It’s Monday. You’re motivated, refreshed, and ready to log everything. By Thursday, you’ve got it down: your morning latte, the handful of pretzels from your coworker’s desk, even that quick bite between meetings. Then the weekend rolls around. Suddenly you’re juggling kids’ games, practices, errands, and a million other things. Before you know it, it’s 9 p.m. and you realize you barely logged a thing, and honestly can’t remember half of what you ate.
Sound familiar? You’re definitely not alone. As a busy mom of two, I’ve been there more times than I can count. This happens to almost everyone who’s logging food as part of their health journey. It’s normal, it’s human, and it doesn’t erase the progress you’ve already made. Missing a day (or a few) of logging isn’t failure, it’s just part of real life.
The good news? Getting back on track is usually easier than it feels. Experts point out that goal-driven behaviors, like tracking your food to support weight loss, aren’t the same as automatic habits, like brushing your teeth (1). That means there’s built-in flexibility and room to adapt when life gets busy (1).
Ahead, we’re sharing simple, realistic strategies to help you ease back into logging and make it feel more doable…even on your busiest days.
Getting Back to Logging After a Missed Day
Whether you missed one day or took a break while you went on vacation, we see you. And, we’re here to help you get back on track to logging with 4 simple strategies. Bookmark this page for the motivation (and friendly pick-me-up) you need when you’re ready to get back it.
1. Don’t Give Up
Ever come back from a day of sun, cocktails, and good food and feel tempted to throw in the towel when it comes to logging? That all-or-nothing mindset can creep in fast. You know the one: “I missed a (few) day(s)… I’ll just start over next month.” (2). Science shows this is one of many cognitive distortions, meaning negative thoughts that attempt to disrupt our realities (2).
Let’s be clear: you deserved that rest and relaxation that day-off gave you! So what you had a few extra drinks or appetizers you may not have if you were logging. That’s ok. It’s life, and life is meant to be enjoyed. One (or a few) missed entries doesn’t cancel out the efforts and progress you’ve put in these past months.
Recognize the thoughts that enter your mind for what they are, thoughts, and own the real you (2). Logging your food is a practice you engage in to reach your personal goals, and let that drive empower you to start again today (not next Monday).
2. Remind Yourself Why You’re Logging
Your why matters, and it’s worth revisiting, especially when that all-or-nothing mindset starts creeping in. Maybe you log your food to support overall health, hit weight-loss goals, build muscle, stay hydrated, or keep your digestion on track (yes, we see you fiber fans). Whatever it is, it’s valid, important, and exactly what brings you back to apps like MyFitnessPal to track your intake.
Habits take time, usually around two months, to really stick, so don’t lose sight of your why (3). Every effort you put in, even on the messy or missed days, is building momentum toward results that are totally worth it in the end.
3. Estimate and Add What You Remember
Here’s the beauty of food logging … it’s not a test that you will be graded on. It’s completely in your control and you don’t have to measure precisely (no one is checking up on you) to do this. This means a guestimate of how much you ate of that bowl of oatmeal logged into your food diary is often better than not logging it. Logging estimates versus exact portions can be useful for spotting patterns and identifying what’s helping (or hindering) your progress towards your personal health goals.
The beauty of utilizing an app like MyFitnessPal is you can go back a day and insert those estimates. This can be really helpful for someone who’s been committed to logging and is trying to reach a personal milestone. An estimated data point is often better than no datapoint in this situation. Plus, when logging has become a habit, it may be easier for your internal cue, routine, and reward system to reactivate if you go back in and enter a rough estimate for those meals missed (4).
4. Skip It and Start Fresh WIth Your Next Meal
Here’s your hall pass: you don’t have to go back and log in that missed day if it’s stressing you out. Remember, keeping a food diary is for you to help reach your goals. If you missed the entire day after lunch, no biggie. Starting to log again at your next meal will reignite that habit loop (4). Wake up and kickstart your day logging your morning latte and these delicious (and nutritious) Avocado & Egg Breakfast Tacos.
Tips to Make Logging Easy and Consistent
Logging shouldn’t be another chore on your to-do list. MyFitnessPal dietitian Emily Sullivan shares, “Keeping track of your nutrition is a great tool to help you reach your health goals. But, it shouldn’t feel like a full time job. Utilize the available resources and tools out there to make it easy to fit your lifestyle, and not another stressor.” Keep these tips in mind as you jump back into logging your food.
- Log when it’s fresh in your mind.
Wrapping up dinner and about to hop on dish duty? Hold the phone (literally) and enter your meal real fast. Doing this quickly in the moment will prevent life from happening later on. Alternatively, you can also pre-log foods if you’re meal planning for the week.
- Use shortcuts that work for you.
Apps are available to take the mundane out of the routine, meaning new features are constantly added to help you quickly and efficiently log your food. If you’re new to MyFitnessPal, or haven’t popped around in a while, features like quick entries, saved meals, recipes, barcode scan, meal scan, and voice logging options come in handy.
- Create meals and use them for busy days.
Just finished a salad from your favorite grab-and-go at the workday lunch meeting? Go you! Now, press that saved meal and make logging work for you.
Embracing the “better, not perfect” mentality is essential when it comes to tracking food intakes longterm. This allows for flexibility when situations arise out of your control that may prevent you from logging your meals as you usually would.
Bottom Line
Missed a day of logging? Welcome to the club, you’re definitely not alone! It happens to everyone, and the good news is you can jump right back in tomorrow. If you want, you can even enter what you remember from the day you missed, but no pressure.
Food logging is a tool for learning, not a test of willpower. To make it easier, try using a saved meal in your app to skip the guesswork and get back on track fast. Remember: progress, not perfection, is what wins over the long haul.Let the team at MyFitnessPal help you out! Open MyFitnessPal and get started today.
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