pre-logging: motivating or an opportunity to let things slide (sabotage)

4leighbee

Cerakoala wrote: »

I always pre log my food the night before or in the morning. and I meal Prep every sunday so I know what I am working with calorie wise. I pre plan ad pre log about 80% of my calories and leave the "treat" or "snack" ones open to what my taste buds want. That allows me to be in control but also have some flexibility in the snacks I want. I would say 95% of the time I stay to what I logged and about 5% of the time I change my mind when the meal comes and I go in and change it to what I actually had. No matter if I pre log or not when I hit complete on my diary it always reflects what I ate. If it didn't the only person I would be cheating is myself

Makes perfect sense to me!

akirkman86

I tend to pre-log, especially on days when I am working because I have already packed my lunch and snacks. It helps me to keep n eye on where I am, and to know that I can't just splurge on that cake in the workroom or I'll be eating vegetables only for dinner. However, I do sometimes go in and change... and nothing wrong with that! It helps me to see where my day is going, but things don't *always* go as planned.

spzjlb

SideSteel wrote: »

Certainly there's no hard and fast rules and you should do what you think works best for you.

Having said that, pre-logging helps to prevent going over because you can see whether or not you've gone over before you actually eat the food.

Logging after you eat, for many people, gives them the opportunity to go over.

At the very least it may be helpful to pre-log the last meal of the day to make sure it doesn't put you over.

Also, it's fine to pre-log and then change things if you decide you are going to eat something different -- especially if you're making minor changes like switching the vegetable choice or whatever. But the habit of pre-logging can still be helpful as a preventative measure to stop from going over.

Same for me. And I just would never eat a handful of M&Ms (as per the OPs example) and not log it. I'd put it into MFP and feel crappy about going over (assuming that such an indulgence would put me over my calorie limit).

On special days, I will sometimes go over my limit, but I'm mentally and physically ready because the prelogging keeps me accountable.

Bearthebear

I prelog so that I have a good plan for the day. 95% of the time I stay with it spot on, however once in a while I will tweak this or that. Something as simple as a different sauce or type of fruit, or once in a while change a whole meal. I still know what my limits are so most of the time I stay within my main goals when I tweak things.

I typically prelog by planning my dinners for the week, at the beginning of the week, then each night I fill in my breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the next day, and make them fit around my dinner, since that is the meal that changes the most, day to day.

Mr_Knight

I pre-log, because it forces me to meal plan. And minimizes dietary surprises.

Others don't need to.

Figure out what works for you, and stick with it.

amehh91

I meal plan mine and my son's dinners for the week on a Sunday night so I usually prelog my dinners and maybe lunch since I mostly have the same thing (homemade soup and some crackers/fruit/eggs/cheese etc). It lets me see how much I have left to play with for breakfast (do I have enough for my granola or is it cheerios today? Sort of thing) and it allows me to keep 100-300 calories for night time which is where I tend to do my snacking and when I have a treat I don't feel tempted to add extra treats in the day as I know I will have one later.

I find prelogging also helps me keep and eye on my macros and adjust accordingly, which is good because my protein levels aren't great so I will shuffle things around to get a minimum 50g a day

But just because I and some others like to prelog doesn't mean it is the right thing to do, it's whatever works best for you!

AmazonMayan

I only pre-log as far ahead as 1 meal. I log as I cook so I can adjust if I need to depending on what calories I have remaining and/or what might be happening later in the day such as eating at a restaurant. I try to at least have an idea in my mind what my meals may be for the day.

Yesterday I made a scrumptious breakfast that was huge, awesome macros, and 785 calories lol. I sat looking at it a few minutes before deciding yep I'll be full for hours so let's eat! I wasn't hungry for 6+ hours . I ended up over normal calories but still a decent amount under maintenance for the day even with some easter chocolate.

missh1967

Prelogging only helps me on the nights that I work since I usually take the same things to eat every time.

