself best, but my impression is that strict, regimented meal planning would be a better fit for you. What I mean is that it's not the tracking of the food every single day that will make the difference here. It's making a simple, defined menu plan that you stick to. Determine ahead of time EXACTLY what you're going to eat every day, and set reminders to eat on a schedule so you don't go too long without eating.

Again, just my thoughts based on what you've said so far.

2 minutes ago, SpartanMaker said:

Well, you know yourself best, but my impression is that strict, regimented meal planning would be a better fit for you. What I mean is that it's not the tracking of the food every single day that will make the difference here. It's making a simple, defined menu plan that you stick to. Determine ahead of time EXACTLY what you're going to eat every day, and set reminders to eat on a schedule so you don't go too long without eating.

Again, just my thoughts based on what you've said so far.

^^yes!!!! Meal Prepping is really the key to success!!! It doesn't have to be a huge meal prep. I only meal prep my bfast and lunches. Then my snacks are super duper simple. Cheese and jerky, or a yogurt and berries, Even a protein shake with a cold brew. The simpler the better for me otherwise when I over complicate things I get annoyed and don't do it.

I am here to add my vote for meal planning. I also have ADHD tendencies and I LOATHE food tracking. In the early days after surgery when I absolutely had to make sure I got in my protein and water, I managed to track by keeping a physical tracking notebook next to me at all times. I had to see the book to remember to do it. I stopped tracking around 5 months when I was consistently hitting my goals.

Now that I am almost a year out, my weight loss has slowed (as expected) and I am finding it too easy to make poor choices if I don't plan ahead. I forced myself to actually track for a couple days and was shocked by how many calories I could eat and what I was choosing even when I "thought" I had been pretty reasonable. So, instead of tracking, which I am still terrible at, I've started meal planning and prepping ahead.

For breakfast and lunch, I came up with a selection of maybe three or four choices I liked that have around 20g protein and entered them into my meal tracking app. For example, a spinach frittata for breakfast that I can slice into several servings, fruit cups that I make ahead for the week, single-serve packets of protein oatmeal or a protein bar for those days when I have to grab and go. For lunch, I make homemade chicken veg soup and also salad jars. I also like to make a batch of turkey chili to have on hand, which I store in single-serve containers. I also came up with a few snacks I like such as Greek yogurt with blueberries, or an apple with cheese. I also entered in my typical favorite 6 or 7 homemade dinners as recipes or meals in the app so I could easily add them to my day with one click.

Before my shopping day, I try to plan my meals for the coming week. If I see my calories going too high or my protein not being enough, or whatever, on any given day, I can adjust accordingly. On a day that I eat oatmeal, I make sure my other choices are less carb heavy. If I have eggs for breakfast, I might plan to have a carb at dinner. I have the tab easy to get to on my computer, but printing it out each day would also work, as would entering each meal as a reminder in your phone's task list or calendar app.

It is so much easier for me to look at my menu and follow it than it is for me to decide what to eat every day in the moment. It also means that if I can eat what I plan most of the time, I can have a restaurant meal or a dessert a few times a month without worrying about it or trying to track it. And since I tend to package up most of my make-ahead meals in single-serve containers, it's pretty easy to grab something to take along if I'm going to be out and don't want to have to hunt for food on the go and risk being off plan.

The worst days for me are when everything in the house is an ingredient instead of a meal. That's exhausting and inevitably leads to snacking or poor choices. I find I need to set a regular day of the week for shopping when I can also have time to prep some items right away, before the food even goes in the fridge. I have the most success for the week when all my produce enters the fridge already washed, sliced, and portioned into fruit cups and salad jars, and when I can kick off a batch of chili in the slow cooker, a frittata in the oven, and a batch of taco meat to store for later in the week all at once. Freezing complete single-serve meals is another great strategy for those busy days when you might otherwise get off track.

Like any habit, it takes a while to establish and may not be 100% perfect all the time, but I definitely find this helping me.

2 hours ago, NickelChip said:

I am here to add my vote for meal planning. I also have ADHD tendencies and I LOATHE food tracking. In the early days after surgery when I absolutely had to make sure I got in my Protein and Water, I managed to track by keeping a physical tracking notebook next to me at all times. I had to see the book to remember to do it. I stopped tracking around 5 months when I was consistently hitting my goals.

Now that I am almost a year out, my weight loss has slowed (as expected) and I am finding it too easy to make poor choices if I don't plan ahead. I forced myself to actually track for a couple days and was shocked by how many calories I could eat and what I was choosing even when I "thought" I had been pretty reasonable. So, instead of tracking, which I am still terrible at, I've started meal planning and prepping ahead.

For Breakfast and lunch, I came up with a selection of maybe three or four choices I liked that have around 20g protein and entered them into my meal tracking app. For example, a spinach frittata for breakfast that I can slice into several servings, fruit cups that I make ahead for the week, single-serve packets of protein oatmeal or a Protein Bar for those days when I have to grab and go. For lunch, I make homemade chicken veg Soup and also salad jars. I also like to make a batch of turkey chili to have on hand, which I store in single-serve containers. I also came up with a few Snacks I like such as Greek yogurt with blueberries, or an apple with cheese. I also entered in my typical favorite 6 or 7 homemade dinners as recipes or meals in the app so I could easily add them to my day with one click.

