how do you keep from forgetting what was in everything you a

sm02beme
sm02beme Posts: 1
edited September 20 in Introduce Yourself
Hello from South Carolina, I'm new and this is actually my second day on this program. I'm struggling with remembering everything I've eaten, then I also have to know everything that was in what I ate and note it all in the computer. I find this hard for me. Does anyone have suggestions?

Replies

  • CrystalT
    CrystalT Posts: 862 Member
    I plan everything a head of time. I shop on the weekends, so usually I sit down Monday morning and log all my meals for the rest of the week. That way I only have to keep up with the changes I make through the day. It also helps me know BEFORE I eat something how it will affect the rest of my day.
  • mikeandbrandie
    mikeandbrandie Posts: 11
    I plan everything out so that I don't forget. Normally in the morning with breakfast I put in ALL my food for the day.
  • txcwgirl
    txcwgirl Posts: 127 Member
    Hello and welcome, personnaly I have the app on my iPhone and I log on to a computer either while I am eating or right afterwards. If you can't do that then take a small notbook with you and write it down.

    Good luck
  • r1chy
    r1chy Posts: 48
    I plan my whole day in advance. it stops me going "Its only one chocolate bar and I have the calories. I just wont eat anything later"
  • arasm
    arasm Posts: 65
    I have the iPhone app as well, which makes things alot easier. I also plan out my meals. that helps to stop me from over eating or picking. and if all else fails you could always do it the old fashion way and write it down, then log it into the computer at night. Good luck to you!!
  • bellinachuchina
    bellinachuchina Posts: 498 Member
    I log before I eat, directly after, or if I know I won't be near a computer that day, I will write everything down on paper. I guesstimate their worth, & then log at the end of the day!
  • shev1956
    shev1956 Posts: 2 Member
    i also plan my meals at the beginning of the week,i also use my blackberry & my fitnesPal now has an iphone app. &i carry a small flip type notebook and log in unplanned meals & snacks. whatever goes into my mouth is written down. weight watchers makes a food tracker it's similar to a calculator but with food & calorie,points values. they also have a wonderful food guide that has EVERYthing in it including restaurants! it's worth the purchase when you are tracking your daily intake.
  • tayner
    tayner Posts: 372
    I usually log my dinner first thing in the morning while having my coffee since it is usually my biggest meal. Then i fill in the rest with things I plan to eat. Then, if things change slightly it only takes a minute to change it. as for things not being in here, i hardly ever find i need to add stuff, sometimes searching with different criteria will help
  • ractayjon
    ractayjon Posts: 365
    Part of this whole process (losing weight for good) is realizing what we are eating to cause us to be overweight. I suspect that as a lot of us did when we first started that you will be very surprised at some of the calories or sugars or sodium etc in certain foods. WIth that said part of the process is really analyzing what you eat, when you eat it and if there are better choices for you.
    For me, I am at home and work out of the house, and I have my laptop logged in almost all day. I usually plan my foods for the week - or the night before based on what I have and I tend to inout my foods right before I prepare them - so I can see how they effect my numbers and maybe make changes based on the numbers. If you are at work all day and cant (dont want to) log in from work - buy a small notebook and write everything down during the day as you eat it - to help you remember and then input it when you get home.
    This website will help you realize that you have to look at and understand labels, make choices based on what you see on the labels. If you are eating things that you dont know what is in it - you may want to think twice about eating it.....or if this is a once in a while thing then estimate based on what you think (say you go over to a friends for dinner and they make a casserole, take a smaller portion then you normally would and estimate best you can) but if this is a normal thing then you may want to change your eating habits --
    We are all overweight for a reason or we wouldnt be here -- taking accountability for every bite you put in your mouth is a great way (I LOVE MFP) to help us get control over our weight. It isnt easy, it is uncomfortable, it is time consuming and sometimes is very very hard to do - but if we had this under control then we wouldnt be here.
    Good luck finding a way to make this work for you!!!!
  • MirandaJayne
    MirandaJayne Posts: 600 Member
    Well #1 i suggest that when you are eating that you use your measuring cups and spoons. When you are taking the extra time in your meal prep, just repeat in your head 1tbsp of PB on my toast. #2 Keep a small journal in your kitchen or pocket and write down what you are eating and what size the portions are. #3I snap a picture of what I am eating. This may seem weird esp if you are out with family or friends, but just tell them its a tool you are using to help you stay goal orientated. You can check out my photos on my blog at : www.mirandasjeans.blogspot.com

