Do you plan you're meals for the day?

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.

KnottyJen

I always plan my meals. Once a week (grocery day), I look through the sale papers and figure out what's on sale. Then I plan my menu for the week (dinners) according to that. And lunches are usually leftovers from the previous night's dinner. Or if I'm making something that I know I won't have leftovers of the next day, I do a frozen dinner or spinach salad. I actually put everything in MFP first thing in the morning. This way, I know how many calories I have to play with for snacks throughout the day. It's really working well for me.

uniquesoul73

I always plan my meals. I used a combination of the Eating Well meal plans along with the 50 Million Pound Challenge meal plans. Planning helps me see in advance what I will be eating and I can prepare accordingly. I've found that if I dont plan, I end up screwing up at some point.

katt742

I do! I love it because I dont have to worry about "what's for dinner/lunch" I usually have some sort of a sandwich and a small salad and some rice cakes. Dinner is usually salmon, a pork chop, or a hamburger and a vegetable and once a week Ill have eggs and toast and bacon

seventeenlucky77

I usually try to log in everything I plan to eat for the day in the morning when I get to work and I leave it up throughout the day so I have an idea if I am able to add any items I might want.. like an extra snack or something. It helps keep me on track.

lapamperedchef

Yes and no. I have different options for every meal so I can eat what I want too. The meals aren't made but everything I need is in the house, i just have to decide what I really want. The trick is to not buy junk food. If you don't have it ,you can't eat it. Unless you're willing to make an extra trip to get the ice cream, cookies, donuts, ect ... to the store and I'm not.

mapexdrummer69

I eat twice a day. I usually plan my lunch since I'll be taking it to work with me, but I make food choices for dinner when I get home from work.