Log Your Day In Advance?

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  • BrandNewMia
    BrandNewMia Posts: 461
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    I usually (with the exception of this weekend) plan my menu at least one day in advance. It's a great way to make sure you eat a variety every day, and I find that it helps me manage my cravings. For instance, if I am craving something today, I will put it on my diary for tomorrow and then work the whole day around it so I don't go over on calories or sodium.

    I think if you try it, you will be very pleased with the results!
  • DebbieLaviolette
    DebbieLaviolette Posts: 89 Member
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    I am very type A and to have everything planned for the week is crucial to my success...thanks for all the info!!!!!
  • sbwood888
    sbwood888 Posts: 953 Member
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    I never plan my meals in advance. I just eat what I feel like having at the time (provided that I have enough calories left to eat it). If I am running low on calories, I just pick something that is low in caloreis but still sounds good to me. Works for me.
  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
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    I think I'm going to start logging what I plan to eat at the beginning of the day. Anyone try this? :-/

    That way I'm not scrambling to make up for anything at the end of the day. I've been in "starvation mode" all week but with a surgically altered stomach I can't make up that many calories a few hours before bed! :-D And I really think I need to focus on strength training instead of burning more calories (same argument - I CAN'T consume that many calories without pain).

    Has this worked for anyone else?
    Yes I do this too, often, and then I use MFP (the iPhone app) as my shopping list.
  • JennsLosing
    JennsLosing Posts: 1,026
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    i log in advance...and if i decide on something different, i just make adjustments.
  • atomiclauren
    atomiclauren Posts: 689 Member
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    I definitely log next day's meals in advance - mostly lunches I make the evening before. I take salads/greens a lot so logging all those gram-intensive items ahead of time is way less of a pain!
  • KevKidd
    KevKidd Posts: 26 Member
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    Yes! My wife and I do this. We plan the night before what we plan to eat for the entire next day. That we there is no scrambling around trying to figure out what to eat. We feel it helps us stay on track.
  • kristarablue
    kristarablue Posts: 707
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    Do y'all also plan your calories burned in advance to so that you don't constantly have a deficit late in the day...that worries me....I

    Absolutely. When you're planning out your meals you should have the rough estimate of your calorie burn factored in already.

    Wait, how do you know??? I mean, what if something happens and you can't make it to the gym and I don't say this lightly because I go as much as possible, but sometimes things happen. Such as a child is sick or your former (husband) can't take the kids due to a bus. meeting. There are a myriad of reasons why you would be unable to estimate your workout calories ahead of time. Then the food, I basically know what I am going to have for breakfast and lunch, but dinner is always a crapshoot. I don't know what I am going to have time to make..ever. I never log anything until it is done...just incase. Look I know my life is cattywampus at best sometimes, but there are too many variables to accurately record ahead of time.
  • roxie0920
    roxie0920 Posts: 41
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    I plan, plan, plan! I plan a lot in my head. I know what I'll be having the next two weeks. That's how I make my grocery list. I know what five dinners I'm going to have the next 5 days, and I pick out my dinner the night before. I log all my food in the beginning of the day, and I add my exercise in too. I even adjust my workouts around my diet. Planning my meals ahead let's me know if I need an extra 10 minutes or so of exercise. And you can program meals and recipes into MFP which makes logging much easier!
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    Do y'all also plan your calories burned in advance to so that you don't constantly have a deficit late in the day...that worries me....I

    Absolutely. When you're planning out your meals you should have the rough estimate of your calorie burn factored in already.

    Wait, how do you know??? I mean, what if something happens and you can't make it to the gym and I don't say this lightly because I go as much as possible, but sometimes things happen. Such as a child is sick or your former (husband) can't take the kids due to a bus. meeting. There are a myriad of reasons why you would be unable to estimate your workout calories ahead of time. Then the food, I basically know what I am going to have for breakfast and lunch, but dinner is always a crapshoot. I don't know what I am going to have time to make..ever. I never log anything until it is done...just incase. Look I know my life is cattywampus at best sometimes, but there are too many variables to accurately record ahead of time.

    Well after a while, you get into a routine and you start to know your typical numbers. And if you miss a workout here or there due to real life stuff that comes up, so be it. Things sort of average out. So in my case, I know my typical calorie burn in a given day is 2800-3000 (including exercise which is around 250 cals give or take). So I aim to eat about 2300 or so calories in a given day (my burn minus my 500 deficit). On the rest day I don't exercise, so my deficit is a bit less that day. I still eat roughly the same.
  • debbiequack
    debbiequack Posts: 275 Member
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    I am a boring mom :) and so I usually know what i'm going to eat, for dinner (we basically have the same kinds of things each week). I sometimes put my breakfast and dinner in and it gives me an idea of what's left to spare for lunch.

    On Fridays I KNOW I'm going to have two margaritas and some chips and salsa so I plan accordingly-- I enter them in, workout hard, and then eat a small breakfast and lunch. :)

    Peas out,

    Debbie

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