    Good Luck!
  • EmilyStrick
    EmilyStrick Posts: 267
    i have a calender book that i always keep in my purse...if i'm not near a computer, i write it down on the day's date and log it in the computer later.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    I plan all my meals out, two weeks at a time. That way there are no surprises, and usually there's some wiggle room to change it up.
    Every calorie is all about planning ahead-- especially when you start to eat out again!
  • twilas
    twilas Posts: 1
    You can also take a picture with your phone to remind yourself to enter it later.
  • Mina133842
    Mina133842 Posts: 1,573 Member
    I log at work, after breakfast, after lunch, and then have an idea of how many calories are left for dinner, then log my dinner the next day at work. If you forget- carry a small notebook, OR you can ask your bank for a check register - then you can keep a little "check book " of your calories - start out with your daily allowance, write it what you ate, and subtract the calories- not as suspicious as a notebook, and they're free at the bank (usually).
  • Schatziheart
    Schatziheart Posts: 17
    Hello and welcome...
    What I do is plan ahead of time....mostly before I go to bed. Then if I'm not near any computer. I carry a small daily planner in my purse and write it down what I eat that day, then log it later.
  • maurierose
    maurierose Posts: 574 Member
    I keep an index card in my pocket, and write down everything I have for each meal - in the beginning, it helps DRAMATICALLY if you can log after each meal or two in MFP, it helps you understand what you're eating, how much you are eating, how many calories, how much sugar, fat, etc.... while you still have time to change the course of your day. After you get used to associating the proper number of calories in each typical meal or type of food that you eat, you can look at your index card and pretty much know how many calories you've eaten and how many you have remaining for the day. It gets easier, just DO NOT GIVE UP!! :smile: :flowerforyou:
  • maurierose
    maurierose Posts: 574 Member
    I log at work, after breakfast, after lunch, and then have an idea of how many calories are left for dinner, then log my dinner the next day at work. If you forget- carry a small notebook, OR you can ask your bank for a check register - then you can keep a little "check book " of your calories - start out with your daily allowance, write it what you ate, and subtract the calories- not as suspicious as a notebook, and they're free at the bank (usually).

    Ooooh Mina, that's a GREAT idea!!! Very creative!!! :bigsmile:
  • LadyZen
    LadyZen Posts: 153 Member
    I use a small notebook and keep it in my purse. It definitely helps. I write everthing that I eat down. I also record all exercise in there as well. Then I log in at work in the morning and log back in after supper at home. I don't want to live on the computer so that is enough logging time for me.:smile:
  • Mina133842
    Mina133842 Posts: 1,573 Member
    probably doesn't hurt that I work at a bank! ;) that's how I started out tracking right after I left weight watchers.
  • lisawest
    lisawest Posts: 798 Member
    Hello from South Carolina, I'm new and this is actually my second day on this program. I'm struggling with remembering everything I've eaten, then I also have to know everything that was in what I ate and note it all in the computer. I find this hard for me. Does anyone have suggestions?

    Many have talked about how to remember everything you've eaten (and have it done it well! I really liked the check register idea:smokin: ) I'll address the "ingredients" issue. If it is a homemade recipe, I now use www.sparkrecipes.com to figure out how many calories are in one serving. That way I don't have to take the can of tomato paste I used, figure out how many calories are in the whole can, divide that by the number of servings, and then times that by the number of servings I had. Wooo, that made me tired just typing it! I put it all in the program and it does it for me. Before I discovered sparkrecipes, I did what the program does in an Xcell spreadsheet. More time consuming than sparkrecipes, but I still "spot check" to make sure sparkrecipes is staying accurate. (I've heard stories from others that not all the calorie calculators on the web are accurate.) I know there are other websites other people use. I like this one, but give several a try!:flowerforyou:
  • SpyderMan
    SpyderMan Posts: 1
    Way to go BBBBRRRRAAAAAANNNNDDDDIIIIIIEEEEEEE
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