Planning your meals the day before?

Reaching135

Hey wondering if anyone plans their meals the day before and actually sticks to it?? I plan my meals sometimes and normally stick to it, but just wondering if it has worked for anyone else?

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taidasrictar

i plan everything the night before if i did not i would not eat my macros naturaly

Blitz_40

I'm to the macro watching stage yet, but I plan AND pre-log all my food for the next day each night. I just find it easier and it makes me less likely to eat something I shouldn't.

wendyholla

I plan my meals and log them the night before, packing my lunchbox for work. It makes my morning go a lot smoother and helps me stay on track. I generally don't do it on the weekend, though I really should, because I tend to stray off my plan sometimes on the weekend. I guess that's a goal I can work toward.

rc2paris

I actually plan out my meals on friday (just dinner), and then write it on the board so i know what i'm cooking. I buy veggies and make myself wraps or sandwiches for lunch (and by that i mean, about a 1/2 cup of lettuce or spinach, some kind of veggie, usually squash or eggplant, and either an egg or pre-portioned 3 ounces of ground turkey.) I don't spend over 45 for groceries, and that includes fresh veggies and meat, as well as any "treats."

jellybuby

As some one who finds it very easy to pop extra kcals into her mouth with out even realising, planning has become an essential part of my diet and exercise plan. If i know what i'm doing i tend not to stray. I plan all meals for the week on a sunday go shopping on a monday. Not only does it help me stay on track but it helps me pinch my pennies!

Kr1ptonite

I pretty much eat the same thing day in day out for weeks. But i still plan and log everything the day before.

VioletNightshade

After work, when I'm getting ready for bed, I decide what I'm going to have the next day and log it. Sometimes I end up changing it, but if I change it, I update my logs prior to eating to make sure I'm within my limits.

I also make and pack my lunch and snacks for the next day. Cold stuff goes in a specific spot in the fridge, room temperature stuff goes in a specific spot on the counter, and when I wake up, I take a glance at my logs as a refresher while getting ready for work, and grab my lunch on the way out the door. Other than that, I know if I want, say, half a quesadilla and half an avocado for lunch at work instead of my lunch, I know I can substitute those calories so I don't worry about it. So long as I don't exceed my limit more than once or twice a week, I don't sweat it.

It's what's working best for me right now, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it :P

MaryJane_8810002

I try that sometimes but do not follow through with a lot of the choices.

paulperryman

During M-F i plan everything except my dinner. I have to plan breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea as i start work really early and don't get home til an hour b4 dinner time so it just makes it easier to get it all ready the night b4 and also then i know how much i need to burn at the gym to stay on the steady path

On the weekends i don't have the time restraints so i wing it.

It's good to know the day b4 exactly what you are gonna take into your body the following day, mostly for the calories, macronutrients and water levels much easier then going on the fly and overdoing it in one part only to have to suddenly juggle the rest of the day around it

paulperryman

After work, when I'm getting ready for bed, I decide what I'm going to have the next day and log it. Sometimes I end up changing it, but if I change it, I update my logs prior to eating to make sure I'm within my limits.

I also make and pack my lunch and snacks for the next day. Cold stuff goes in a specific spot in the fridge, room temperature stuff goes in a specific spot on the counter, and when I wake up, I take a glance at my logs as a refresher while getting ready for work, and grab my lunch on the way out the door. Other than that, I know if I want, say, half a quesadilla and half an avocado for lunch at work instead of my lunch, I know I can substitute those calories so I don't worry about it. So long as I don't exceed my limit more than once or twice a week, I don't sweat it.

It's what's working best for me right now, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it :P

this too.

trudijoy

i do this nearly every day. that way I know where i can work in treats

Reaching135

oh WOW! didn't expect this many replies, how wonderful , thank you all for your advice, I'm gonna start planning as much as I can the day before, cause it seems to work for you guys, hopefully I'll adjust to it completely as well.
again thanks so much for all the replies, I appreciate it.

iyerritsegan1

I never used to, but I have been recently and I've found it helps so much. I plan a reasonable amount of food, so if I want more, I know its just boredom or mindless snacking! also it saves me a lot of money on impulse food buys

BrendaLee

I'm a big fan of pre-logging, and I do much better on days I've logged the night before. It gives you a chance to tweak your numbers and make everything fit.

Aparz1

I always plan in advance... I eat 6 small meals a day and have them all portioned 2 days at a time. It really makes it easy to stick to since all the work is done at once

SailorKnightWing

I live at home and we plan our dinners two weeks in advance. I eat my breakfast however I want (which is usually low calorie anyway), then plug in what I'm having for dinner that night, and adjust lunch accordingly.

Outrageous_HappYness

Cora, I like the idea of logging in what you "plan" to eat so that you can stick to it as closely as possible. I think I will try this for the next week. If nothing else it really helps me to "decide" what to eat verses trying to enter it all after I have eaten!
Great tip!

benefiting

I usually plan a basic plan for the day but it isn't official.

Samstan101

I shop on a Sunday for the week so buy my salad and yoghurt for lunch, meat & veg for evening meals. Stuff gets used up in date order and logged the day I'm eating it. OH will buy some extra veg & salad mid week. Saturday tends to be ad hoc based on what we're doing and how many calories I have 'spare'. Sunday is a big gym day so I have a big roast dinner. But in a general way I plan

Oh and I always log before I eat something so there's no nasty surprises and I can make informed decisions.

LJGettinSexy

I plan lunch and dinner for the week. I'm single and cook a big meal on Sunday so it can last at least 4 days. I make different sides if I get tired or run out and I do the same for lunch. My breakfast is oatmeal or cereal, so no planning needed. I plan for snacks by eating the same fruit salad, homemade of course. Fridays are my days I sometimes wing lunch and dinner but I try to make it a fun dinner like hamburger and fries or pizza night. Keeps my meals from being so serious all the time. Planning for the week makes it easier to log, too. I don't log it early, but I just copy my meals from day to day.

lindsey423

I do that, absolutely!! It's really helped me get past those moments when I'm just starving and all I want is a cheeseburger or fattening burrito. It was hard at first, but after a few weeks I actually like it better when my meals are planned out already!

RM10003

Planner here. Lunch is pretty much planned for the week (I make some sort of big noodle/grain/bean salad on Sunday), dinners are usually decided a day or two in advance. Lunch gets packed the night before and as others have said I just take a look at my phone as I'm getting ready in the morning to make sure it's all in my lunch bag. Helps me get my macros right--for example, if I see I am a little low on fat for the day, I'll do the 2% yogurt instead of the fat-free.