If you think to measure and weigh your food in front of your kids teaches bad habits or is inherently obsessive, just imagine the kind of message you send and the damage you could be doing by not caring at all about what or how much you eat.

Spending two weeks, a month, or even a whole year of measuring all the food you eat ingrains healthy portion sizes and shines a light on subversive habits you may not have been aware of before measuring and tracking.

Purpose and intent is everything here.

Weighing and tracking your food intake to learn more about your eating habits is a concrete and practical way to make progress towards your goals.

The bottom line is: don’t rule out a potential tool that could work for you because of your own preconceived notions.

By the same token, what works for you might not work for someone else.

Again, the intent is everything here. Tracking for the sole purpose of learning portion sizes and finding potentially hidden eating habits is the framework of this suggestion.

This weight loss strategy would not be appropriate for people with disordered eating, eating disorders, and/or using food to exert control as a means to meet emotional needs in their lives.