Do you track calories before or after you've had your meal?

misshpn

I've been wondering about this for a bit. How many of y'all plan ahead? Do you think there's any negative side to doing so? I do it, because I'm scared of eating too much and ruining the balance of my meals. Hate to end up with too few calories for dinner.

sarahyourprincess

I tend to track before I eat if I can.
That way I know if I'm making a good decision or not, and if I don't have the calories for what I want, I can either shift some snacks or other meals to accomodate it, or make a healthier decision.

rhondatime2chg

I do both. I usually track my breakfast, snack, and lunch early in the morning and plan ahead for those meals. But dinner, I'm never sure what we are going to have, so I don't track that one in advance.

kristieshannon

I track my entire day in advance on most days-the exception being when I'm planning a meal out. On days I do track ahead of time I go back and make adjustments as needed.

ThePlight

I tend to do it "while" I'm having my meal lol.
However, if I am planning on eating something that I've been craving badly, I note them BEFORE and make sure my measurements on intake are correct. For healthier items, I don't track them right away, usually do it on the next meal.

TavistockToad

during the week i log in the morning as we do a menu of what we are having for our evening meal and i usually take lunch that i make the nigh tbefore, and then can add extra snacks in the evening depending how many cals i haave left - i workout after work so get a few more cals then.

on a weekend, i log through the day as i eat, or at the end of the day, but i keep a mental note as i have been on here long enough to have a rough idea how many cals i have eaten.

majica8

I sometimes track my entire week in advance. Normally it's just the day though, or breakfast and lunch for a few days but no dinner until that day.
For the most part I'll try to track ahead, doesn't always happen. Usually it's if/when we go out that I don't track ahead, but I still have a rough idea of then numbers in my head.

sunsetzen

I track my week in advance. I meal plan for a week, and it helps me keep everythingbAlanced and I can see where I can add in snacks when/if I want.

melaniecheeks

I plug in what I know each morning. This maybe leaves a few gaps, but it gives me a steer of whether I need to add in more protein, or ease off on the sugar.

I cant think of any negatives about planning ahead - it's easy enough to take something out if you dont actually eat it.

Cindyinpg

I generally log each day the night before. I plug in my daily treat first and plan my macros around it. :bigsmile:

lucan07

I enter calories accurately as I prepare each meal as for worrying about enough calories for dinner if I happen to be short then 20 mins on elliptical while it cooks would give me sufficient exercise calories to maintain my deficit.

MyJourney1960

depends.

I eat more or less the same every day, so i know more or less how many cals i'll be using.

if i am eating out, eating somethign out of the ordinary etc, then i'll pre-log.

if i find myself starting to graze mindlessly, then i'll pre-log and that usually helps me to stop.

t1954

I log them after the meals while it is still fresh

thatbelinda

I track my entire day in advance on most days-the exception being when I'm planning a meal out. On days I do track ahead of time I go back and make adjustments as needed.

Exactly this

Ithina1

I plan most of my day in advance. I find this helps me stay on track and I am less hungry. I don't plan my whole day because sometimes things pop up, like a birthday cake at work. I want to be able to indulge in those sorts of things while staying within my calorie goals.

pinkraynedropjacki

I do it before. That way I have no choice but to stick to it.

SezxyStef

I track as I eat typically. My days are pretty steady tho. I try and work it so I have calories after my dinner so if I want I can have ice cream...or cookies etc.

But that being said I typically know what I am having for lunch and supper before it's time so I can put in my food in the morning but if I change my mind I adjust intake accordingly.

dunnodunno

I usually log everything I've ate before I've had it, but the only time I don't is if I know it will in my calories for the day.

DivaLuvsDisney

I usually plan out my day over my morning coffee. I'm a creature of habit and tend to eat the same things day to day for breakfast, lunch and evening snack. I've built up a good amount of recipes using the recipe builder on this site so can easily add dinner in too. I like knowing what I have remaining for calories the rest of the day.

MrsBozz1

BEFORE!!!! Nothing goes into my mouth until I log it!! That way I can't mess myself up. I always know where I'm at. I don't log days in advance but every meal and a lot of the time the whole day. Keeps me straight! Just what works for me :flowerforyou:

MandyMason7

Usually before, I try to pre-log my day, if for some reason I don't stick to it and I add something or subtract something that's done whenever I decide to change it. It's very rare for me to eat something before tracking it.

katbirdinpa

I plan my food and track after Ive measured and eaten my food

Sovictorrious

I add as i eat.

Rosieannaxo

I usually log the night before so I have a food plan the next day. Sometimes, I change it up but usually I don't. I like knowing that I don't have to worry about calculations and whatnot the next day

Ely82010

After I completed my meals. Most of the time I have only a vague idea of what I am going to prepare/eat before I step into the kitchen.

NavyKnightAh13

I add as i eat.

This. My husband and I split who makes the meal so I never know what will be for dinner. As far as other meals, I log it as I eat it so this way I don't feel guilty for eating.

cwolfman13

I always planned out my day and pre-logged everything. Easy to stay on track that way and also make sure I'm hitting all of my macro goals. Adjustments were rare, but I made them as necessary.

BrendaLee

I like to log in advance so I can tweak it if I need to. Sometimes I do the whole day; sometimes just before I have the meal. Sometimes after, but that rarely works out well.

SLLRunner

I've been wondering about this for a bit. How many of y'all plan ahead? Do you think there's any negative side to doing so? I do it, because I'm scared of eating too much and ruining the balance of my meals. Hate to end up with too few calories for dinner.

I definitely plan ahead, but I also leave room for an occasional treat. I have been known to replace a planned snack with something else, therefore I will change it in my diary when I do.

At work, I don't eat anything but what I've logged in, which is whatever is in my lunchbox I bring from home.

willdob3

Both. I enter what I'm planning to have so my food is spread out over the day & I know what I'll be eating. I go through and make sure what I ate is the same as what was planned after the meals & at the end of the day.

Sometimes I change what I am having or the amount. For example, tonight my chicken breast weighed less than the last time I had it so I changed it.

Elpaw4mbv

After. I tend to obsess about what I plan to eat if I log it first. I plan out the week's menu on Sundays but I only log what actually goes in my mouth. My goal is to stop thinking about food all the time and try to be more of an eat to live vs. a live to eat kind of person.