Why is dinner time the hardest?!!!

geishadolld

I don't know about everyone else, but dinner time is when I get myself into major trouble. I seem to be really great throughout the day, eating fresh fruit, whole grains, veggies etc., but then I get home and it's downhill from there. I log everything through the day and then BAM! I get home and nothing else gets logged. Does anyone else have this problem? I know/hope I can't be alone

Does anyone have any tricks for remembering to log in and track your food? I know when I was busy being active and working out constantly it wasn't as much of an issue, but with work, sometimes there isn't the time to work out constantly.

laurasimmons

My problem time is after dinner. I want to start snacking from then until bedtime. I just try to not have items in the house that I know I'll want that way I am not too tempted to eat them.

radicalreader

I take two minutes before we sit down for dinner and I log my dinner before I eat it.
Because I've just logged everything, it helps me stay on track of my servings.

geishadolld

True. I'm a sweets girl too. I've found that fat free cool whip and the jello chocolate mouse with a few strawberries on top does the trick and under 150 calories for the whole thing. I think if I lived alone it would be so much easier, but it's a little tricky not to have anything bad in the house because of my other half. Luckily, my will power is pretty decent.

Purple_Orchid_87

i put my food/ingredients in BEFORE i cook or start to eat
I then update the weights of ingrdients whilst i'm cooking as I sometimes go over on my potatoes etc
When I'm at work i NEVER eat ANYTHING before logging it
that way, if I dont log it, i cant eat it

i always carry a wee notepad and pen too so if i get caught out and about and i want to eat, i write down everything BEFORE i eat it

i'm strict on myself but that way im thinking about it BEFORE i eat it

geishadolld

Awesome idea, Radical...it's kind of like brushing your teeth after dinner. If I do that, normally I would put anything else in my mouth because I don't feel like brushing again! How's that for goals?!

lisapickering

I plan my whole day and enter it all in the morning. I make adjustments if something changes. By doing this I make sure my day is balanced, I'm getting enough calories and that I work in my exercise calories throughout the day... this also ensures that I do my workout!

wewon

One of the problems with dinner, at least from a North American perspective, is that it's the easiest meal to start grabbing comfort foods and snacking.

Its typically one of the hardiest meals and it also comes with a dessert! lol

Nomomush

Planning every meals works for me. This way I can't just grab something bad. I truly believe in the saying...if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

agataarchangel

I totally get ya!

For me, I know it's because I"m still not eating enough during the day, some days.... I'm workin on it. :-D

It's also a matter of convenience and variety- I pack a lunch, and have no access to foods that I haven't brought with me. Insta-portion control. When I get home, it's to a wide variety of delicious foods that I want to get my hands on.... it's hard to resist and stay under your calorie allowance some days!

Goal for me (and you?)- Better planning for the day- eat more during the day, and plan your am and pm meals AROUND your dinner meal....

geishadolld

These are all great ideas. I have to admit, my planning hasn't been the greatest and we've been doing things more on a whim lately. I know also, eating out really makes me pack on the pounds. Thanks all for such great ideas. I'm def. going to be getting back on track and keeping a better log! Gotta start today.

lisapickering

These are all great ideas. I have to admit, my planning hasn't been the greatest and we've been doing things more on a whim lately. I know also, eating out really makes me pack on the pounds. Thanks all for such great ideas. I'm def. going to be getting back on track and keeping a better log! Gotta start today.

The planning doesn't work everyday, it's life, things happen. But the planning has made it so much easier for me and what I think is the key to my success.

Good Luck!!

Contrary03

I know exactly how you feel!~
Like yesterday for instance, i was doing great...until dinner! My bf comes home and grills some bbq chicken (with skin), and baked beans! I have such a hard time resisting temptation when it comes to the last meal of the day:( I adore french bread, pasta, and lots and lots of steak! God, i love red meat!!! I could live on ribeyes & sirloin alone for the rest of my life. I guess all it comes down to is sheer will power to make better choices. Good luck!~

agataarchangel

Does anyone have any tricks for remembering to log in and track your food? I know when I was busy being active and working out constantly it wasn't as much of an issue, but with work, sometimes there isn't the time to work out constantly.

I use the iPhone app, so I have access to the site anywhere- making it easy to track every bite/meal/snack. If you have an iPhone (or it's that time to change phones and you're looking around), get the free app for blackberry/iPhone, or whatever and you'll be logging all over the place!

CARNAT22

Log your food beforehand - I do mine as many days in advance as possible.

That way i can plan what I need to buy but also make swaps - for example I was going to have 60g of pasta with a meal yesterday but once I swapped that to 200g of new potatoes I saved myself 100 cals with dinner.

If you see the calories beforehand it makes it easier to choose something more healthy :-)

I do not use my diary to log, I use it to plan. I plan Mon - Fri every Monday morning and I plan my weekends every Friday!

Bviera

Does anyone have any tricks for remembering to log in and track your food? I know when I was busy being active and working out constantly it wasn't as much of an issue, but with work, sometimes there isn't the time to work out constantly.

I use the iPhone app, so I have access to the site anywhere- making it easy to track every bite/meal/snack. If you have an iPhone (or it's that time to change phones and you're looking around), get the free app for blackberry/iPhone, or whatever and you'll be logging all over the place!

That's what I do as well. FYI, it's also free for Droids!