logging in is so time consuming

blessedwith3boys

I am just not sure that I want to continue this route. I find that I'm avoiding logging in food, exercise, etc because it's so time consuming! How does everybody else handle this? I would literally be logging in maybe 10 or more times a day and that's too much.

Imthatg1rl

I keep track on my phone and only add it when it is convenient. Same thing with exercise
Once you kinda get a feel for which foods have "x" amount of cals in it, you will find it easier to mentally keep up with your approx cal intake

AmyB2011

Personally, I just log everything in at the end of the day. It doesn't take me too long, maybe around 10 minutes or so. Logging my food and exercise is the last thing I do before I go to bed.

Ashbee1224

I have an app on my phone so it's super easy to log my food. I usually log my breakfast, lunch and snacks all at once since I usually have it planned out especially during the week. I dont find it difficult, sometimes I log while Im eating too, makes me slow down and not eat so fast!

AlisonMacKay

I log in everything usually after I do it or eat it. You could always jot it down on paper and log everything in at once. I'm constantly checking my calories so it doesn't seem time consuming to me. Keep the track and don't give up!! Good Luck!

TiDinzeo

Personally, I don't find it takes very long to add to my food and exercise diary. Of course I use the app when I'm out and about and when I'm at home I have the website open on my computer screen most of the time.

Maybe try writing down what you eat all day, then just logging on once and adding it all at the same time.

baisleac

I plan my meals first thing in the morning, then just make minor adjustments. I spend a lot more time on the forums than on my diary page.

angiesteele

jot everything down all day and log at one time....

Jenni268

If it's not working for you, then it's not working for you. For me, though, if I didn't have something like this I'd be lost. After a couple of weeks I found that logging the calories consumed became much easier as I became more familiar with the site. Yes, it can take a few minutes, but the health rewards I gain from it outweigh the little amount of time I have to invest!

WarmDontBurn

I log in in the morning and log what I am eating while I have my morning coffee. I have access to a computer most times and if I don't I have my phone. I don't find it too time consuming more of a habit now. Time consuming is when I get on the forum...then I can't get off.

katschi

I plan my day the night before usually and this does save a lot of time.
I am finding this fun to do though and not a chore.
I am quite obsessed at the moment ... well, for over 10 weeks now. :happy:

Simone1970

I agree, logging in 10 times or more a day is pretty excessive. My recommendation is to log into MFP three times per day. Once in the late morning (log in breakfast and mid-morning snack), second in the late afternoon (log in lunch and mid-afternoon snack) and then at night after you have eaten dinner and dessert/late night snack if you eat dessert.

The way I look at this whole processs is that I can either spend time logging in my calories or I could join a plan like Nutrisystem which calculates the calories/portions for you. However......MFP is FREE and Nurtrisystem is a couple hundred dollars per month. I know, I did it and it worked but equaled the cost of a monthly car payment for me. So my motivation was to save my pennies and spend a little time logging in my calories which showed me the same if not better results than a pre-planned diet program.

Whatever you decided to do, wishing you best of luck!

Simone

shelly650

I plan the night before and log in foods/ meals i will have the next day and if i have to update it a bit i do!! I dont log food in as i have eaten them, i plan what im going to eat!!

It works for me!!

Marjorielk

I log in 3-4 times per day and find it no problem at all. I It's really easy and fast, once you get used to it.

alison2429

I must be very sad as I actually look forward to logging everything! "Little things please little minds!!":laugh:

joolzsd

I have the app on my phone, I log most of my day while I am eating breakfast although I usually end up changing my dinner at the last minute. But it helps me to do it that way because then I have an appropriate number of cals left for the day by dinnertime.

It would be a lot more difficult if I had to do everything on the website, and there is no way I would remember at the end of the day everything I ate.

PJilly

What I've found works best for me is to sit down in the morning and log all my food before I have my first meal. I trend to eat a lot of the same things, especially breakfast and lunch, so I usually copy all my meals from the day before and then edit the things that will be different. It helps save time, and it helps me make the right food choices during the day. In my mind, it makes more sense to use the food diary as a tool to help make good choices rather than as a way to keep track of the damage already done. As for the exercise diary, you can do the same thing. Log whatever exercise it is you're going to do, and then make sure you do it. I've never logged anything in there other than actual workouts (cleaning, shopping, etc.). I figure that all gets captured in my "lightly active" setting for daily activities, even though I have a sedentary desk job.

