Help with logging Food

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sblatt1
sblatt1 Posts: 4 Member
in Getting Started
I have tried to log my food on various occasions but I have always stopped after 2-3 days. I just read a thread about how to log accurately. One of my problems is I forget to measure food before I eat it or if I'm out---not sure how to log if I haven't measured the food. So I wind up giving up & not logging anything. I know I eat a lot more calories than I'm supposed to & I'd really like to gain control of it. Any suggestions?

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  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
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    The only way to do this is to start. Logging after the fact is hard, if not impossible. You have to give it your best estimate. Estimating usually gets me in trouble.

    If you are trying to lose weight, make it a habit to weigh and measure your food before eating. It's up to you. There's really not a trick - just make it a habit.

    Actually, this whole process of losing weight is about building habits and again, is all up to you.
  • danawhicker
    danawhicker Posts: 4 Member
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    If you are trying to lose weight, make it a habit to weigh and measure your food before eating. It's up to you. There's really not a trick - just make it a habit.

    Words to live by. If you have a smartphone you have the app installed right? You always have your phone with you right? Log before you eat or right after.

    I would add that if you find yourself out and about at mealtime, learn what you can eat from the restaurants that you go to. Almost all restaurants have a salad with a protein on it, for example.

    Or, as another example, let's say you're in a bind and in a hurry and your only option fast food. You need to learn things like a chicken soft taco from the big taco chain is only 160 calories.

    In any case. log immediately. Best of luck to you.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Just do it. If you make a lot of recipes, write out hte weight/measurements on an eraser board on the fridge and then worry about inputting it all and figuring out portions as it's cooling down or once it's in the oven/on the stove.

    You could also pre-log, so log your day the night before.

    And using your phone will make it a lot easier as well to log as you go.
  • Lelah77
    Lelah77 Posts: 177 Member
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    Sometimes when I am dining at a restaurant or family function or whatever I will snap a picture of my plate so I can go back and log later. Life is busy! I do the majority of my logging at night, when the house is quiet. (I have an older phone and the APP is REALLLLLLLY slow so sometimes I get too frustrated to wait it out.)

    If you can, pre plan meals for the day. For instance, I pack my lunch at night. I also log tomorrow's lunch at night. I often pre-plan breakfast, too, or will make a dinner that we'll have for a couple nights so those can be "pre-logged". If things change (like I didn't want that darn yogurt today!) then I can simply delete it and put in the tater tots I ate instead. I find this saves a lot of time.

    I also found that after I started weighing and measuring food at home, it got easier to "guess-timate" portions when I was out and about. I bought food storage containers and I know their capacity (1 cup, 2 cup, etc.) so I can use that to help portion foods (including leftovers in to single portions). Plus, sometimes if we have a 'party' or something at work, I will grab my 1/2c or 1c container from lunch and use that to hit the snacks so I can portion stealthily.

    Lastly, many (most) restaurants have nutrition information online. I have a cheat-sheet of the "best" drive through items in my car which has saved me many times while buzzing the kids about in the car from one activity to another.

    PRIOR PLANNING PREVENTS PUDGY PEOPLE.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    pre log. Either before you eat it or log for the entire day or even days in advance.

    You can tweek it anytime it's not written in stone.

    As for resturants...that can be hard if it's not a chain. If it's a chain just go ot their website...if it isn't a chain best guess.
  • jbse26
    jbse26 Posts: 39 Member
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    You could try giving yourself a goal to log everything for the next two weeks. Then you will find a lot of the foods you eat have already been logged before by you, so there is a lot less updating and you can copy items over, Items become very easy to find. It does become a habit and I've found prelogging is much better than shutting the stable door after the fat horse has bolted! :huh:

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