pre-logging: motivating or an opportunity to let things slide (sabotage)
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I don't prelog the whole day; it would probably feed a need to rebel. I do, however, frequently review the day late afternoon, make a decision about dinner and any further snacks, based on calories still available, and sometimes log them in advance so I'll stay with those choices.
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I only recently started pre-logging and I love it. I used to be annoyed by people's "pre-logging" answers and posts, probably for the same reason you mentioned. But now I think it's fun...and I can pre-log those M&Ms or ice cream I want and work around it. Sometimes I change up my lunch a bit, or I leave 100 calories to play around with here and there. Anyway, it gives me something to do on my train ride to work.0
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I pre-logged the other day, and it really helped me stay focused. I teach Kinder and there is some candy in the treasure box. When I hadn't pre-logged, I was like "oh, it's just xyz calories, I'll be fine" and found I cut it close by the end of the night. When I pre-logged, I saw that I didn't have much wiggle room left and wanted to save that wiggle room in case I was still hungry at the end of the night. I think I am going to try doing that more. My breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks are predictable, it's dinner that's going to be tricky. I usually don't know what I'm going to have until it is time to cook it, lol.0
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I agree and appreciate that everyone seems to agree there is no one right way to do this.
I am surprised at myself a bit that I am so connected during the day with MFP. I never saw my weight loss as something I needed support for ... uber-independent ... but I was wrong. I need no motivation to train - and I train hard, always pushing. But my diet has been just awful my whole life - just doing what I want, when I want - no discipline in that arena. My 40s have been a bit of a wake-up call, I guess. Anyway, MFP has provided for me unexpected support and guidance when I didn't even know I needed it. That was a bit off-topic. Hope they don't put me in "jail" for it.
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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 ...0
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Capt_Apollo wrote: »
Whoa. Could you come run my life, please? K thx.0 -
Capt_Apollo wrote: »
Whoa. Could you come run my life, please? K thx.
haha, and then mine :bigsmile:
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I prelofgged most of the week. I may not stick to it completely but I can always change it and the prelogging helps me stick to what I've logged meaning what is in the fridge/freezer and helps ensure I've hit my macros.0
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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
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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!0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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.
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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! 0 -
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. 0 -
Prelogging only helps me on the nights that I work since I usually take the same things to eat every time.0
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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.0 -
christinev297 wrote: »Capt_Apollo wrote: »
Whoa. Could you come run my life, please? K thx.
haha, and then mine :bigsmile:
haha ladies. it just takes some preparation and planning.0
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