How do you log your food?

kaitlyn9255

Hi Friends - looking for your advise. I'm flipped and flopped from logging in MFP vs. my Fitbit and I'm back on MFP.

When tracking your food, do you:
- Log it as you consume
- Log it at the begining of the day (or week) and check it off as you go - revising throughout the day if needed
- Log at the end of the day

I have my caloric intake, water, etc set just looking for loging advise.
Thank you

cwolfman13

When I logged I typically logged my food in the morning for the entire day...breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner, desert, etc. I would have to make adjustments here and every once in awhile, dinner would not end up being what was planned in the diary, but for the most part pre-logging gave me a plan and a blue print for the day.

Waiting until the end of the day to log everything seems like piss poor planning to me...it would be like having a budget and not tracking where you are with your budget until after you spent all of the money...pretty pointless if your objective is to actually stick to a budget. At minimum, logging as you consume will at least give you a snapshot of where your budget is at that specific point in time.

Pre-logging an entire week isn't something I could have done without having virtually endless "change orders" in the diary. I generally plan out the week in terms of grocery shopping and know what we're going to have throughout the week but I rarely know specifically "on Wednesday we're having tuna steaks" or whatever...I just know that at some point during the week we will be having tuna steaks.

zillah73

I actually use MFP to pre-plan my week and everything is logged Monday-Friday by Sunday night. If something changes during the week for whatever reason I will change/update it on the fly. I also prep as much of the meal plan in advance as possible so sticking to my plan is convenient and easy.

quiksylver296

I log what I plan to eat first thing in the morning. I pack my breakfast and lunch, and usually know what dinner is going to be. Then I try not to deviate. If I do deviate, I go back and change it.

brianhare

I log as I go. It keeps me accountable. Like others, I know what I have on hand, but I don't plan out meals days in advance. Logging through the day makes it easier for me to course-correct as I go. Also, I adjust a little based on exercise, and I don't always know how long it's going to take me to get the garden into shape--I've estimated significantly too high, and too low. So I've stopped trying to anticipate and pay attention as I'm going. Your mileage may vary, of course, but that's what works for me.

parkerpowerlift

I normally log as I go - it seems to work well for me now that I've been logging again for the last 6 weeks and now that I've been consistently logging for the last 31 days.

I do eat a lot of the same foods, though, out of convenience and because I'm neurodivergent (autistic and ADHD), ha. I knew I'd be repeating basically the same thing as yesterday for all meals, snacks, drinks, etc.

Since re-starting my journey, I basically don't drink juice anymore because it's too sugary. Minus a kid's sized soda once in a blue moon, I now just drink water. I don't get daily snacks after my lunch break like I used to. Most of my "safe" foods have been revolting and I've been struggling with appetite suppression for several weeks...so I can't pre-log foods every day.

JaysFan82

I log all my meals around 3 days in advance and my snacks the night before.

PeachHibiscus

I like to pre-log the day and often multiple meals for the week. For workdays, I'll often eat the same (or a similar) breakfast or lunch on multiple days, so it's easy enough to log those in advance. Then I can see what numbers I have left for dinner. It's easy enough to make adjustments as needed.

BrightEyedAgain

I log as much as possible the night before so I know what I have available to use for unplanned foods. Them I adjust during the day as needed. This tells me if I can eat out, have a treat, or if I need to add more exercise to make the numbers work.

chris_in_cal

This is a fantastic thread. Of course there are no "right" answers, but seeing all the various approaches is a great insight. In the past I've been a non-planner, log as I go person, but I can really see you planners out there doing all the meal prep and pre-logging, and it makes some sense.

CKTKgma

I log @ end of day for sure if I haven't been able to during day. Throughout the day if I have a moment I input. Logging keeps me accountable. If I don't log it seems before I know it, my weight starts creeping up. I don't cheat. If I eat a few peanuts, I enter it.

kensch

I'm actually changing this - used to log as I went along. Now I log Breakfast and Dinner in the a.m. - For lunch I check to see calories I can consume. My exercise adjusts this - I usually exercise before lunch.

