Tracking Your Food

The whole foods we eat are comprised of one or more of three macronutrients:

• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fats

Fruits, for example, are pure carbohydrate. In many foods, however, there may be more than one macronutrient, but one will be dominant. Greek yogurt, for example, contains protein, fat and carbohydrate, but protein is dominant. Almonds are comprised of both protein, carbohydrate and fat, but fat is dominant.

A key part of the JumpstartMD program is tracking your daily protein, carbohydrate, fat and fluid take. Research shows those who consistently track or record what they eat lose more weight and keep it off more effectively than those who don’t. Regularly using the JumpstartMD daily tracker or an equivalent app will contribute to your success on the program.

Here’s how our tracking system works: protein, carbohydrates, fats and fluids are measured in “box” units. In short, we calculate JumpstartMD “boxes” this way:

• Protein box = 7 to 10 grams of pure protein
• Carbohydrate box = 7 to 10 grams of carbohydrate
• Fat box = 7 to 10 grams of fat
• Beverage box = 12 – ounce serving

As you eat and drink during the day, you simply check the box(es) that corresponds to your specific intake on your Daily Tracker.