How do you keep track?

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lajuice24
lajuice24 Posts: 409 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Do you plan your days out or do you log the calories as you eat? I log as I eat and I am trying to see if that is gonna be the best way to continue.

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  • nph1960
    nph1960 Posts: 57 Member
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    Definitely plan ahead :)
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
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    I have to plan ahead, otherwise my diet won't be balanced and getting the right combos of carbs, fat, and protein is very important to me. Also, I have to plan for fiber and watch my sodium. If I blindly filled it in I'd be all over the place!
  • Cathy92
    Cathy92 Posts: 312 Member
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    I try to plan a day ahead, even if I don't log until the evening..I have a plan. It seems to work best for me.
  • sociable15
    sociable15 Posts: 98
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    I tend to plan out my major meals and then eat snacks on the fly. I tend to feel better knowing my "wiggle room" after planning my meals.
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
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    I log as I eat. I have an idea of what I wanna eat throughout the day, but there are times I might want something different when I approach that time of the day, so having to go back and edit everything basically negates logging ahead of time. It doesn't matter how you do it, just as long as you log it and as long as it works for you.
  • Hawgfreak70
    Hawgfreak70 Posts: 47
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    I started out logging as I go. I've got enough to do without planning stuff.lol....but after a few days you kind of get a feel for what has what amount of calories, at least for the foods you eat more often.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    I plan ahead most often. I like to think ahead especially when I am going out for the day. I pretty much have my staples though so really I just need to tweak stuff along the way and when I workout I fill in my day with extra stuff.
  • tryinghard2012
    tryinghard2012 Posts: 419 Member
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    Usually plan my days out the night before after my exercise session or at the latest the next morning. If I'm eating out, I plan the rest of the day.

    I normally play it safe when eating out and have a broth base soup, salad and no dressing. If still hungry afterward, I'll have egg whites and veggies at home.
  • Vtrembacki
    Vtrembacki Posts: 49 Member
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    log as I go. I never know where the day will take me. Will I need a mid afternoon snack? Will I be able to fit in a work out? will there be free food at work for some occasion? Who knows! I think its too boring to plan out all of my food beforehand. it leaves no room for living life! I don't diet. I have change my eating habits to fit my life, so yes I still eat fried things and chocoalte and all that stuff.... If I didnt, I'd go crazy!

    Whatever happens throughout the day helps me make my decisions as to what to have for dinner. If i only have 400 or I f i have 700 makes a big difference as to what I can make/eat.
  • wanttogetskinny
    wanttogetskinny Posts: 194
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    I plan breakfast, lunch, and at least one snack ahead of time. Dinner and other snacks are logged afterwards. But this is helpful in many ways. I know exactly what to prepare for breakfast, and what to pack to take to work with me for lunch and a snack. AND then I know how many cals I have left for dinner. If I have a TON left, I know maybe it can be a pasta night. If I have few left it might be a fish and veggies type of night!
  • kcanoni
    kcanoni Posts: 31
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    I tend to plan out my major meals and then eat snacks on the fly. I tend to feel better knowing my "wiggle room" after planning my meals.

    Seeing as I spend most of my time at work I bring my meals with me (except dinner) so I enter in my major meals in the morning and then I see how much room I have left for wiggle (aka snacks) and then when I have my snacks I try to log in as soon as possible. It seems to be working for me to see the "big spenders" in my diet.
  • melzteach
    melzteach Posts: 550 Member
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    I've done it both ways but I seem to do A LOT better on the days I plan out my meals. I know exact;y what I can eat and it is VERY helpful. I don't get a chance to do this every day but the days I login everything at the beginning of the day or the night before are even better. Also, I prefer to exercise in the morning, that helps me know how many calories I get to "work with".
  • Nigel99
    Nigel99 Posts: 498 Member
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    Most of the time I'm winging it, BUT I do keep in mind what I'm thinking of eating later in the day. I've never gone over calories, so I always focus more on making sure that I don't go over sodium - that is the tougher one to keep an eye on for me. If I know I'll be eating something for dinner that is higher in sodium, I'll set my day up so that I'm really minimizing the sodium the rest of the day.

    So while I don't specifically make a meal plan, I do have an idea of what I will be able to allow for later in the day.
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
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    I log as I eat for the most part, but I tend to have a rough idea what dinner and lunch will be most days. I don’t usually plan my snacks, but I eat the same snacks over and over.

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