Before my shopping day, I try to plan my meals for the coming week. If I see my calories going too high or my protein not being enough, or whatever, on any given day, I can adjust accordingly. On a day that I eat oatmeal, I make sure my other choices are less carb heavy. If I have eggs for breakfast, I might plan to have a carb at dinner. I have the tab easy to get to on my computer, but printing it out each day would also work, as would entering each meal as a reminder in your phone's task list or calendar app.

It is so much easier for me to look at my menu and follow it than it is for me to decide what to eat every day in the moment. It also means that if I can eat what I plan most of the time, I can have a restaurant meal or a dessert a few times a month without worrying about it or trying to track it. And since I tend to package up most of my make-ahead meals in single-serve containers, it's pretty easy to grab something to take along if I'm going to be out and don't want to have to hunt for food on the go and risk being off plan.

The worst days for me are when everything in the house is an ingredient instead of a meal. That's exhausting and inevitably leads to snacking or poor choices. I find I need to set a regular day of the week for shopping when I can also have time to prep some items right away, before the food even goes in the fridge. I have the most success for the week when all my produce enters the fridge already washed, sliced, and portioned into fruit cups and salad jars, and when I can kick off a batch of chili in the slow cooker, a frittata in the oven, and a batch of taco meat to store for later in the week all at once. Freezing complete single-serve meals is another great strategy for those busy days when you might otherwise get off track.

Like any habit, it takes a while to establish and may not be 100% perfect all the time, but I definitely find this helping me.

This makes the most sense to me. I will eat whatever is in the refrigerator already prepared. If it requires me to “put it together” after a stressful whatever that day, I am less likely to make the correct choice. It’s weird to say but I can eat the same thing over and over and over and over again. It’s easier to just eat leftover leftovers than to have to make another decision. I’ve been trying to meal prep on Sundays for hubby so he can have healthy lunches for work but his food plan and mine don’t always mesh. I did make a plan for this week and so far it has been easy to follow because most everything is cooked for breakfast and lunches and he sometimes cooks the dinner, especially if it is something that I can’t tolerate(tuna, anything spicy, bbq anything, Asian & Mexican are all hard for me. I love it but it doesn’t love me right now). I guess I just never equated making my meal plan at the beginning of the week can also be my tracker. I thought I had to do both and I was failing miserably in my mind… I am at least following my meal plan 75-80% of what I had originally wrote down.

I don’t work tomorrow, so I think I will plan out the weekend and next week… then cook and put it in my single serving containers.

Great ideas above but if that doesn’t work for you or for others reading this later, What if you were to just divide your alloyed macros or calories into meals/snacks. Like if you were allowed 1200 a day you do meals around 300 calories and 3 100 calorie snacks. For macros just don’t routinely eat any food over X grams of fat or added sugar. You can break it up differently. I did a protein shake for breakfast so I could have what felt like a little more substantial lunch and dinner.

It should’ve be as hard forever. Once you figure out a handful meals that are within this plan you most likely will just sorta remember what meals work. I know I did and I live my life by alarms and reminders. Sometimes I joke that if my alarm didn’t tell me to wake up one day I just may not…ever. That’s how reliant I am on them. Anyways, I have a handful of my common meals that I know will work if I don’t have time to think about things. And if I’m having a less ideal lunch then I already know it’s chicken breast of fish for dinner with a veggie. Every meal for me has protein unless it’s a real odd day out and then I do my best to make up for it with a Greek yogurt or shake for snack.

Another option would be to do the guess work the night before and pre plan what you eat the next day. You can play around with options and log it all into Baritastic or another calorie tracker app and know if it fits you plan and then just eat what’s on your list the next day. That may actually take a little stress out of it as well just having the decisions already made the day before. The meal prep mentioned before seems like a great way to achieve this as well. I know that I have single serve meals like that in the freezer. My regular and chicken chili are really great because they can even be defrosted in the microwave so they are good for days with zero planning or time.

Edited January 30, 20251 yr by ShoppGirl

14 hours ago, omgsharon said:

I thought I had to do both and I was failing miserably in my mind…

The ONLY thing you have to do to lose weight is eat fewer calories than you burn. If you do that you will lose weight. There are lots of tools we can use to help us in this regard, like tracking, meal prep, tweaking macros, eating more high quality foods vs. junk food, and a lot more, but at the end of the day, it's calorie consumption that will make or break a diet.

For some people tracking is critically important because if they don't track, they overeat badly. Everyone has a bad tendency to way underestimate the number of calories we eat in a day, so especially for people that tend to snack a lot, or eat a super varied diet (which is not a bad thing!), then tracking at least sometimes is pretty helpful to make sure they don't overeat.

Like you, I just can't track reliably. It's not so much that I forget to do so, as much as I find it incredibly time consuming and boring, thus I just don't do it. Would I love to be able to track calories consistently? Sure. Really honing in on my daily calorie intake appeals to my analytical mind. I know I'll never be able to do it though. At this point, what I try to do is "spot check" my calorie consumption here and there. Sometimes I might make it a whole day and sometimes I just evaluate a single meal. This helps remind me to keep things in check.

Edited January 30, 20251 yr by SpartanMaker