Do you plan you're meals for the day?

cassmsta

So, Im still new at this, and I was wondering : Do you plan your meals or do you wing it?

If you plan them: do you plan all of them or just some?

How often do you detour away from said meal plan?

cupcakecarnivore

Yes I definitely plan my meals during the week:) Im at work, so I need to bring most of it with me, and then when I get home, its sort of nice to know exactly what Im going to make for supper....plus that way, I know I will fuel my body properly and have enough energy during the day:)

Weekends are a lot tougher, since Im usually out and about, so not really sure where I will be eating. Then, I will just log when I get home and so not really stick to a plan, although I wish I could!

P90XCertifiedCoach

I dont, but I know a lot of folks do, I did start taking my lunch though so I guess I kinda do

JellyJaks

The only time I plan my meals is if I know I'm going to need to save calories (like for a party or going out to dinner) Most of the time I just wing it. When I first decided to lose weight, I went through and got rid of most of our junk food. If it's not in the house, I can't destroy my caloric intake by snacking on it. Since there are (usually) only low calorie snacks in the house, I can afford to wing it.

Shannmfp11

I do plan my meals. It just makes things easier for me. I know alot of people don't and it works for them. I have to plan!

DKev

I plan out a week's worth of dinners and buy at the grocery and pick something from the list for each night. For breakfast I generally always have the same thing all the time and for lunch I tend to make up a pot of some sort of low calorie soup on the weekend and portion into servings for each day and then pair something with it such as a sandwich or wrap of some sort.

withchaco

If I don't plan my meals at LEAST one day ahead of time, I end up spending 30+ minutes (sometimes well over an hour!!!) before each meal, trying to decide what to eat while keeping everything balanced. This is really bad when you've just finished your workout and are STARVING.

So yeah, I have the entire day's menu planned at least one day ahead of time. I actually shoot for 2-3 days ahead.

Adjustments are not uncommon; I often swap menu items that are of same caloric and protein/fiber value. But I still have to have everything planned.

Luvlee85

I'm really bad at planning meals, but I always think about what I'm going to have the day ahead. I only plan when I know that I am cooking.

Jorra

I don't usually plan out my whole day, but I have a lot of go-to foods that I have to fill in missing nutrients.

I do plan meals (more like snacks) for work though. Tomorrow I'm having yogurt for breakfast and bringing a tupperware of almonds, peapods, veggie straws, and string cheese for my morning shift.

girlwapp

I only plan if it needs things I don't already have... or if, like JellyJaks, I know I want to drink later in the night or that I'm going out to eat with friends. Otherwise I mostly just try to control portion sizes and eat whatever I have round the house. Admittedly I'm not much of a cook.

Sarahmeridith

I don't because I am a stay at home mom, so I usually wing it with breakfast and lunch. And I plan dinners in the morning so I have to defrost things. On the weekends though I need to start planning and bring food with me when we go out because my husband likes to eat fast tfood/pizza ect on the weekends when we are out so Im going to start bring food with me so I don't end up eating what he eats!

Nomomush

I plan EVERY meal EVERYDAY. Even on my indulge days, I plan it out to allot for the extra carb/vcalories/fat that I will intake. I also pack my food the night before...all 6 meals to make sure I am prepared. When I run errands, I take my food in a lunch box cooler to make sure I do not make bad choices while I am out. My motto is ...If you FAIL to plan, then you PLAN to fail.

dcladydi

Yes, I do.... I usually plan my meals the day before

bmw4deb

Yes i plan meals, pack brfst and lunch to take to work.
If I didsnt i would really be in trouble lol

natersmama

i plan. i have a cheat sheet with meals and snacks with calorie count listed. i dont typically eat high carb or fat foods, so i dont worry too much about that. but i plan my meals the day ahead. if i try to wing it, i overeat without knowing until the day is over. i dont always stick to the plan, but i keep close. and stay within 50 calories.

KatieCuth

Yes always well in advance, I know what I have in the fridge and pantry... I find being organised you then make better choices.

watermelonstarfish

I do when i cook because its just me and well, can you say leftovers?
In a perfect world, I would plan my meals 24-7.

lizzys

most times i try to but some times it just last minute stuff

Cheermamasita

Hi, Im new at this too, I am planning the day ahead; I log my food diary in today for tomorrow, then I pack my breakfast and lunch & snack for work, then I try to have what I "planned" for dinner. If it needs to be adjusted later, I adjust the diary according to what I actually did have. But, for the most part; planning 1 day ahead helps me feel "in-control" of my choices the next day. It has already been thought about, logged and packed, so really it simplifies it. Tomorrow is day 13, I am going to weigh in on day 14, but I do feel like I am moving in the right direction.

jujubean1992

i rarely plan meals... like almost never. i just make sure i keep healthy things i like in the house. and make sure i know what i can and can not eat.

kr3851

I eat breakfast and lunch at work - I have a long commute and it's nice to get breakfast at the end of it! Then I spend my whole trip home working out what I'm going to eat for dinner... so I suppose I pretty much plan what I'm eating for the day. I don't often deviate from that plan because my weekends are not so structured and I like to be able to be a bit more flexible on weekends. I always have snacks in the car too - so I don't pull over and get a chocolate bar or chips (like I always WANT to).