Good luck finding a way to use MFP's tools that makes them useful for you! I know they've been invaluable to me.

v_addison

I second this, and actually have come to look forward to that time of day, just to see how well I've done.

pj_writer

I find it gets quicker the longer I've been using MFP as my favourites/frequent food lists get more and more useful. Also I'm gradually adding more 'my foods' and 'my meals' which makes it quicker too.
The 'copy yesterday' is a time saver for breakfast as I don't vary mine much.

I sometimes plan a day the night before, log it in then adjust/edit if I need to. That helps me stay on track too!

PJilly

P.S. The puppy in your profile pic is adorable. Is that your baby?

time2runnn

Plan ahead first thing in the morning for the day or just enter it all end of the day if that works better. I know that I would not be losing like I am if I wasn't keeping track of what I am eating somehow. Good luck!! And know we are always here for you no matter you decide!

WarmDontBurn

I must be very sad as I actually look forward to logging everything! "Little things please little minds!!":laugh:

lol..same here! It makes me accountable all day when I have to stop and enter rather then eat and be unaware.

sbwood888

I dont mind it because it makes me THINK about what I am doing. Hopefully you will learn to not mind it. Good luck to you.

Simone1970

@Alison: You're not alone! I too look forward to logging in every day too. I find watching my calories motivates me to eat well throughout the day.

Simone

❤B☩❤

3 WORDS: YOU'RE ... WORTH ... IT !

butterfly_lvr

like others I have seen on here I am starting to try and log my entire day in on here in the morning and just make minor adjustments if need be. I am home all day, every day pretty much so I can take time to figure out what I will have during the day as far as meals and snacks and that takes a lot of time out of logging. We are pretty much eating a lot of the same things so again, it is most likely recorded from a different day so will already be stored in my personal food database - then it is just a matter of find it and log it. I am finding that by keeping track of the food and the exercise I can see where I stand at any given time or day and that I think will help me.

MakingAChoice

I am just not sure that I want to continue this route. I find that I'm avoiding logging in food, exercise, etc because it's so time consuming! How does everybody else handle this? I would literally be logging in maybe 10 or more times a day and that's too much.

I use the iPod Touch at times, but I am on a computer all day for work so logging is easy. Once you get foods that you use most often in your recent list it gets much faster. If you make the same thing a lot you could create a recipe for it so you can add all the ingredients in one click.

ybba12490

I used to think the same thing, but I'm around computers all day and it literally takes 2 minutes to log my food for one meal. I thought logging on my phone was time consuming so I just switched to computer.. I like it better. But don't quit! I really think it helps logging, at least it does for me. If you decide not to log then write it down somewhere on paper.

dawnna76

I dont find that it takes to much time. I log first thing in the mornign after my workout. I do all my food at the beginning of the day and then make little adjustments if needed, as sometimes plans change. I tend to eat a lot of the same foods over the course of a week so they are already there in the dtatbase and I just have to click on them to add. Sometimes I have to add a new recipe if I make a new dish but even then that doesnt take to much time.

in the beginning it took longer cause none of my recipes were in there. Now that I have added most if not all it easy peasy

melsinct

I plan the night before and log in foods/ meals i will have the next day and if i have to update it a bit i do!! I dont log food in as i have eaten them, i plan what im going to eat!!

It works for me!!

That's what I do too. It takes me about 5-10 minutes every night or a few minutes longer if I need to calculate a recipe. After about a month on MFP, I have become quicker since my staple recipes are already calculated and I am more aware of what a 300 calorie breakfast looks like, a 500 calorie dinner, etc.

I don't bother tracking my exercise. I find it too hard to determine actual calories burned. So basically it equates to me not eating my exercise calories back, which also gives me a little leeway if I go over by a couple hundred calories on one day (which generally happens every weekend...).

blessedwith3boys

Yes,
she is my baby. that is an older picture though. I'll have to try and update. she'll be a year old in August.