How/when do you log your meals?

Mandys_Getting_Fit

I pre-log all of my meals, either the night before or the morning of. It gives me time to make adjustments as needed. I also find that it helps keep me one track. It takes all of the "thought" out of food/calories when I'm actually hungry (and weak ).

lovesweetlove

I log RIGHT before I eat, that way I can adjust my serving size. I don't like not being able to eat what my family eats so I just adjust portions, leave out the cheese, ect. I have learned a lot about guesstimating my calories so I don't pre-log in the morning or anything.

SachaMichel

I log as I go along my day, usually right before I consume it (or when I get back home). I don't eat much when I'm out so I'm not worried about forgetting something.

I never have a pre-set menu because my cravings are constantly changing, or my brother might have eaten what I planned to have or something like that

karenhs2

I don't have to pre log breakfast except on sundays - other days I have one of two breakfast smoothies. There are some lunches I don't need to prelog (like if I am having my veggie soup or a known lo cal salad). Otherwise I try to log lunches and dinners before I eat them so I am not surprised. If I have a special evening meal, i would log that in while logging lunch.

I am never sorry about pre-logging but I am sometimes sorry when I do not.

Try out several ways and do what works for you. That is what is important.

TrekkerCynthia

I log my meals the night before so I can figure out if I need anything from the grocery store, or in case there's something I might need to prepare. Nothing like having your mouth set for a certain meal then find out you don't have it.

ChasingHaven

I log as I go along. That way I can decide what I'm hungry for and adjust my calories to stay within my limits throughout the day.

Lyadeia

I started out logging what I eat as I eat it, but then I found that I was running out of calories well before dinner and I ate poorly. So I've decided to plan my meals ahead of time and put them in my diary in the morning and only eat what I put in. Does anyone else do this? Is it effective?

I always pre-log. I spend a little time on the weekends and plan out all my meals for the next week. I ensure that everything fits my daily macro and calorie goals. Then I make my grocery list from those plans and buy only what I need for those particular meals. It works very well. I have done it for years, and I have found I lose weight more consistently when I do this. On those weeks that I don't pre-log and I just wing it, I tend to go over on calories a lot, even when I think I am doing OK.

tanniew78

I prelog, but I also realize that there are times there will be changes in my plans and I just go back and fix it accordingly. Most of the time I try to stick with the known. So for me if Im stuck out and about and lunchtime or whatever comes and goes and Im starving, Ill stop at Mcdonalds. I work there so from force of habit Ive pretty well learned the entire menus calorie count so I can at least stay in the green for that. Anywhere else and I dont know what im getting into. OR sometimes I just dont feel like making what I wanted that morning. At that point I will come back on and log what Im thinking of making and compare the calorie content and if its satisfactory, Ill make it instead and then all I have to do is delete the previous entry and viola... its done.

welcominganewself

I log days in advance, and then make adjustments as needed

Same here.

jovz10

in the beggining, i pre log my meal or look at my MFP app in my ipod before i eat something... but then you later on i have to make adjustment of which one to eat or most of the time i would already know how many calories i'm eating because i log it all the time...

Pebble321

Like lots of others on this thread, I pre-log most days. This makes it easy to plan what snacks I'm going to take to work for the day, and how that balances out with my planned brekky and dinner.
I don't treat it as a fixed thing though - if something changes during the day (like birthday cake at work!) it's easy enough to drop out some snacks or take something away from dinner to make the day work out.
I don't usually pre-log on weekends, though as I go for a long run either Saturday or Sunday I usually have plenty of cals to play with and if I don't eat them Saturday, I'll eat them on Sunday.

stephanie_salvi

I pre-log for breakfast, lunch, and snacks that I eat at work. When I get home, I find something that I want to eat for dinner that fits in with the goals I've set. It gives me something to look forward to for dinner, and I find I stay on track more if I have some wiggle room.

Also, if I splurge on dinner or if I want more calories so that I can something extra, I make sure I exercise more BEFORE I allow myself the splurge or treat. Today, for instance, I really wanted a sweet potato for dinner, but I didn't have enough sugar left for the day, so I went for a jog, then ate the sweet potato.

LuciaLongIsland

I started out logging what I eat as I eat it, but then I found that I was running out of calories well before dinner and I ate poorly. So I've decided to plan my meals ahead of time and put them in my diary in the morning and only eat what I put in. Does anyone else do this? Is it effective?

Sometimes I do that and it works.

LuciaLongIsland

Me too.

LuciaLongIsland

Me too.

daffodilsoup

I always always always log before I eat, usually in the morning, but that's mostly because I'm neurotic.

pastryari

I log as I go and I haven't had any problems with not having enough calories left.
But I also go to the gym almost every day so I have extra calories there if I need them but I don't usually eat back my exercise calories.
If you're pre-logging, which I think is great & will probably start doing after I make a trip to the grocery store, I would also plan for 100-150 extra calories just in case. Always plan ahead just to be on the safe side! Hope this helps.

ekz13

plan ahead but log it right before I eat it, that way I can see what the "damage" is and adjust (do I really want that extra peice of meat, or veggie because it "costs" X amount)

Tiggerrick

I tend to log as I go. I find it more useful this way, but If I will not slow down to log and not enjoy my meal.

DPernet

Depends on the situation. I pre-log as much as possible, but for stuff like eating out or eating at work when I never know what I'm going to have then I log it before I eat. That way I can adjust how much of it I eat depending how many calories I'm over or under.