Saves me ridiculous amounts of money too - I can have my whole week's worth of breakfast and lunch for the cost of two lunches at the cafe across the road from work.

cbirdso

I plan about 80% of my meals. This really lessens my stress and helps me keep on track. If I 'listen to my body' and eat off plan I tend to overeat - not alot, but enough to put me over calories for the day. For me, I know I will have to plan most meals (like I do now) ahead of time or my weight will begin to creep back up. I wish I could plan 100% of the time, but too often my husband or son cooks or we go out to eat at a restaurant not of my choosing.

hbrekkaas

I don't plan breakfast or lunch because I never know what I am going to be in the mood for, but since i have a family to cook for I always have dinner planned. I buy everything for 2 weeks worth of meals and just pick one in the morning and defrost the meat or at least know what I'm going to make, and then I plan my other meals/snacks around that. If we're having a high calorie dinner I will have a lower calorie lunch.

We do diviate from the plan at least once a week. I will swing by the grocery store and pick up something to eat, or we will get Subway instead.

snipsnip2

I always eat the same thing for breakfast, but that's about it. I pack my lunch to work, and if I'm running late, I get subway (6 in turkey, no cheese). That way I at least stay on track throughout the day. Dinner at home is usually where I go overboard and off the wagon! That's all about to change tho...my boyfriend deployed yesterday, so I can't blame him for my bad eating in the evenings!!

cassmsta

I'm so happy to hear you are going in the right direction, and you know you are as well!

Harrar10

I plan my meals off of a rubric that tells me what to eat for each meal. Breakfast has a few options, than lunch has like 3 oz of 1 protien, 1 serving of a vegitable, 1 fruit, 1 cup of lettuce, and then dinner has a similar option. It helps me get in all the right vegitables, fruits, protiens, dairy etc...

Barneystinson

I plan for the week to save on my grocery bill. Tonight's beef roast will be used in tomorrow's minestrone

1953Judith

My husband and I have used The Ultimate Diabetes Menu Meal Planner for over a year now. It breaks out full meal plans with recipes. You can pick 1500, 1800, 2000 or 2200 calorie level. Since the day's menu assumes four family members (and we are down to two), one day's meal plan lasts us for two days of meals. On the third day, we try to stick to the intent of the plan, but use leftovers (or plan a rare out to eat event on those days.

My husband's diabetes is under waaaay better control. Confession, I did not start losing weight until I started on this site a few months ago and started adding calories (based on my exercise calories expended).

It has worked really well for us because we are empty nesters, my husband (recently retired) can shop and do a good share of the cooking and extra dishes. It does not allow us to be as frugal as we would like, but the pre-planning insures excellent nutrition. I am able to support my husband in his health journey and he in mine. Cooking together has become a bit of a hobby. And I sleep way better at night with less worry about my husband's diabetes (and he is way less crabby with his blood sugar under better control).

I don't know that this type of thing works for many lifestyles, but advanced menu planning has really changed our lives.

milaxx

I plan in general. On Sunday's I do food prep for the week. I make a pot of whatever bean I will be eating, boil a dozen or at least a half dozen eggs and make a pot of whatever grain I want like brown rice or quinoa. if I have bulky foods like watermelon i cut it off the rine and put into Tupperware. If I have recently been to the market i sort my almonds into single serving snack ziplocs. I buy them in bulk because it's cheaper and sometimes I add dried cranberries to them. I leave some home and put some in my glove compartment in my car for emergencies.

This helps me keep my grocery bill down and also makes it easier to cook throughout the week. I rarely spend more than 15 mins making meals. So now that I have a general idea of what I'm eating for the week I can get creative with the meals, swap out different veg and fruit or even go out to eat with friends because in the back of my mind I have a general knowledge of how much I have eaten already and the sodium and sugars in those meals. Rarely do I get surprised by going out to eat and the food pushing me over. I strongly believe that I have to be conscience of what I am eating at all times or I will sabotage myself.After all not thinking about the nutrients and calories in what I was eating is how I gained it in the first place.The good thing is that thinking like this has helped me make better food choices when out at social occasions instead of mindlessly shoving food in my mouth.

healthyjen342

I usually know what I'm going to eat, but I dont put it in my diary until I get ready to eat. Sometimes my eyes might be bigger than my tummy and I dont need the whole entire serving ....

dls06

Yes. I put what I plan to eat into my foods. If it doesn't look good I take them out and add something else.