Do you pre-plan your food?

Deuxtrouble43

I do. I have to. Not only for the family budget but because I like to know what my macros Need to be at the end of the day. So each week I plan out my menu, get the groceries and usually log the day before or a couple of days in advance so I know where I have room to play. If I don't plan I am usually way off on stuff.

fruttibiscotti

I don't plan the meals per se, but when I put a meal together, I pay attention to how the macros come out so that it is not a shocker. At the beginning, for about a month I had to plan....it was my learning period. Once I got the hang of it, I could then just open the fridge door and build a meal appropriately.

smedynski

I put meal plans for the week together for dinners so i have a general idea what protein I need to pick up at the store. Otherwise I have been making sure that I have a fridge full of keto friendly snacks ready to go and I cleared the house out of any temptation. I only cook for myself and my husband so leftovers from dinner are often lunch sometime during the week. :-)

KayNowayJose

I would say I sorta do, without it I don't think I could make it work. I have my lunches packed 3-5 days ahead of time.

And then, when it comes to dinner, my fiance and I try to find a happy median in what we eat (he isn't low carb, he likes his steak and...potatoes), so generally, we will make a meal and the side will be different, or I'll just pull the meat out of it, the veggies I want, and make my side dish with the veggies, while he devours the rest (he eats more than me anyway). He refuses to eat leftovers, says he doesn't like them :grumble: , and since being on Keto, we're finding with the way we make dinner, we no longer have them because we don't make as much and are more cautious. This being becasue before, on most nights we would incorporate somehow into each dinner a meat, a surplus of veggies + bread/pasta = large meal for both of us& leftover that I sometimes ate, so now we just make less of those two. So we're also saving money. Our grocery bill dropped 80-100 bucks a month. (not including dining out, which has decreased significantly).

As well, just as Smedynski said, I always have keto friendly snacks around.

I often find myself thinking, 'Ok, I had this for breakfast, so I know I'll need more fat/protein....so I'll have this for a snack'.

parkscs

I usually plan out dinner around my macros for the day, but I'm fairly consistent day to day when it comes to breakfast and lunch. I don't buy many groceries in advance (maybe 1-2 days worth). Usually I stop on my way home from work and buy something to prepare for dinner that fits my remaining macros.

veronicaadavis7

I didn't really plan the first time I tried Keto.. and well, I think that was the coffin nail that got me off track when the holidays and my crazy (or even crazier, I should say) work schedule came about this fall.

That's the biggest reason I joined myfitnesspal this time around was to plan my meals a few days in advance. That way I know I get the macros right so I can pack up meals and snacks for 10-12 hrs of work at night and not HAVE to think "how much fat do I still need today, how many carbs do I have left, etc." It keeps me out of the cafeteria and vending machines, evil, trash spewing things that they are, and on the straight and narrow.

hernamewasdana

I don't log in MFP because I've found it easier to plan my meals in Excel. I made a 4 column list of low-carb foods I use the most or would consider using with the item name, fat, carb, and protein. I have some go-to meals that I just copy from an earlier day and paste into place. I use the auto-sum feature to track my macros. It allows me to adjust on the fly. If I realize I'm out of broccoli, I can drop in some green pepper and tweak my meal/day as needed. I don't have to add things into MFP over and over or dig my brand out of their list. If I buy a different brand of something, I'll change the numbers in the list and keep on rockin'.

What's really helpful is when my macros are almost met but I need something with, for example, moderate fat, a carb or two, and just a few grams of protein. I can sort by any of the macros to find something easily that will fit what I need. In the example above, that might be eating a spoonful of cream cheese or a little almond butter.

I usually plan a couple days in advance and shop every 5-8 days depending on the fresh produce I'm using.

bacitracin

I eat breakfast and lunch at work, and keep the same stuff in the freezer every week, so I always know what I'm having. Dinners can get a bit pre-planned, yeah. Not in a bad way, but just a "we need x ingredients if we want these recipes throughout the week, we have to go shopping".