Log before or after you eat and keeping at it.

Kitpurr

Hi folks,

I know that I need to keep logging in order to stay on track but I want to know the best way to go about it. Here are a few of my questions:
- Should I log what I'm planning to eat before I eat it so I know exactly how many calories I'm getting?
- Do you weight how much you eat or estimate it when you add it to your diary?
- What about eating at other people's houses? Do you just guess what is in your meal and how much?
- What are your tricks to making sure you keep logging everyday especially when you want to break down and eat something you know your diary is going to say pushed you over your limit?

I really want to get the most out of the food diary and make sure I keep doing it for a long time so any help would be appreciated.

rileyscoutko

hello!
~i would say it depends on what you're like-if you feel like setting a goal and knowing you have to adhere to it works best for you then do it before, but if you think that knowing you'll have to write it down later will work best aim for after.
~i usually estimate, but i'm not trying to be too specific. try weighing things out and getting a general idea of size on your plates so you don't always have to weigh things.
~i try to guess and take safe options or just avoid it all together.
~log it right away! i'm having lots of difficulty with this one. an idea is everytime you want to do that, write down a reason that you shouldn't and put it in a jar. focus on your goal!

auteurfille22

- I personally like to log things before I eat - the only exception being with things I've eaten frequently so I know exactly how many calories they are and know I'm in the clear. It helps me stay under my calorie goal. And I hate that feeling of logging something after I've eaten, seeing that it was a huge amount of calories, and knowing I have hardly any calories left for the next meal - so I actually try and pre-log my whole day. But that is definitely a personal preference. It's kind of psychological for me - I'd rather log the whole day and put in a 400 calorie dinner before eating it than find out before dinnertime that I only have 400 calories left and having to panic about what I'll eat.
- I generally estimate, but it depends on the food. A lot of times I just google on my phone "How many _____ are in a cup" for something like grapes, and then I don't have to worry about weight or space or anything like that.
- Yes, I basically just guess what's in the meal. If I really feel unsure, I quickadd 50-100 calories to the meal - if anything, I underestimate what I've eaten rather than over-estimate so I figure that helps me with accuracy. Is it precise - definitely not, but I feel better when I do it.
- Honestly, it's just become a habit. I have the app on my phone, and it's right in front, so every time I look at my phone, I see it. I've been doing it for a little over two months, and I'm so used to it now that I honestly feel really really guilty if I don't log something - even a binge. I log every cookie, every chip, etc. On very rare occasions when I know I've completely blown it, I just quickadd a huge amount of calories. A few weeks ago I had a really really bad day and at the end of it, I just quickadded 4500 calories to the day and moved on. I still see the red bar in the weekly graph and can remember and try not to do it again, but sometimes you just have to face that not every day will be perfect. Also, I would highly recommend getting a support system. For the first few weeks that I did this, my diary was closed and I had no friends on the site. Having friends and an open diary really helps to keep you accountable - and it truly is nice to have people comment and tell you you did a good job eating today, which they can't do if you haven't logged.

amyk0202

I nearly always fill out my log for the day in the morning before I eat anything (unless I am eating exactly the same thing I always eat). I don't do well with unstructured eating which is why I I have so much weight to lose. I do weigh/measure out my portions whenever possible. Sometimes you just aren't able to do that--like when you eat out or are at a friend's house. When that happens I just do the best I can & try to go small/smart on the portions & log over in my calories.

Logging everything is something you just have to commit to doing, especially when you have gotten off track & eaten things that will push you over your goal. The temptation is to not log it & act like it didn't happen, but in the long run that stuff can add up. You have to think about who you are logging for. I am logging for myself & even if I don't log something I've eaten that I shouldn't have, I'm not really fooling myself. Logging also gives me the opportunity to "fix" things. If I eat a handful of cheese nips in the morning, I know I will push my carbs over for the day, but I can at least exercise sometime during the day & keep it within my calorie goal & maybe cut out something that I would have eaten later to make everything fit better.

adtastic

I tried to pre-plan my meals, but it hasn't worked for me. I log everything after I eat it. So, I'll eat breakfast, and then log it. This helps because I know what to eat next. If I eat a really light breakfast, I'll know I'll need a snack, so I'll start looking for a healthy one early, instead of getting to the point were I'm starving, and I have to raid the vending machine or something.

There is one exception, and that if I indulge early on. If I decide to have a "cheat meal" like a burger and a ton of fries, I won't log until the very end of the day, or sometimes the next day. I know that if I see that I've used up all my calories during lunch, I'll want to skip dinner. Since I don't want to starve myself, I'll do my best to eat intuitively, and then I'll log everything at the end, make a note of how I felt and forgive myself for the day.

I guesstimate everything. I'd suggest weighing/measuring your food for a few weeks to get a feel for portions.

