Hi friends! Happy Friday!! WE MADE IT!! *happy dance*
As a lot of you probably noticed, we posted a call out/ question box on our Instagram story about a month ago. We simply asked what do you want to see on the blog?. We got some great ideas that we're excited to continually roll/ out and share with you. By a landslide, the topic that was mentioned the most was secondary tracking. You all wanted to know WHAT is secondary tracking, WHY do people secondary track, and most importantly: HOW to track two metrics at once on Healthi.
Last July, our good friend and brand ambassador Brianna, made a great YouTube video explaining allllll of the secondary tracking details. We decided that turning her video into written form would probably be the best way to answer/ sum up the topic that is secondary tracking. So first and foremost, if you're more interested in listening to this subject matter, click HERE to watch her video. If you're more of a reader type, then you're in the right place!
Here's the subtext/ summary of Brianna's video:
The Healthi Secondary Metric Feature | How to Track Calories AND BITES at the Same Time
This is probably my absolute favorite and game changing features of Healthi. If you don't know me, I'm Brianna. The Diva behind Diva and the Divine. I also have the privilege of serving as an Healthi Brand Ambassador. My loyalty to Healthi is HIGH! It's because of that loyalty, that they chose me as one of their original ambassadors, some time ago!
Today I want to talk to you about one of my favorite features of the app. This is a PRO feature. Meaning you do have to pay to use this, but in my opinion it is GAME CHANGING. That feature of course is the secondary tracking feature. You've probably heard of this already. Whenever people show their trackers with multiple numbers going on- this is what they're doing!
So what is the secondary metric?
Well it's a secondary tracking feature that allows you to track something other than your initial plan/ BITES. So regardless of what plan you're on, the secondary options that you have are calories or macros.
Calories of course are just that- the number of calories that you're consuming, alongside your BITE count. For example: a yogurt parfait may be 2 BITES on Better Balance, also identified as 230 calories. Macros, however, are the macronutrient breakdown you're eating based on the nutrition information that's entered into the app. The macronutrients that it tracks (which are the only macros) are: fat, protein, and carbs.
Using this feature, you have the opportunity to track one of these metrics alongside your actual BITE count. Or, you can toggle between them. Offering a really wide range of information on your consumption. Which is nice! These secondary options give me sort of a more holistic view on what I'm eating. It's a very exciting and helpful thing to see!
How to turn on this feature:
Gentle reminder: this is a PRO only feature!
One thing I want to make abundantly clear:
The nutrition info that you're using must be accurate! The secondary metrics are derived from nutritional info that you enter/ what's manually entered. If you just do a quick add on every single food you enter, there's a pretty high chance that you won't get an accurate output. Sure BITES are going to be close enough. But metrics like proteins or calories will only reflect what is accurately tracked.
You may read that you have only consumed 800 calories all day. Which would prompt you to go eat more calories. Yet your BITE count is completely fulfilled for the day? Well there's a problem here, right? Time to go back and check the nutrition facts! A quick note, click HERE to read our blog post on The Importance of Reading Nutrition Labels.
Quite frankly, it's just good practice to do your due diligence in checking the nutrition info accuracy of your foods! It's really very simple. When you scan an item, the nutrition info will pop up- this is a great time to triple check that info. A quick add item could've very easily been entered by another person, who maybe didn't quite get that info right.
All you need to know is The nutrition info for an item is what plays into forming the secondary tracking. Therefore- it's important for the info to be correct! If you want to take advantage of this feature, go ahead and check those facts. Another quick note, click HERE to read our blog post on Understanding the Difference between BITES and Calories.
One more thing to be aware of in secondary tracking:
Zero BITES does not mean zero calories! So if you fill up on Zero BITE fruits and veggies throughout the day and aren't in the habit of tracking them it's time to get in the habit! Even if you only eat a few strawberries, that could add up to almost 100 calories. Definitely best to track those! Of course you can do this manually or, again, have this secondary tracking feature on.
In conclusion, if you want to keep things as bare bones/ simple as possible- tracking your BITES is the way to go. Pick your plan, stay in your daily allotment, and watch the results roll in. However, if you're like me and want to know allllll the little details of food, activity, and weight- I highly recommend turning on your secondary feature!