Day Zero

  Get Ready for Week 1 (Days 1 to 7)
Week 1 is going to be intense, but you’ll come away with a better understanding of yourself and your eating habits. Day Zero will help prepare you for Week 1 of this 28 Day Calorie Counting Boot Camp.

 

What You’ll be Focusing on for Week 1
For your first week of calorie counting, all I want you to do is track the food you usually eat. I don’t want you to focus on how many calories you’re eating. You shouldn’t even change your eating habits this week. I know, it sounds blasphemous, right?

But Week 1 is all about learning how to track your calories and becoming aware of how many calories you typically eat. If you change your habits now, you won’t know how many calories you usually eat and you won’t know where you need to make changes.

Week 1 is also about awareness. I want you to be aware of not only the food you’re eating, but when you’re eating, where you’re eating and why you’re eating.

Obstacles/Challenges

You’ll Need to Make Extra Time This Week
Not only will you learn how to use the tracker this week (if it’s your first time), you’ll also spend more time reading food labels, measuring and weighing your food and learning how to estimate portion sizes.

It’s going to take a lot of extra time, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Counting calories is truly an eye-opening experience! You’ll learn so much about the food you eat that you’ll never go on a “diet” again.

Get Outside Your Comfort Zone
You’ll also have to go outside your comfort zone and ask yourself some hard questions this week. Some people don’t want to think about their eating habits – and why they overeat. Becoming aware of your eating habits will help you change those habits.

You can’t change bad habits if you’re not aware of them, right? Right.

How to Get Ready for Week 1

  1. Know the Basics
    If you’re completely new to the whole concept of calories, you’ll need to learn the basics. Read Calories In vs. Calories Out – The Basic Formula Explained.

     

    Don’t worry about understanding everything right away. By the end of the Boot Camp, you’ll have it all down pat.

  2. Create a FitWatch Calorie Tracker Account
    If you don’t already have one create a free account here: FitWatch Calorie Tracker

     

    Don’t set a daily calorie goal today. You’ll set a daily calorie goal on Day 8.

  3. Get to know the Tracker

    Explore the FitWatch Calorie Tracker. Search for foods, add them, delete them. Check out the different charts and reports, if you’d like. Don’t worry about understanding exactly how everything works, especially if you’re new to calorie counting.

  4. Fill Out the “Boot Camp Before/After Snapshot Worksheet”

    Print out the Boot Camp Before/After Snapshot Worksheet; you’ll find it when logged into the tracker, under the Home menu. The worksheet has two columns: the column on the left is to be filled out today; the second column, on the right, will be filled out after the boot camp. You’ll see how much you’ve learned about yourself and your habits over the next 28 days.

    If you’ll be weighing yourself for the Boot Camp, do it first thing on Day 1. You can write down the result on the Before/After Snapshot worksheet. Weighing yourself is optional. Some people don’t like to weigh themselves — and that’s perfectly fine with this Boot Camp.

A Few More Tips to Set Yourself Up for Success on Day 1

  • Take out measuring bowls and spoons now and keep them handy throughout the week. Wash them after each use, so you’ll always have these tools ready for your next meal.
  • If you have a nutrition scale, make sure you know how to use it. Pull out the manual and familiarize yourself with how it works.
  • If you’re weighing yourself, set a reminder to do it first thing in the morning on Day 1. You’ll learn more about tracking your weight loss progress on Day 1.
  • The 28 Day Calorie Counting Boot Camp uses a few worksheets to help you understand your habits You can print them out ahead of time. You can put them in a binder or file folder.
  • Keeping a journal of your experience during this Boot Camp can help, too. You’ll be pushed outside of your comfort zone and a journal can help you keep your thoughts and feelings in order.

Be Good to Yourself
Remember to give yourself extra time this week. Be non-judgmental; you’re in a learning phase and that takes time.

Phew! That’s enough for today. Day 1 starts tomorrow!

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Week 1
Prep Day | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7

Week 2
Week 2 Prep | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14

Week 3
Week 3 Prep | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 | Day 21

Week 4
Week 4 Prep | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Day 25 | Day 26 | Day 27 | Day 28 | Graduation Day - Beyond the Boot Camp

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