pre meal planning. this the way to go?

carlosdon

just printed off what i'm eating next two days is this the way to do it? or a no no? advice from you lovely people please and what you yourselves do.

Nu_Mel

I plan up to 3-4 days ahead. I have a paper based journal that I plan ahead in, then day to day enter all the details onto here. So I can't see a problem with printing a couple of days ahead off. I find this way for me, it's easier to plan day to day and have everything that I need for all of my meals. And stops the mindless snacking, as if it's not written down it doesn't get eaten ( well most of the time ;-) )

Good luck with it.

TraceyDonna

I have to plan really. I shop on a tight budget, so planning helps both weight-wise and wallet-wise!! Deffinitely works for me tho on both counts x

jillbeanschoop

On the days that I don't plan, I usually eat something that I think is a certain amount of calories and then I plug it in and find that I estimated completely wrong. Usually it's way more calories than I thought. Planning helps me.

hosegirl

I definetly plan a head and do my food diary ahead. I don't close them out in case something changes. Then I revise the food diary then close it out. Pre planning is the only way I can keep track. Good luck!

kblue2007

Monday mornings I plan out my week, helps with food shopping (only buy what I need) and to keep my on track!
Good luck!

mccarol1956

We plan our menu out ahead of time and I log what I am eating a day or two in advance, especially when I am working. It really helps he stay on track. If I don't eat what is there I change it right away.

roachhaley

I plan but I never end up following it 100% - tonight I might think that i'll want an egg white omelet tomorrow, but that doesnt meant that tomorrow I wont want a bowl of cereal instead.

If youre good at sticking to a plan go for it. I plug in the stuff I know i'll eat (i usually have the same thing for breakfast, and we plan our dinners ahead) and then fill in my snacks from there.

CheleLynn44

I have to plan ahead!! I plan out my dinners for the week and then I grocery shop on tuesdays. Makes it so much easier to stay on track. I usyslly enter in my breakfast and dinner into my food diary and then plan my lunch and snacks with what is left.

laurcampbell

I also plan ahead - I am a creature of habit so I 3 go to breakfast meals I love and enjoy and switch it up between them based on how much time I have and the workout I did - I eat the same two things for lunch and snack just about every day and dinners I try to plan out for the week so that I can do all my grocery shopping once - so like many others I find planning ahead very helpful so that you are aware of your daily calories (especially when we have a weekend function and know I want to save some calories for that day or use it as a cheat day) as well as helping to make one trip and spend less money at the grocery shop.
Happy planning!

garnet1483

I plan ahead, like someone else said, so I can do my grocery shopping properly, and within budget. Sometimes, especially if I'm having trouble, or had a bad day, I'll log a couple of days ahead to plan everything out, and it works really well. The biggest help for me, though, is that I have three or four go to meals that I can pull out, and I know the serving size/calories for each of them, ballpark. That way, even if I don't have anything set in stone, I know what my safe options are. It's a different sort of planning ahead. To that end, I also have a rough idea of "good" meals at the local fast food places and chain restaurants. It really helps, even if I know that I'm going to go over my goals by eating it, to also know by how much I'll be going over. That way there are no big surprises.

teapot35

I definetly plan a head and do my food diary ahead. I don't close them out in case something changes. Then I revise the food diary then close it out. Pre planning is the only way I can keep track. Good luck!

This is exactly how I do it, trying to stay ahead by a few days. This way, I can plan my whole family's meals for the week, and I can build a grocery list from it. It always changes a little, but I adjust MFP as I go, and complete the entry for the day only after I have finished dinner.

carlosdon

good stuff. well i've started today by printing off two days worth and it's going well still got loads left to eat and 500 cals saved. win!

Kara52217

I plan out my day while watching TV the night before
If I don't eat something I can always delete or add as needed

stacygayle

I plan for 2 weeks at a time. I HATE grocery shopping so I try to do it only once every 2 weeks. I spend less money and tend to eat better when I plan ahead. Failure to plan is failure to lose weight for me because if I don't have healthy stuff on hand I will stop at the quick and easy place and it will add up to lots of carbs and calories that I don't want or need.