How far in advance do you log your food?

toots99
toots99 Posts: 3,794 Member
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
I'm curious. Do you log it as you go? Or log it in the morning, planning what you're going to eat for the day? Does anyone here go as far as logging and planning for the week?

Replies

  • Trav
    Trav Posts: 2,022
    I log mine as I go....
  • agarlits
    agarlits Posts: 429 Member
    I log mine in the morning and stick to it, I find it easier to stay in my calories that way.
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
    I too log mine as I go.

    My appetite is fickle. I eat whatever I crave, generally and within reason. I'd be hard pressed to plan for dinner, I know. I can predict my breakfast and generally my week day lunches, but dinner differs based on my mood.
  • TaraMaria
    TaraMaria Posts: 1,975
    As I go! Unless I am going out to eat in which case I usually look up the menu items I'd be interested in. But I still don't log them until they are in me! :o)
  • j_g4ever
    j_g4ever Posts: 1,925 Member
    As soon as I put it in my mouth I log it. that way I always know where I'm sitting for calories.
  • When I pack my breakfast, lunch and snacks to take to work the night before, I log my food. That way I know what I have left to play with for dinner, or maybe even a Starbucks treat. :)
  • angelwings2000
    angelwings2000 Posts: 357 Member
    I log as I go, just in case the amounts vary or things don't go as planned. My life can be fickle! If I eat it or drink it, I log it.
  • I log as I go, if I am able to I log for the entire day in the morning - or at least what I know for sure. That way I always know exactly where I stand, and can make adjustments if necessary.
  • cassandra1220
    cassandra1220 Posts: 284 Member
    I do mine up to a week in advance. I go grocery shopping on Sundays so I know what is in the house. If a situation arises (like today...didn't know we were going to the in-laws house for pastichio!) I can always change it. But for the most part, it is set in stone. I don't eat out often so I don't have a difficult time sticking to my plan, and when I do, I know enough in advance to plan accordingly.
  • debnu1
    debnu1 Posts: 1,568 Member
    I have been logging the night before and then changing it through the day if I need to. I have found that having an idea of what I am doing makes a huge difference! If I make something that I know I am going to eat for the next few days I go ahead and put it in, but I end up revamping the night before anyway.

    Planning ahead has kept me on track the best anything has so far.
  • donna56
    donna56 Posts: 412
    I do mine as I eat or drink, that way I know what I have left calorie wise for dinner and if I think I may go over my calorie intake, it's back on the treadmill to burn more calories
  • Belle84
    Belle84 Posts: 36
    im trying slim fast for a few weeks, so i'm logging my breakfast and my lunch in advance and my dinner and snacks as i eat them x
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 22,165 Member
    I log mine all first thing in the morning and adjust if necessary throughout the day — like if I end up not getting m protein drink in or if someone already ate what I thought I was going to have for lunch, etc.
  • Christin09
    Christin09 Posts: 143 Member
    I log it in the morning after breakfast, and log the whole day except for dinner, I log dinner after cause I know thats when I eat the most and it changes all the time. I find it easier to stick with if I log in the AM but I do end up having edits now and again though the day.
  • fit4life84
    fit4life84 Posts: 9 Member
    I log my food first thing in the morning, so I'm not eating unconsciously through the day. If I make any changes, I go back and adjust when I have my meal(s).
  • I already plan menus for the week before I go the the market. In the morning when I check my email, I log my food for the day. In the evening I make any adjustments needed.

    I used to do it throughout the day and it drove me crazy. I find it easier to have a plan. I'm an obsessive list maker. It just feels easier that way.
  • CrystalT
    CrystalT Posts: 862 Member
    I'll track up to a week in advance and then adjust when I need to.
  • I usually log as I go for breakfast and lunch, but my late afternoons are frequently spent planning dinner, so I pre-log.

    I'm really bad about logging at all on weekends, but that's something I'm going to work on this year.
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    I find I do better if I log it in advance, but I usually end up logging as I go.
  • ltlhmom
    ltlhmom Posts: 1,202 Member
    I log it as I eat it generally. But I plan the night before what I'm having the next day. I also try to meal plan when I go grocery shopping so I know what I will be having for the week.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
    Generally, on workdays I log in the morning. I do a little calorie calculation while I'm packing my breakfast/lunch/snacks & then log when I get to work. At some point during the day I figure out what I'm having for dinner & log it before I get home. I do a lot better when I know what I'm going to eat (and when I know that I actually have what I'm going to eat stocked in my kitchen). On weekends I generally log as I go (and I don't do as well). I log water as I go.
  • i normally log my breakfast, snacks and lunch the night before as I eat most of that at work then I figure out what i am doing for dinner as i go.
  • Amberly10
    Amberly10 Posts: 41 Member
    I just started. However yesterday and today I logged as I ate or drank. But tonight I sat down and planned out my meals and drinks so I knew exactly what I could have. The first day I did ok but today logging as I went was awful! I went way over on my carbs and fats even though I had plenty of calories left over.

    So, since I want a more balanced day and know exactly what I have left over if I would like a treat I am going to prelog all of my meals and snacks atleast the day before. I think that it will help to keep me from just mindlessly snacking through the day and I will be more likely to stick with it if it is already written down. If I have to change something up I can always just go in and change my log.
  • mommyskis
    mommyskis Posts: 277 Member
    I log all my food the night before. This is the only way I have had success. I only get 1370 calories on my no-workout days, so you can use that up pretty quick and be left with nothing for supper! I can always change it, but it helps me to know if I eat ____ right now, what am I giving up later? I also try to do snacks around 100 cal, so I can always substitute snacks.
  • litllilli
    litllilli Posts: 1 Member
    i log my whole week in on sunday. i have found when you are in your first couple months there is a need for strict accountability. at least there was for me. i am super busy every day and if i didn't prohibit myself from eating more than i pre-logged i would cheat. my mom started mfp before i did and has lost 80 pounds. it is now a way of life for her so she has the mindset and training to log daily. as a newbie it has been really helpful for me to grocery shop and prepare in advance my meals for the week. i make up my meals and store them in tupper ware, enter them in and then grab them on the go. after awhile, when the weight starts coming off and you start to realize you love your new way of living better you will hold yourself accountable, at least that's what my mommy says!
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    I log in my food every morning, but I plan on Sunday what I will eat during the week. :bigsmile:
  • mia66
    mia66 Posts: 425
    I log my breakfast and lunches in the night before during the work week. I know what I am going to have and this keeps me honest when treats are passed around the lunch room at work. For the rest I log in right after I eat or as soon as I get to the computer. Good question.
    Eat less, move more. :flowerforyou: :drinker:
  • Carleybby
    Carleybby Posts: 158
    In the morning.
  • fortiter00
    fortiter00 Posts: 47 Member
    I plan my meals and log them the night before based on what activities I have planned for the next day. I frequently travel and don't have a normal work day. I find that by planning my day out the night before, I can better balance when and what I can eat and make sure it falls into the appropriate calories. I fly small planes, and the schedules aren't always conducive to eating a real meal, so sometimes, it might make sense to eat my lunch at my morning snack time, and eat my snack for lunch so I stay on my diet, rather than grabbing something out on the go.

    If I don't really have any major activities planned or it is a weekend I might log as I go.

    If I plan on eating out anywhere, fast foods or restaurants I always check the website for the place and plan my meal out ahead, along with my days food choices, otherwise I would never be on track for my calories on days I ate out.

    Best of luck. Most importantly find what works best for you to ensure you keep the log, that is the key. I do awful when I don't log.
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