SezxyStef

I prelog my week Monday through Friday at lunch. I started doing it so I could hit my protein macro mostly now it's just habit. I find it helps keep me on track and I typically don't stray far from my plan but that doesn't mean I can't if something comes up.

As for how often am I on MFP...well it's up all day on my computer at work and I have the app on my phone...

Prelogging isn't set in stone but it does help with meal planning and knowing what is going on the next couple of days and what needs to be taken out of the freezer for meals.

Capt_Apollo

christinev297 wrote: »

4leighbee wrote: »

Capt_Apollo wrote: »

4leighbee wrote: »

Good grief - could pre-logging make me a better mother, haha! Perhaps a bit dramatic? I might actually know what we're having for dinner before 20 minutes before we eat it ...

by tomorrow afternoon, i know what i'll be having for dinner all week.

Whoa. Could you come run my life, please? K thx.

haha, and then mine :bigsmile:

haha ladies. it just takes some preparation and planning.

lyrical_melody

I usually pre-log, especially during the week (weekends are much harder). I find that it helps me to stay within my calorie allotment, lets me know when and if I can splurge. I find that it also helps me keep a positive healthy outlook on the day. If I know that I have packed all this food for work and its all healthy things, it helps me to keep motivated to eat only those things and stay on track to my goal. Otherwise, if I don't pre-log it I find that its harder to stay eating healthy.

Good luck to what works best for you!

chouflour

If I'm logging (I really only log when there's a problem), then I usually pre-log dinner as soon as I know what it will be - or I'll guess what it will be. I log lunch/ work snacks when I pack them. The rest of the day, I log as I go along. There's no slavish adherence to what I log - it's just a convenient way of reserving calories for food I'm planning to eat later.

Queenmunchy

I've meal planned for about 8 years, so I pre-log. Sometimes there are tweaks, but I always know basic meal ideas that I plan to make over the next two weeks since I make a list before I grocery shop.
A new thing I've been doing is having my 7 year old plan dinners for two weeks at a time, and I make a few adjustments and post the menu each week. No arguments!

ForeverSunshine09

I am kind of crazy with prelogging at the moment with being planned out til the 20 th. Things change sometimes but, I never eat before I log even if I rearrange my day.When I prelog I plan cheat days and days of not cooking. I plan leftovers and my husbands days off as closely as possible. I get a sense of accomplishment if I follow the plab for the most part. I also change recipes whenever I cook it so it is the exact measurment of that particular time. Though I do build it with usually the highest measurement I would use of each ingredient. When I did weight watchers yrs ago I prelogged for the week because I was working crazy hrs. Just had to look what was planned and pack my lunch. It also helps with our grocery budget because I only buy what we need for the recipes planned.

kellyjellybellyjelly

I usually pre-log my diary a day or two in advance so I can have an idea of what my meals will be calorie wise & to see how many calories I can splurge on snacks.

jessjess210

I usually pre-log the night before. The order just depends on what my day looks like. For example, if I'm working out early, I'll plan for a higher calories breakfast, then my post workout snack, then dinner. Lunch and snacks I'll fill in as I go.

If I know I'm going out to dinner, I'll try to search the menu and pick a meal and estimate the best I can. You might call this obsessive, but sometimes I'll even call the restaurant ahead of time and ask them the portion size of whatever protein I'm choosing, but it just means no surprises when I get there. Helps to plan out the rest of my day. And there are always changes here and there. Like tonight, I had already planned dinner, but hubby called and said he would grill tonight, so I made a quick change and was ready to go! Then I'll fill in the rest of my day.

JoRocka

4leighbee wrote: »

Do you ever find yourself going in and making changes midday?

usually toward the end of the day-yes- it happens but it's nice to know what I packed for lunch adds up to- and how much wiggle room I have- I usually eat MOST of what I pack- so it's not a huge issue- but you have to be flexible enough to make the changes- for me I pack a lunch- I eat what I pack- so it doesn't matter if I log at 9 AM Noon or 3 PM.

sofaking6

I never prelog. My brain loves nothing more than to mess with my plans for success so I keep them a secret from myself.

