🥗 Amazing Results With This Unique Way Of Meal Planning!
Simpyll
Posts: 25 Member
Recently here I've been trying something a little different with amazing results -
But first, let's talk about traditional meal planning:
In a traditional bodybuilding meal planning what we typically do is sit down with a spreadsheet and piece together a collection of foods that ultimately result in the perfect ratio of macros.
We then eat these exact same foods day in and day out for weeks and even months at a time. If we are feeling frisky we might even make a second meal plan that results in the same macros (living life in the fast lane!).
After some time we finally get bored and make a new meal plan.
Here's where it gets interesting:
Have you ever been going through the day, logging the things you eat in mypitnesspal, only to learn that you're hella short on protein (or some other macro) and therefore are forced to overload on that macro at dinnertime. It's makes for some interesting meals like 2 lbs of straight up chicken for example!
Or even worse you aren't able to hit your macro goals without going over total calories because you fudged the bucket so bad earlier in the day..
Well, thanks to MFP, we now have the ability to pre-plan our meals every single day to fit our macros based on what's going on that day and/or what's in the pantry and fridge.
Every morning I've been sitting down and doing this - adding an ounce of this here, taking away a teaspoon of that there, until I get each of my macros within 5 or so grams of my goal. After you have done this a few times you get really quick at it!
I've also noticed that doing this makes temptations significantly easier to avoid. Doing this keeps more willpower in the tank.
That said, another great thing is that nothing is set in stone. Life happens, things change, so adjust.
Perhaps this is something that many of you already do and if so I'm sorry to disappoint.
This concept was a real eye opener for me though. Up until this point it felt I was just haphazardly entering in foods I ate and then disappointed at the end of the day with where my macros ended up.
I just hope this notion can help one person!
P. S.
Feel free to add me as a friend and look through my completed diary entries!
But first, let's talk about traditional meal planning:
In a traditional bodybuilding meal planning what we typically do is sit down with a spreadsheet and piece together a collection of foods that ultimately result in the perfect ratio of macros.
We then eat these exact same foods day in and day out for weeks and even months at a time. If we are feeling frisky we might even make a second meal plan that results in the same macros (living life in the fast lane!).
After some time we finally get bored and make a new meal plan.
Here's where it gets interesting:
Have you ever been going through the day, logging the things you eat in mypitnesspal, only to learn that you're hella short on protein (or some other macro) and therefore are forced to overload on that macro at dinnertime. It's makes for some interesting meals like 2 lbs of straight up chicken for example!
Or even worse you aren't able to hit your macro goals without going over total calories because you fudged the bucket so bad earlier in the day..
Well, thanks to MFP, we now have the ability to pre-plan our meals every single day to fit our macros based on what's going on that day and/or what's in the pantry and fridge.
Every morning I've been sitting down and doing this - adding an ounce of this here, taking away a teaspoon of that there, until I get each of my macros within 5 or so grams of my goal. After you have done this a few times you get really quick at it!
I've also noticed that doing this makes temptations significantly easier to avoid. Doing this keeps more willpower in the tank.
That said, another great thing is that nothing is set in stone. Life happens, things change, so adjust.
Perhaps this is something that many of you already do and if so I'm sorry to disappoint.
This concept was a real eye opener for me though. Up until this point it felt I was just haphazardly entering in foods I ate and then disappointed at the end of the day with where my macros ended up.
I just hope this notion can help one person!
P. S.
Feel free to add me as a friend and look through my completed diary entries!
7
Replies
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I really should pre-enter my foods more often. It really does help.4
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BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »I really should pre-enter my foods more often. It really does help.
I honestly think the best part about it is how easy it is to say no to anything else.
My friends and family will be like "hey do you want some of this... " and before they have a chance to finish I already know in my head what the answer is going to be. Whereas before I would always consider "well, does it fit my calories and macros?"
It's so much easier to stay in track!
Thanks for the feedback.3 -
I need to start with planning dinner and working backward.1
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What's the TL:DR version?!2
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TavistockToad wrote: »What's the TL:DR version?!
