Has anyone had success with planning all food ahead of time?

sarahharmintx

I prelog my day but never my week. I always figure out what I am going to cook for the week ahead of time but I dont log it. I find the planning ahead helps me immensely.

Calantorntain

I make my lunches ahead of time (here is this week's lunch: http://i.imgur.com/uV8Tt.jpg), and keep around healthy food that can be easily made for dinner (this week I have some already-cooked carrot lentil soup with quinoa, some baked spaghetti squash that is chilling in tubs and ready to be reheated, and a jar of meat pasta sauce for on top, and some raw broccoli that just needs to be cut and steamed, and some asian sauces to put on top, and some frozen dumplings to steam and eat as a side. As you can see, all three meal options are pretty healthy, and eating it ranges from very easy to pretty easy.)

This makes getting fast food/takeout/pizza/a bag of chips a lot less worth it. Why go get convenience food, when I've already got very convenient food?

PrincessNikkiBoo

I do this when I can I prefer it - especially work days.

Litlbeast

I used to never do this, then I read threads about it, and now I do it most of the time.

I play a bunch of video games, strategy-based. My daily food/exercise diary is just like one of those games, testing out different meals and foods and workouts in order to a) keep a slight deficit to lose but not undereat b) keep my workouts fresh so I don't get bored. It's all pieces of a puzzle and the reward is the final number.

So planning ahead is working for me. And if there's a change in the day unexpectedly (rain when I wanted to go jogging, or suddenly the kids want McDonald's and I decide to treat them) I roll w/ it and change the diary.

newcs

I do this to a degree but more on a daily basis. But you could say I kind of do it on a weekly basis since I grocery shop once a week and most of what I eat comes from that.

I found the most success with taking a lunch bag (I use the lock&lock ones after a spilled milk incident) and packing my day of food into that. Then I only eat from that bag (I take some things out to put in the fridge but if it wasn't in that bag in the morning, I don't eat it). I do this for my breakfast, lunch and all snacks up until 6:30pm. It's become second nature now. I had to struggle to then stay on track at night but now that's become mostly easy too. It also makes sure that I have a reasonable number of calories left by 6:30pm to reduce my chances of a late night sabotage.

SarahofTwins

At first I've had to log my foods as I went because I know from past experience I would try to sneak in foods. After learning self control and discipline I log my food for the day and make sure to eat accordingly. Its about personal preference because we all live different schedules, some busier than others.

Gramps251

I pre-log daily and TRY to batch cook on my off days for the entire week. This approach seems to work for me.

This is what I do. Once I have protein, grains (oatmeal) and veggies ready for the week I can build my daily meals out of the preped food.

MyM0wM0w

I prelog a week to 10 days in advance. I live in a pretty controlled environment, meaning that I live alone and rarely eat out. I only shop once a week this time of year (mostly frozen veggies) so it's easy to prelog, write my shopping list, and be done with it.

I'm a pretty big control freak so it really helps me to plan. I'll decide what kind of food I'm in the mood for.... american comfort food, mexican, italian, or whatever and make my menu to that.

I start out with lunch and dinner then add the breakfast I'm in the mood for (right now I'm on a yogurt/granola kick). Then I see what I need in my macros. Need more protein? Add some hardboiled eggs/deviled eggs as snacks. Need a few more carbs? Peanut butter on a wasa or add some evening popcorn in... etc.

It kind of makes me dread the holidays away from home where I'll have no control over what others are cooking..... eeep......

nerchk

i almost quit today, i think im going to quit for a while, i will keep on login what makes m happy. my workouts

seansquared

I do the following:

** Eat the same breakfast 7 days a week
** Eat the same lunch 6 days a week; either Saturday or Sunday is unplanned as a cheat meal that does not fit within my calorie goals but it does fit in with my body recomp goals - that is to say that it is typically a "carb up" or refuel after a week-long deficit and 4-day-a-week heavy exercise
** Eat the same dinner 5 days a week; both Saturday and Sunday evening I eat something else but it still fits within my goals

I also prepare my 6 days of lunch ahead of time, every Sunday afternoon (or evening if I was hanging out with buddies for lunch). This way I just grab-and-go during the week.

I do not pre-log any intake as I want to make sure I use the app or the site here actively. That's personal choice - to use this site as a motivator - it isn't meant at or against any one else.

deb3129

Pre-planning has worked really well for me. It makes it a lot simpler to eat right, at least for me. There is none of that last minute panic when you realize you are hungry and have to find something quick!

lkokot

Well...I preatty much eat the same thing every day so it's been quite easy form me. find something that you like and fits in in your calorie intake and you should be all set.

cwolfman13

I always pre-plan...that doesn't mean I don't have to make adjustments now and then, but it really helps to keep things on track. Especially when you're busy, having a pre-plan is the way to go. I basically plan all of my meals and snacks a week ahead of time and do all of my shopping...I pre-log in MFP a day in advance. This keeps me on track and I don't have to check to see if I can have something or not...and I'm not left wondering how many calories I have left for dinner, etc...it's all mapped out. Doing this also helps me to avoid having excess food in my house, especially junk food.

Aradia_Silvermoon

Had my first chai latte a few weeks back. AMAZING! X

I make mine at home and it is so yummy. I also tweaked it to make it less fattening. I get the tazo chai tea concentrate from Target. I use 3/4 of it and match it with milk and sugar free creamer (I am using coffee mate pumpkin spice sugar free)...2 tbsp creamer and the rest is skim milk. Yum. I have to have it nightly it is my one indulgence

Luv108

Wow thanks everyone for your input, it is great to know that most people have had more success with planning and prelogging. It is so nice to hear from other people making progress, alot of you seem to be ding so well, that makes me want to keep trying!
I am going to start planning for the rest of the week right now!

Goatgirl8

I plan all my lunches and dinners for the week on Sunday and while I don't prelog, all my recipes are already in here or I add them as I go, so it's easy to log when I do. I find that planning keeps me on track and I eat the same snacks most of the time, so I know what my day is going to look like. This helps for when I experience a craving for something not so healthy. Then, I know which days I'm lower in cals, so I can sneak something unhealthy in. That doesn't happen often though. I've gotten so used to eating non-processed food that I rarely crave junk anymore. I've lost 45lbs since July, so this is working well for me.

I sure like this idea. It would take organization and commitment, but I would think it really works. That way I wouldn't have so many "surprises" when I log. In review of my current diet, it's pretty obvious the foods that are causing problems. Thanks for the input.