Do you pre-plan your food day?

Xtina_Beba

I always pre-plan my meals. I do a schedules/grocery shopping every Sunday for the my week coming up. It helps me stay on track.

gp79

Every day. Sometimes I plan a week out and I've found it helps stay on track. Plus, it adds some excitement the day of.

aregensb

I plan a week's worth of food at once. We make a list for our grocery shopping and then make some things in advance. I pack my food bag (with lunch and snacks... sometimes breakfast too if I'm running late that morning) the night before and take it to work with me. Then I usually spend anywhere from 20-60 minutes making dinner that night.

It's nice to plan ahead. It makes it easier to stay on track because you're not scrambling for a healthy snack or meal at the last minute. If you have meals or snacks you're looking forward to, you're less likely to splurge on an unhealthy snack or meal.

subway_to_liz

Thanks guys for all your great replies, I really agree with what you all said that it's good to see if I have some wiggle room but also it really helps to stay on track!

Emily_Katherine

I plan dinners and lunches a week in advance so that I can make a detailed shopping list. It also helps me eat healthier at work during the week if I know I have a great meal to look forward to. I also enter the food I plan to eat (packed breakfast/lunch and planned dinner) each morning and then adjust as I go.

JennaB86

I do that also. I thought I was the only one that entered everything early

thpeek

Actually I just put in my meals for the rest of the day, great ideas !!!

Cathleenr

My days are always pre-planned. I can tell you what I'm going to eat today, tomorrow, and the next day. It works for me. I've been doing it this way for about 5 months now. I follow my meal plans very strictly. It's very rare that I switch something out, but I may, and it's easier that way. My gym days are also set in stone, Monday-Wednesday-Friday-Sunday ... There is some wiggle room at the gym for what I want to do, but I know that Sunday is all weight training, Wednesday is cardio and a yoga class. Monday and Friday I mix up cardio and weights.

I weight to enter my exercise until after I do it though.

this.


i have been eating the same meals, every day, for the past 6 months and have a 6-day training routine. sunday is such a wild day...i may go for a run with the dogs.....or...NOT!

havalinaaa

If I have a big meal planned or know I'll be doing a lot of drinking or something, I pre-log as much as I'm sure of just to see how much exercise I should do and what my calorie budget is for the rest of the day. On work days I pre-log lunch because I bring it with me and I know I'll eat nearly everything I bring, I adjust as needed when I unpack my lunch (or on my phone at lunch time if I have the time).

I do pre-plan my dinners usually at least 3 days in advance, on weeks when I'm on the ball I have dinner planned for the whole week on Monday. I don't log these ahead of time though because I make so many adjustments throughout the week - incorporating leftovers, changing whole meals because a guest comes over, not being able to find something I want - or finding an awesome sale - at the grocery store, not feeling like cooking and claiming one of the take-out days. But I do log dinner before I make it, it helps me balance the day out nicely. I can see how big a portion of meat I need to fill out my protein, how little starch I can have to stay within my carbs, etc. And, most importantly, I can see if there's room for a beer or Tom Collins! If I have something big planned, I can see that I need to take the dog for an extra long walk that evening.

CallMeCupcakeDammit

I usually track my whole day in the morning, and if I need to make a swap later at least I'll know if it's doable.

^^^^^same here^^^^^ Usually log exercise after I've done it.

Sue x

I don't log my completed workouts/calories burned in MFP until they're done, I just write the names of the workouts in my journal so I don't have to think about what I want to do every morning (I'm a bit of a workout dvd junkie, so it gets a little overwhelming!). I started picking one program, like Turbo Jam or Yoga Booty Ballet, to use for 4 weeks at a time, and alternate the strength and cardio days. I'm all planned out through February! :bigsmile:

epona_mus

I don't plan my meals per se unless I need to budget for something out of the normal (ie: social event, dinner out, etc. where I may consume more calories).

What I do is have a number of "go to" meals, all around 300-400 cal. in the house. I pre-cook and freeze a lot of meals (soups, mini pizzas, rice & veg) so I can grab and go. I always have yogurt, granola and fruit in the house for breakfasts, as well as fruit and veg for snacks. I never know what I'll be hungry for and I'm a fairly picky eater, so by having pre-cooked, pre-measured portions, I find I am less tempted to overindulge or go off plan.

Samantha1941

I plan in advance as well. Before I go grocery shopping I plan my meals and snacks out for the whole week and coumt up calories to make sure I'm within range, then I add them in MFP a day or 2 in advance as well. If I know ahead of time what I am going to eat it makes it easier for me. If I don't plan out it makes it too hard for me to make poor choices and get off track.

Ely82010

I don't do much planning unless I am going out to dinner and I check the restaurant's website (if they have one), ahead of time. I don't usually cook or eat the same thing all the time because it is boring and my husband will not go for it either, and I am always creating something different for lunch and/or diner.

I am on maintenance so I don't need to be too strict anymore, and I have a pretty good idea by now of the calorie count of most of my foods or recipes and I increase my workouts if needed. So far, it has been working very well for me.

I do a variety of exercises during the week, But I don't log my workouts until after I am done for the day.