Prettypriss

I found this thread very interesting! Had no idea people pre-logged. I always log as I go, even though I eat mostly the same thing every day and usually just copy the day before, or use the 'Meals' tab (because I do have a few alternates). I never log exercise any longer because I didn't see that it made any difference, and actually fooled me into thinking I could consume more calories if I 'used' them up during workouts. BTW, I have been logging for nearly 10 years and have maintained the original weight loss because of this site.

AnnPT77

I rarely pre log. I most often log on MFP at the end of the day, though I note foods on scrap paper in the kitchen as the day goes on. Sometimes I'll log a meal online (already eaten) if I happen to have a spare moment.

About the only case I pre-log is when I know I'm getting close to the line on calories for the day, and may need to tweak choices or quantities if I want to stay on goal. (I don't freak out over somewhat over or under, but most days I want to be close. Way over on special/rare occasions is fine with me, too.)

I'm probably more relaxed about it now (year 7+ of maintaining a healthy weight) than I was when first logging/losing. But I've never been a big pre-logger, and logging a whole week or whole day in advance is completely antithetical to my nature. (That doesn't make other people's more structured approaches wrong. What matters is finding the approach that works best for the individual's unique preferences, strengths, challenges, limitations.)

Creamtea42

Log as I go here … not organised enough to do otherwise 😆 I try not to go over alloted calories -
on a regular basis 😬.. & I eat half my exercise calories generally! Losing at the moment 😊….

christyc1256

i pre log for the day if I am planning on eating differently than I usually do. I often eat the exact same things for multiple days so if it is a standard day I just log at the end of the day as I know what the day will look like any way. If I add or change anything I can see what the impact was after entering.

ImDoinItRightNow

I log first thing in the morning and try to plan the day out to stay within range however I am often updating and making changes in the evening if I eat something different to be sure and leave the day accurately put in.

HealthyGinny

I do a bit of pre-logging and logging as I go.
On days when I work onsite in the city, I pre-log my breakfast and my dinner (that I make in advance with what i have on hand) and i see how many cals i have left over to eat with my colleagues at lunch so that i can make good choices.
When I work from home or during my days off, I log as i go, except if i know i'm going to go to a restaurant. In those cases, the day before I look at the restaurant's menu on their website and try to pre-log my selection so that i can make good choices the day of my outing, knowing how many calories are left over.

LINIA

Usually I do a bit of pre-logging and logging as I go...however not doing any weighing or measuring, better results occur when one does account for every ounce.

mjglantz

I generally log as soon as I know what I'll be eating for a meal. Sometimes I'll log in advance if I'm planning out the day.

TheOlderTheBetter

Pre-log and adjust as the day unfolds. I love having a perfect, doable, day logged before I have my first bite.

DebbsSeattle

Sometimes I log the whole day ahead of time…others I log as I go. If I log after it goes sideways fast. It seems easier to log the whole day in morning and delete or alter as things evolve. It helps me stay in the “zone” calorie/macro wise better.

zebasschick

i log as i go.

jonperelstein

Log as I go, but I find that more and more I'm pre-planning the day by entering what I expect to eat for the day. It helps me stay on target, even if I have to change one of the meals.

trunkschan90

I log in my food and drink as I eat them. It's easier to keep track when I have the food in front of me.

pony4us

I prelog dinners a week in advance because I have always planned the weekly menu (hubs like checking the "menu board" on the fridge to see what's coming up.) I am a good cheffy cook so dinners tend to be more complicated to log. Then I log everything else for the day as I go.

marksgilpin

This thread is extremely helpful. Thanks for posting!

SModa61

I mix and match.

In general, I pre-track as much as possible helps with grocery shopping as well. I often start with most limiting meal which is typically dinner, or some meal outside the home. I then fill in the remaining of the day. As the actual day proceeds, I adjust if/when necessary.

Today is a unique tricky day. For once I have no clue what the middle of my day will bring (at friend's house). Put together a "safe" breakfast. Will track the middle of the day as it happens, or make mental notes and track as soon as possible afterwards. I will then customize the rest of the day once everything else has happened. Fortunately, hubby is the driver, so I can track and plan in the car on the way back home. :P

Z10Rtza

I log while I am making my food. Scale next to me and weight everything ingredient by ingredient