Prelog and tweak to hit your macros.4 -
0
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TavistockToad wrote: »What's the TL:DR version?!
It's ideal to pre-plan your meals each day into MFP.
It's helpful because:
1. Hit your macros with a high degree of accuracy
2. Hit your total calories with a high degree of accuracy.
3. You generally have a good idea of how your day will play out (in terms of where you will go and what food is already available to you)
4. The odds of you being successful that increase dramatically because you don't have to think about what you will eat next. Just look at your MFP log!1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »What's the TL:DR version?!
It's ideal to pre-plan your meals each day into MFP.
It's helpful because:
1. Hit your macros with a high degree of accuracy
2. Hit your total calories with a high degree of accuracy.
3. You generally have a good idea of how your day will play out (in terms of where you will go and what food is already available to you)
4. The odds of you being successful that increase dramatically because you don't have to think about what you will eat next. Just look at your MFP log!
I disagree with #4. My odds of success (which I have achieved, though only maintaining for about 4 months) were increased by being able to wing it for most of the day and just trying to make sure I am past a reasonable minimum on macros. The same percentages came up with different/lower total grams of everything while I was losing; I really don't need more now. For the last few hundred calories, it really doesn't make that much difference how it is divvied up. I think in being that strict you are introducing the kind of restrictions that make diets more likely to fail. That doesn't mean everyone will and I am glad it is working for you.2 -
TavistockToad wrote: »What's the TL:DR version?!
It's ideal to pre-plan your meals each day into MFP.
It's helpful because:
1. Hit your macros with a high degree of accuracy
2. Hit your total calories with a high degree of accuracy.
3. You generally have a good idea of how your day will play out (in terms of where you will go and what food is already available to you)
4. The odds of you being successful that increase dramatically because you don't have to think about what you will eat next. Just look at your MFP log!
I already do that....1 -
CarvedTones wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »What's the TL:DR version?!
It's ideal to pre-plan your meals each day into MFP.
It's helpful because:
1. Hit your macros with a high degree of accuracy
2. Hit your total calories with a high degree of accuracy.
3. You generally have a good idea of how your day will play out (in terms of where you will go and what food is already available to you)
4. The odds of you being successful that increase dramatically because you don't have to think about what you will eat next. Just look at your MFP log!
I disagree with #4. My odds of success (which I have achieved, though only maintaining for about 4 months) were increased by being able to wing it for most of the day and just trying to make sure I am past a reasonable minimum on macros. The same percentages came up with different/lower total grams of everything while I was losing; I really don't need more now. For the last few hundred calories, it really doesn't make that much difference how it is divvied up. I think in being that strict you are introducing the kind of restrictions that make diets more likely to fail. That doesn't mean everyone will and I am glad it is working for you.
I think comes down to your goals. For someone just simply trying to lose weight with little regard to body recomp, I agree that the 'wing it' method is idea for compliance sake. Absolutely.
Beyond that it may be a personality issue. Some people are more likely to fail with a meal plan where as many will find success with it.
Thanks for the input!
1 -
Not once have I logged my food on the go... The thought of getting to dinner with no calories and/or a good range of macros left isn't appealing4
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The only thing I prelog is when I'm on morning shifts and make my lunch the night before. I'm fickle and like to plan my food as I go. I like to eat what I feel like eating at the time. I sometime eat some weird stuff at the end of the day to meet macros if I'm significantly off, but that's not often. I'm usually pretty good with it all.2
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CarvedTones wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »What's the TL:DR version?!
It's ideal to pre-plan your meals each day into MFP.
It's helpful because:
1. Hit your macros with a high degree of accuracy
2. Hit your total calories with a high degree of accuracy.
3. You generally have a good idea of how your day will play out (in terms of where you will go and what food is already available to you)
4. The odds of you being successful that increase dramatically because you don't have to think about what you will eat next. Just look at your MFP log!
