How do you plan your calorie use?

drshona

Do you have a set allowance (or range) for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks? Or do you eat the same things for breakfast and lunch? Or do you just see how it goes and how many calories you have left for dinner?

And on a weekly basis, so you 'save' calories for eg meal out / drink / take out at the weekend?

If you do go for a meal out or have take out, how do you work out the calories? I mean, it's fine if it's a chain I guess as that information is available, but eg I had a bowl of veggie bean chilli with nachos, topped with cheese and sour cream and followed by chocolate bread and butter pudding yesterday. I could guess roughly how many tortilla chips based on comparing to a bag of them, maybe guess the sour cream based on tablespoons, but the chilli, the cheese, the pudding...? It's impossible.

nikki_dw

I plan out my meals for the week before I go grocery shopping. I typically eat the same breakfast and lunch every day (unless I have dinner leftovers) in a week. Last week I had a frittata for breakfast every day. This week I'm making apple quinoa to eat kind of like a cereal. I'm making sandwiches with a Hidden Valley chipotle spread, avocado and leftover shredded chicken for lunches. Planning lunch and breakfast this way lets me know about how many calories I'll be eating for each meal throughout the week.

For dinners, I typically roughly plan out the calories before I go shopping. If there's something I really want to make but it's not that healthy (like a casserole) then I just make sure to work out that day and not let it be a rest day.

As for takeout at a local place, I just estimate and find something close to it in the MFP database. Though it's important to log every calorie, it's also important to remember that what you log is typically just an estimate.

Francl27

I do groceries twice a week, buy enough for 3-4 days depending on what I feel like having. Then I plan dinner depending on the expiration dates. So typically if I know exactly what we're having for dinner (the protein at least) I enter that in the morning. If I don't, I make sure I have 350-400 calories left for dinner (we often just pick an option at dinner as I mostly get things that are fast to cook).

After that, I just have whatever and adjust the rest of the day accordingly. Typically breakfast is 250-400 calories, lunch 400-500 calories. If I'm hungry or want a snack, I make sure it fits in my calories and I have enough calories left for dinner. I don't save calories, but I don't plan 'cheat meals' either (except once in a while). If we go out in the week end I just fit it in my calories for the day, and I estimate if I have to.

briana12077

I drink my shakeology for breakfast everyday... so that is taken care of.
For lunch I usually look around the house and figure out what I might want and either make it right after breakfast, or at least figure it out so that I can be ready for when I'm hungry and then I log my calories right then and there. That makes me stick to what I planned to eat more likely. Then I usually call my mom and ask whats for dinner (I know I'm a loser leave me alone :P) or if I have work that night I pack myself dinner and then log it beforehand. Then I usually decide if theres anything I really want later after dinner/work (such as ice cream, a cookie, some popcorn, whatever it may be) and log that beforehand so I know how many calories I have left to play with and I can still have what I wanted because its logged. I just basically go by what is in the house, what I'm doing that day, and what I want, but try to log everything as early as I decide i want it so I make sure those calories are taken care of.

As far as going out to eat, I just went to a local diner and had a grilled chicken sandwhich and french fries. First of all, I try to realize that I can't count everything perfectly, so I just searched each part of the meal and logged it. For example I logged the bread/roll, then the grilled chicken breast, and then the fries. Or I could have searched grilled chicken breast sandwhich and saw what options came up. I just estimated high and then if I went over a little bit I don't beat myself up and just go with it.

ingoiolo

i wing it

sunsetzen

I plan my week of dinners. I eat the same thing every day for breakfast and eat either leftovers or sandwiches for lunch. I plan the dinner I will make, in the morning, so I know how much extra I have for snacks. If we eat out, I dont plan for it, and I write that day off.

drshona

i wing it

See, this fits more with my natural tendency, but then maybe that's part of my problem!

drshona

I plan my week of dinners. I eat the same thing every day for breakfast and eat either leftovers or sandwiches for lunch. I plan the dinner I will make, in the morning, so I know how much extra I have for snacks. If we eat out, I dont plan for it, and I write that day off.

If you write the day off when you eat out, does that mean you eat to your calorie goal every day? I would tend to eat more than it some days and less on others, but then can't really write a day off because I need to know that overall I'm within the goal. At least I assume I do.

littleburgy

I try to plan the meals for the week, my lunch and breakfast mostly stays the same during the week.

Sometimes calorie gymnastics for parties and the like come up. Or this weekend my husband had suggested eating out and then changed his mind. :explode:

If I eat more calories than planned I cut back the next day or so.

Phoenix_Warrior

I try to plan a day in advance. I adjust it if things change. Sometimes, I'm naughty and put some things on the next days log if I know I'll go over lol. I see it as a weekly average.

Camera_BagintheUK

I eat a lot of the same sort of thing regularly so sort of know - I tend to eat smaller calorie meals for breakfast and lunch and save my calories for a bigger evening meal. It's a pattern, really, rather than a plan. But it works, I can choose to treat myself during the day and then plan a lower calorie meal in the evening for example. Or spend a couple of hours digging my garden or something.

sunsetzen

I plan my week of dinners. I eat the same thing every day for breakfast and eat either leftovers or sandwiches for lunch. I plan the dinner I will make, in the morning, so I know how much extra I have for snacks. If we eat out, I dont plan for it, and I write that day off.

If you write the day off when you eat out, does that mean you eat to your calorie goal every day? I would tend to eat more than it some days and less on others, but then can't really write a day off because I need to know that overall I'm within the goal. At least I assume I do.

I dont eat the same calories every day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But if I eat out, I dont worry about calories, I just eat until I'm done. I usually end up eating to maintenance calories on those days.

pinkraynedropjacki

I fast 3 times a week for 40 hours, so those calories are non-existent. Then I really dont eat till 3pm on other days anyway & so I'll have lunch at 3pm (usually rice & veg or rice & tuna) and then have dinner... the same dinner I've had since Feb 8th 2012.

No need for me to plan anything cause I have about 9000 calories or more 'saved' a week that I really can stop counting & eat what I want.

I shop daily so it's all good.

kelly_e_montana

I don't really eat meals too much except breakfast and about 3 times per week dinner before work (I work nights). I usually just plan out what I want to eat that day and then eat all the stuff randomly throughout the day, about 6-8 times. I'm never hungry and I feel like I'm eating all day, but I still meet my protein/fiber/iron goals, which are the most important to me. It's almost like I plan a little stockpile of food for the day and then eat out of the pile until it's gone. If I'm not hungry, I just don't eat one of the things I've planned to eat.

eksero2k

small breakfast, big lunch (biggest meal of the day!) and a medium sized dinner, works out pretty well!