Is it better to track as you go/eat or plan ahead?

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  • michele2224
    michele2224 Posts: 36
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    I plan ahead every week, I have to with my schedule i literally have 1 day to plan lunch & dinner for the week, it is frustrating since sometime i want a day to relax, but no my relax day is an "all day cooking day" but after all said and done my meals are cooked for the week this way I know that I do not have to run through a fast food drive thru and eat bad.

    Since I have been planning ahead for a while now it is more of a routine now, but i always suggest to people with busy schedules that it is so worth it in the long run.
  • Helenatrandom
    Helenatrandom Posts: 1,166 Member
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    Sometimes I wing it, sometimes I plan ahead. If we are going out for dinner, I think about where we are going and what we are likely to have and fill that out so I know what I can have at breakfast and lunch. I do the same thing if we are going to have one of my favorites for dinner. I assume I'll have a second helping and plan for it.
  • themathelk
    themathelk Posts: 9
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    Some of my pals log all of their food on sunday and don't eat anything outside of that plan the entire week, in theory. That I could not do. I eat a very similar meal for breakfast and lunch which lets me quick add my meals but then dinner is always different. I know about how many calories I have and try to put it in before dinner so if it suprises me I can just eat a smaller portion for the amount of calories I have remaining. Food is very personal. How you eat will dramatically affect which of the choices you should make.
  • Fiona_Bullough
    Fiona_Bullough Posts: 138 Member
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    I plan AND LOG all of my meals for the next day after eating my evening meal. It's my routine now! I put everything in and on the day, I tweak a little if needed (quantities / substitutes) and I add in things like extra drinks and snacks.

    I hit my goals each time and and very happy!
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
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    I joined mfp to make tracking easier, I was writing it all down before but not really keeping up with it everyday.

    I track as I go. Usually I have a good idea of what I'm going to eat on any given day but that can change if my schedule does. Last nights dinner wasn't what I wanted because I had to work a little in the evening.

    Generally my breakfasts are the same, just the fruit varies. Lunch is almost always leftovers. With dinner I know the day before if I'm making beans or will have a little meat, then I just pick out what veggies I'm in the mood for. Last week I ate horribly because I worked unusual hours and didn't go to the store.

    Whatever works for you is what you should do.
  • _Wits_
    _Wits_ Posts: 1,286 Member
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    It really all depends on your. I'm one one of those people that (for the most part) once it is set, I follow it...so I tend to plan my day as best as I can and log ahead of time. If something changes, I just switch it up and it's done. Easy. This works exceptionally well for me during the week with my set work and workout schedule. The weekends....mehhhh I'm a bit more relaxed. I never know where I'll be and what I'm doing so I just try my best to log as I go.
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
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    depends on my mood for the day. I kind of prefer having my meals planned out and that way, if I do want to change my meal I always can later on. If I am planning something with a little more calories I can adjust my workouts around that too.
  • reepobob
    reepobob Posts: 1,172 Member
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    I typically prelog my breakfast, my mid morning snack, my lunch, my afternoon snack, and my nightime shake. I also pre log my exercise based on what I did a previous day for the similar routine. I normally work out in the afternoon before dinner, so I leave dinner open. After working out, I adjust my calorie burn up or down by my HRM and then evaluate dinner options. If I prelog and it appears that I will be tight for dinner even with a workout, I may adjust what I have prelogged to allow for more calories at dinner time. I also will check my macro breakdowns to see if I am light on a particular area and try to incorporate that into my dinner in terms of portions.

    Pre-logging is crucial for my success, especially on light days where I take a full rest day or am only doing yoga or a stretching routine that day.

    Good luck!
  • rascallycat
    rascallycat Posts: 248 Member
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    It's a little of both. You need to find what works for you. I have the app on my phone so I log the food as I eat it if I cant get to a computer. I also plan ahead. Since I have a crazy schedule, I make my protein shake in the morning for breakfast and pack my lunch and snacks the night before. I hit the gym at 5:30 am so there isn't a lot of time for figuring out what I am going to do. It's grab and go. I know exactly what I have left for dinner.
  • FITnFIRM4LIFE
    FITnFIRM4LIFE Posts: 818 Member
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    i plan my meals out every week before grocery shopping

    here is what the first half of this week looks like:

    Great idea!!!!@Addie
  • jesss5885
    jesss5885 Posts: 187 Member
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    i like planning out my meals for the week and then making tweaks and changes as i go. it definitely helps me stay on track, and also helps with making my grocery list =)
  • AliciaStaton
    AliciaStaton Posts: 328 Member
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    Hi welcome back, I tend to plan my meals in front. I think the key to losing weight is to plan your meals in advance, you can log in advance and if things change you can amend the log. Planning your meals in advance helps to keep you on track and if you go off, you get back on track the following day: Its what ever works for you
  • LavenderChamomile
    LavenderChamomile Posts: 52
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    Ideally, I find it's better to plan.
    However, life is unpredictable and so am I. I'm not always sure where I'll be, what I'll be doing, what will be available etc. and also, I enjoy being spontaneous and not knowing exactly what to expect from each day. If you have time and an accurate schedule I would sit down and plan out your day and leave some wiggle room.
    One thing I always do is if I'm about to make a bad decision, I log it first and then assess my diary. Usually I decide it's not worth it.
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
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    Everyone is going to have their own thoughts on this but for me, I fill out my day in the morning when I'm eating breakfast (except for today cause I was busy at work and not able to) but it's easier for me to figure out what I can have at dinner time/snack times an if I feel like a splurge on something I'm craving, I know if I'll go over or not.

    This is me exactly. I plan my entire day (leaving wiggle room for the unexpected) while I eat breakfast!
  • Vansy
    Vansy Posts: 419 Member
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    I plan my meals the week before so that I know what I'll be eating all week -- makes it easier when I need to hit the grocery store and when I need to prepare meals the day before (for work). I also do better with eating healthy when I have a general plan of what I'll be eating all week.
  • zitandemanu
    zitandemanu Posts: 32
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    I plan what I'll be eating in the mornings because then I know exactly how much calories I will be eating so that I don't go over. Hope this helps!
  • pittskaa
    pittskaa Posts: 319 Member
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    i personally find it easier to track the day before. it helps me plan and then i stick to it better.
  • CandeesLand
    CandeesLand Posts: 200
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    I usually plan the first half of my day in the morning while I'm making breakfast, and then I go home for lunch and then plan the second half. There are days when I know I won't get home for lunch and then I just plan the whole day either the night before or in the morning. It's nice to know early in the day that if I don't feel like working out that night, that I'll still be in my calories, and if I know I'm going to work out, that I'll get to have something extra.
  • geordiegirl27
    geordiegirl27 Posts: 307 Member
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    I plan ahead, I normally do my food shop on a Saturday so therefore know what meals I'm having I then upload all plans into my MFP and it lets me see what I've got to work around - esp if there is nights/meals out. If anything changes then I just amend at the time.

    At the very least I fill it in on a morning even plan my snacks. I find if I do it at the end of the day its harder to remember everything so my worse case scenario is fill in as I go. That said when I was on holiday I wrote everything down as I had it, I didnt back track everything but at least I was keeping track what I had.

    Ultimately its finding what works for you. good luck
  • mcedes02
    mcedes02 Posts: 56 Member
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    I plan my day out the night b4. It's actually less stressful for me. I have 2 small kids so it takes less time to get meals ready. Entries can always be changed as u go if needed. I find it's a lot easier to balace out the nmbrs for each meal. I usually find that I don't have enough cals at the end of the day if I don't. I rarely plan more than a couple days in advance so I don't have to do a lot of changes when different things pop up.

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