keeping your food record

ecogranny

I don't know if this will help but I have tried various ways of filling my diary so that I don;t forget anything. Finally I have found a solution that works for me. A couple of years ago our doctor underlined the benefits of eating at lunchtime and although I didn't fancy the idea I thought I would give it a try.Mid morning I sort out what we are having for lunch and then..........I complete my diary for the whole day including dinner and snacks. This gives me the amount of calories and shows whats left. I don't send it till evening so I can make adjustments if necessary. We don't eat at lunchtime every day but even organising your diary can help imprint it on your mind. Diary can take a bit of time to begin with but its "Festine Lente" - "Make Haste Slowly" for most of us. I try so hard not to use exercise calories and this I think helps enormously. So its 11.am and this is what I plan to eat today:

Breakfast - Fresh grapefruit (half), Cereal (the French equivalent of Special K -1 cup or 30 grams, 10mlL milk and black coffee
Lunch - Large courgette (zucchini) in 2 halves stuffed with 150 gms of bolognaise sauce mixed with scooped out inside of courgette, half onion and topped with 20gms of fresh parmesan cheese . Ready to bake. Baked apple, cored and filled with few chopped raisins and tsp of Munuka Honey (so good for you).
Dinner Heinz Baked Beans (small can) on 1 slice brown toast and half tin of tomatoes
Snack - Sugar free lime jelly with 1 tabs fresh lemon juice added to take away the artificialy sweet flavour.

This leaves me with 159 calories (from my 1200 total) to use throughout the day or keep till the evening as snacks. Not the best plan for all I appreciate but might just help some of you. I print of a copy of this (but just jotting it down does if you don't have a printer and mark it off during the as I eat the items on the list. Now................. eating out is an entirely different challenge!!!!!!!. Hope this makes sense and good luck to everyone.

ktsmom430

This is a very good idea.

I usually fill my log out in the morning. I pre-plan all of my meals for the day. If I don't eat it or add something I will adjust it at the end of the day. It really helps me stick to my allotted calories for the day.

Dottyb1940

I also try to plan my meals in the morning, I may have to change sometimes but I find it better to try and plan!plan,plan.Does!nt always work but the majority of times it does

debilang

I've done BOTH...log all I ate at day's end...and Pre-planned...I stopped logging for a while, and I see the value in it! (When I wasn't logging, I *did* gain...) Actually, I was embarrassed, and was ALWAYS over my goal, eating whatever I wanted, didn't care! Then some pals at MFP who I have become good friends kept encouraging me!! The value of good friends :happy: Sooo since this last August 31, I've lost 3.5 lbs...that I am happy about :drinker:

ecogranny...thanks for the thread. CONGRATS for losing 20 lbs so far!!

Dotty ..WEIGH to go on your 29 lbs down...we earn every single ounce we LOSE! Grreat Focus! :drinker:

ktsmom - WOW...156 lbs lost...I SOOO respect you and that number that you have lost!! Big CONGRATS! :flowerforyou:

Here is one SASSY Senior's signoff :happy:
Deb

texasgardnr

ecogranny, great idea for a thread .

I've 1.) pre planned, 2.) logged as I ate and also 3.) logged in the evening, usually before dinner time to see what I have left :ohwell: .

Sometimes I log after lunch and then decide how much exercise I need to do to eat what I planned for supper and to make cal room for what I want as a snack lol. That sometimes becomes an encouragement to exercise a little more :laugh: .

Depending on how 'actually' hungry I am (not just 'wanting' snacks) determines how many exercise cals I eat back.

Of course all of the above occurs when I am doing well. I've regained some pounds back recently so I'm working at getting back on track again.

:flowerforyou: