pre-planning menus - is it worth it??

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Replies

  • laurenk08
    laurenk08 Posts: 89 Member
    YES! its totally worth it. I pre plan usually 3 days ahead. When I first started MFP years ago it helps get me started and shed the first 20 or so pounds. I helped me prepare balanced meals, and use up the healthy ingredients in our kitchen so they wouldn't go bad. I still usually leave a hundred calories or so for emergency snacks. And I always pack my own snacks just in case. This way its also easier to pack my lunches the night before. Its a great habit to get into :)
  • felblossom
    felblossom Posts: 132 Member
    I plan ahead, at least on weekdays :)
    It's easier for me, not just calorie-wise, but for grocery shopping and a motivator to actually cook and get left-overs to bring to work. When I cook spontaneously I'm very un-creative, but taking time to look up new and exciting recipes and plan out my week makes cooking much more fun, creative and healthy.

    I don't plan my snacks, and I make room for changes, and it's been working out great for me!
  • hj1119
    hj1119 Posts: 173 Member
    I pre-plan/pre-log a day in advance. Saves me from the old trap of:

    "What shall we have for tea?"
    "Dunno."
    30mins later
    "What shall we have for tea?"
    "Don't mind."
    30mins later...
    Repeat until it's too late to cook anything and I've lost motivation.
    "Shall we get a takeaway?"
    "Okay"
    "Pizza?"
    "Ok you phone."
    9in pepperoni and mushroom pizza and a portion of chips each later...
    "We should have cooked"

    Story of my life.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    Pre-logging is especially helpful if you are working to balance your micronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) in specific proportions. That is difficult to do on an enter-as-you-go basis.

    ^This. I do it either the night before or first thing in the morning. Breakfast is always planned the night before. It's useful for balancing macros but also for time management. I find I'm not scrambling for what to eat for dinner when the family screaming they're starving. I already have it sorted.
  • HellaCarriefornia
    HellaCarriefornia Posts: 102 Member
    I do best when I pre-plan and plug in as much as possible. I usually do it the night before for the next day - I have a hard time doing the whole week at once. Dinner tends to be the most spontaneous for me, so I if I end up not eating "as planned" then I at least have an idea of how many calories I can eat. I also like to leave a hundred calories or so as a buffer for extras that may come up - do I want an extra snack, a little more meat at dinner, a piece of chocolate, etc.
  • zombiemusicgirl
    zombiemusicgirl Posts: 98 Member
    I pre-plan/pre-log a day in advance. Saves me from the old trap of:

    "What shall we have for tea?"
    "Dunno."
    30mins later
    "What shall we have for tea?"
    "Don't mind."
    30mins later...
    Repeat until it's too late to cook anything and I've lost motivation.
    "Shall we get a takeaway?"
    "Okay"
    "Pizza?"
    "Ok you phone."
    9in pepperoni and mushroom pizza and a portion of chips each later...
    "We should have cooked"

    This! This is soooooo what happens to me! It can't hurt to give pre planning a try. It works for me when I do it!
  • happydaze71
    happydaze71 Posts: 339 Member
    Planning is the only way to go. I pack all of my next days food for work the night before. I cook on the weekends and freeze meals. Eating spontaneously is a disaster!!! It certainly doesn't mean that if you go out for dinner or lunch, or a friend pops in for coffee that all is lost, it just means that most of the time you have made sure you know how your day is going to pan out.
    It saves me over and over!!

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