I disagree with #4. My odds of success (which I have achieved, though only maintaining for about 4 months) were increased by being able to wing it for most of the day and just trying to make sure I am past a reasonable minimum on macros. The same percentages came up with different/lower total grams of everything while I was losing; I really don't need more now. For the last few hundred calories, it really doesn't make that much difference how it is divvied up. I think in being that strict you are introducing the kind of restrictions that make diets more likely to fail. That doesn't mean everyone will and I am glad it is working for you.
I think comes down to your goals. For someone just simply trying to lose weight with little regard to body recomp, I agree that the 'wing it' method is idea for compliance sake. Absolutely.
Beyond that it may be a personality issue. Some people are more likely to fail with a meal plan where as many will find success with it.
Thanks for the input!
I am one of those people that have great success not logging and winging it (and my goals are very highly body composition based) so yea definitely depends on the person.1 -
I have always used MFP to prearrange my meals weekly. It not only takes the temptation out it allows me to have variety while meeting my macros. Best yet it really streamlines my grocery list. I have had great success with it. When I just log what I eat I don't get in enough protein and I ended up to short or to many calories. I also seem to get lazy on my choices. Thanks for the post it's good to know others are premaking meal plans.3
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I have always used MFP to prearrange my meals weekly. It not only takes the temptation out it allows me to have variety while meeting my macros. Best yet it really streamlines my grocery list. I have had great success with it. When I just log what I eat I don't get in enough protein and I ended up to short or to many calories. I also seem to get lazy on my choices. Thanks for the post it's good to know others are premaking meal plans.
I love the idea of prelogging for a week as well as a streamlined grocery list!
Also, glad to hear I'm not the only one who feels like temptation is easier to avoid and compliance comes easy while prelogging!3 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »Not once have I logged my food on the go... The thought of getting to dinner with no calories and/or a good range of macros left isn't appealing
Every time I log anything, I see how much is left. I don't end up with few or no calories at dinner unless I consciously made that trade off earlier in the day.0 -
I pre log everything up until dinner and I try to leave at least 600 cals for that. Because I love food, cooking and experimenting too much. I need to have that window of creativity no matter how small it is.. But Yeah I agree with the weekly planning bit, It makes grocery shopping so much easier.. I usually go twice a week to replenish I'm not a cart filler. But I think micro managing macros is completely overrated and I've found I have much more success just focusing on overall calories. People who say you should limit your carbs and over load your protein and other blah blah blah, are completely full of it is what I've found. We are all different, and respond differently to different things. I try to get as much fiber and protein into my diet as I can but also consider my own happiness. When I look back at my macros they are usually all 3 in the 30 to 40 range, by simple intuition. I don't obsess about it and just keep my calorie total on par. Once in while I eagle other times I double bogey. Meanwhile this is best body and mind I've ever had. Since I stopped trying to do the low carb thing, my muscles and my colon are in way better shape.1
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mutantspicy wrote: »I pre log everything up until dinner and I try to leave at least 600 cals for that. Because I love food, cooking and experimenting too much. I need to have that window of creativity no matter how small it is.. But Yeah I agree with the weekly planning bit, It makes grocery shopping so much easier.. I usually go twice a week to replenish I'm not a cart filler. But I think micro managing macros is completely overrated and I've found I have much more success just focusing on overall calories. People who say you should limit your carbs and over load your protein and other blah blah blah, are completely full of it is what I've found. We are all different, and respond differently to different things. I try to get as much fiber and protein into my diet as I can but also consider my own happiness. When I look back at my macros they are usually all 3 in the 30 to 40 range, by simple intuition. I don't obsess about it and just keep my calorie total on par. Once in while I eagle other times I double bogey. Meanwhile this is best body and mind I've ever had. Since I stopped trying to do the low carb thing, my muscles and my colon are in way better shape.
That's awesome!
I personally love carbs. While on a cut I try to get roughly equal parts carbs to protein. While bulking, I get much more carbs than anything else.
I love carbs. They make for big gains in the gym related to glycogen storage.
🏋💪😏1 -
Since I starting using mfp I have prelogged my food in the morning for the whole day. It is very helpful.
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I've been pre-logging my meals a week in advance for about 2 years. I wait until the circular comes out from my local grocery store and fit in all the sales which has saved me a lot of money.4
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