As for how I keep at it, I have no idea. It becomes routine after awhile. I find it helpful to have build "meals", especially things I eat repeatedly, so it's not a pain to look up 5-6 component. That way I just click on "Chicken Salad" or whatever, and it's quick and easy.

Good luck!

ajroberts11

- Should I log what I'm planning to eat before I eat it so I know exactly how many calories I'm getting?
* I do, and it works to keep me accountable. If I eat out with coworkers for lunch, it reminds me to scale my dinner back. If my lunch is small, it reminds me to add a snack in the afternoon. Also, bread at restaurants usually pushes me over. Pre-logging reminds me how many calories that breadstick has, so while I'm there, I'm inspired to eat fewer of them.

- Do you weight how much you eat or estimate it when you add it to your diary?
* I estimate using household items as a guide. E.g. if I ate fish or chicken that's about the size of a deck of cards, that's about 3 oz, so I enter 3 oz into MFP. If I eat about 1 1/2 decks, I enter 4.5 oz. Google can suggest plenty of comparisons to keep in mind when you're eating and don't have a scale or measuring cups handy.

- What about eating at other people's houses? Do you just guess what is in your meal and how much?
* This is where my method above comes in handy. (E.g. I had a serving of pasta about the size of a tennis ball. That's about a cup prepared/2 oz dry. Enter it in MFP.) The other thing you can do is compliment the meal and ask them to send you the recipe. Then, you can enter it in the recipe calculator on MFP and log it into your diary. Takes a bit more work, but it's more accurate.

- What are your tricks to making sure you keep logging everyday especially when you want to break down and eat something you know your diary is going to say pushed you over your limit?
* It's motivation vs. habit. I may not be motivated to log every day, particularly on the weekends. So instead, I focus on the habit. I have coffee every morning, so sometimes, I just log in long enough to copy that from the previous day. Then, on Monday, I log EVERYTHING I ate over the weekend. I may not be MOTIVATED to log it, but I commit to the HABIT of it, which keeps me accountable.
* And if I know I'm not doing well on healthy, balanced eating, I'll try to compensate with extra physical activity. I'll probably still be over calorie for the day, but at least I can make it so I'm only over by 300 instead of 500 (for example).

Good luck, and feel free to add me if you want to.

luckyjuls

I very seldom plan my meals ahead but I do play around with items to see how far I would be over or under if I ate this or that.

As I'm making my dinner, I add what I'm eating ingredient by ingredient. I measure everything by grams (or liquid ounces).

JesterMFP

experiment and find what works best for you. If you have no clue about the amount of calories in things, then it's definitely helpful to log things first. If you have more than one option, you can log them all and see how they compare (remember to delete the ones you don't use!) I do a bit of both. I tend to log breakfast and lunch as I'm eating them. I usually pre-log dinner if I know what I'm having, and then I know roughly how many calories I would have left to work with. I usually need to tweak it a bit once I've actually made dinner, but it gives me a good idea.

-I weigh nearly everything. I tend to estimate things like lettuce & cucumber, because I eat them every day and have a rough idea of how much I use, and they have so few calories in them, it doesn't make much difference if it's not exact. I weigh most things though, and it has become second nature. If a family member is making dinner, I ask them to weigh the more calorific things (eg. meat, starch, added fats etc) and estimate the rest.

-if I eat at someone else's house I just guess/estimate what has gone into it and accept that for that day, my log may be a bit inaccurate.

-how to keep logging every day? I don't know, I just do! It's become a bit addictive for me. I like looking at what nutrients I'm getting and seeing how I could improve things.

-when you say "break down and eat something", it makes it sound a bit like you're on a really restrictive diet. I don't need to "break down" and eat chocolate, because I have it every day anyway. I just eat what I like, and fit it in. I must admit though, for me, one of the hardest parts of weight management is all the little decisions you have to make about food and whether or not to eat something. What works for me is regularly eating all my favourite foods so I don't feel deprived of them, and getting into routines with what I eat. I do keep treats in the house, but I try not to keep so many things that I'm overwhelmed by choices. I tend to go through phases of eating the same things for lunch, and as snacks, and I think just cutting down on the decision-making process helps me make better choices. Otherwise, if I'm craving something, I log it and see how it would effect my diary. If it puts me way over, I usually decide not to have it. I do that by reminding myself that I don't need whatever it is, and that I can have it tomorrow if I want to. Sometimes, I'll just go over my goal. As long as it's not every day, it's ok. And, I'm saying that as someone who is eating at maintenance, so I don't have a calorie deficit to cushion the blow. But, to be honest, I work pretty hard to let go of perfectionism and be more flexible with my eating. It's not how you eat on one day that matters, it's how you eat most of the time. Those red numbers can be scary, but don't use them to beat yourself up, and don't let them stop you from logging. Just use them to make better choices next time.