4leighbee

^^ yep, lol!

I love all your comments - thanks!

Asher_Ethan

I love pre logging because sometimes I forget what I allowed myself for the day and I'll go over my journal at night and see, "Oooooooo! I forgot to eat that!" and I get to eat more and go to bed not hungry. I hope that made sense

JoRocka

Asher_Ethan wrote: »

I love pre logging because sometimes I forget what I allowed myself for the day and I'll go over my journal at night and see, "Oooooooo! I forgot to eat that!" and I get to eat more and go to bed not hungry. I hope that made sense

heh- I do that too- but usually it's - oh hell no- I'm not having eggs for dessert!!! BRING ON THE ICE CREAM!

stealthq

Usually, I prelog the treat I want for dessert, then work backwards from there. High protein items are next, followed by veg, because that's where I tend to fall short. Remaining items filled in by what goes logically with what I've already chosen. I leave empty spots when I have no idea what's going to be available.

I change my prelogged meals fairly often, but since I have the basic framework already filled out, it makes it easier to choose substitutes. Like if I want a higher cal lunch, I know how I need to alter dinner and can judge whether it's worth it to me or not.

wizzybeth

I pre log when I am going to be out and about most of the day and pack my lunch to eat on the road. If it's a particularly busy day I may forget to log things. If I don't pre-plan I may end up doing something less than desirable like getting a quarter-pounder and a coke from McD's. And then, what the heck, a caramel sundae.

Otherwise I log as I do it.

paulaviki

I try to pre-log my week so I know what I'm eating when I've done my food shop. But it's not set in stone and most days I make some sort of adjustments.

kathyk519

I pre-log every morning with what I have packed for lunch and snacks. If I add something, then fine, but sometimes, i log it, don't eat it, and delete it. It helps keep me motivated to squeeze my workout in at lunch. I may not know exactly what i am having for dinner, but knowing what my day looks like, helps me.

punkrockgoth

I do a lot of pre cooking and meal preparation in advance, so I tend to pre log. Of course, things do change day-to-day. I might not feel like my yogurt in the morning, a friend might bring cupcakes in to school, etc. So I pre-log to give myself an idea of what my planned consumption looks like and then edit as I continue with my day. Usually when I sit down to eat, I will verify that my food diary matches what I am eating. The most important thing to me is keeping myself accountable. My personal philosophy is logging something inaccurately is better than not logging it at all.

Exercise I don't tend to pre-log as much unless I have a scheduled fitness class. I change my workout day to day and rarely know what I'm doing until I get to the gym.

NewMeSM75

I normally pre-log my snacks, breakfast and lunch then leave dinner to decide on what I would like to eat and know how many calories that I have for dinner.

Chezzie84

I prelog foods if I have prepared then and the rest at a rough guess on an evening for the next day because a) I don't have access to the internet at work and b) I like to see if it is balanced and what can I add to get a good day.. I write down all the actual weights and update on the night.

upgradeddiddy

lawsonan wrote: »

I find pre-logging helps me know what my planned calories will be and make sure that I don't accidentally go over.

Absolutely agree. My girlfriend likes to cook and on weekends likes to eat out so pre-logging helps me guide her on what to cook for me (add or take out ingredients), helps us choose the right place to me to eat out for me and if anything else tells me to throw in an extra lift or cardio to my workout on any given day to compensate.

robbynackner

I log as I go. My eating is pretty clean and I don't usually vary much. I will include everything I've eaten, even if I had an extra handful of pistachios. To just brush that off as an "oops" and not log it in, why? You'd only be cheating yourself. Whatever works for you, if you pre-log and then make adjustments as the day goes on, or log as you go, it's whatever works for YOU.