Pre-logging Food Diaries

I always prelog at least BEFORE I eat a meal and sometimes the day before. I try and plan out my meals in advance based on what I have in fridge and stuff and if I go out to dinner I like to check on menu before I go to log the amount of calories I'll probably eat to see how much I need to burn off and what my best options are

The way I see it there isn't much of a point to logging AFTER because you already ate it and can't change it if it makes you go way over so I do it before I've saved myself from eating a lot of things I've assumed were low cal but ended up being super high cal & switched them out for something healthier

I prelog my food in the morning about half the time, and then if my choices change, I adjust them in the evening. I personally don't really care if I stick to my intentions, as long as my changes result in similar macro and calorie content.

I pre-log mine as much as I can. Most of tomorrow is pre-logged already. It helps me see where I might fall short on my macros. Sometimes I make small changes, but usually I stick to it.

I pre-log lunch and dinner a few days in advance, sometimes a week, but allow myself to swap meals if I'm not feeling it that day. It definitely helps me to know how many calories I have for snacking and it keeps me from going over, for sure.

How many of you do this? I think it's interesting when I see others pre-logging their meals and snacks in, I guess it does give you an idea of what your calorie intake will be for that day. My question is, do many of you actually end up eating what you've entered? And do you find it easier to have all of this planned out beforehand, than deciding what you're eating at every meal right then and there?

I do it sometimes. I set up weekly menus for shopping purposes, and unless I change it up a little and make the meals on different days then originally scheduled I usually have the right meals down each day

I try to pre-log at least my breakfast and my lunch. I generally find that I tend to follow it though sometimes I'll bring one or two items and may move them around or eat less so I'll modify the quantities at work. It works for me which is nice. Dinner...that's more a fly by the pants sorta deal. I never know what I'm planning on eating.

This is me exactly! ^^^^

I love being able to pre-log, and I usually stick to it. It makes me feel more in control of my day and my diet when I do that.

I'm fortunate in the fact that my workplace cafe has detailed nutritional information (NI) for >90% of the food they serve. Their weekly menu is web-accessible and the vast majority of their menu's NI is already in MFP's database, so I can easily pre-populate my desired lunch choices for the week.
At home and elsewhere, at a minimum I will pre-log the meal that I'm preparing to eat. The only exceptions are when I'm out-and-about away from my laptop/tablet and can't wait until I get home before eating.

I focus on calories, fat, sodium, potassium, protein, and fiber. I strike to stay below the levels of the first 3 and to meet/exceed the levels of the last three. Interestingly enough, my biggest trouble areas are protein and fiber. I would've thought calories or fat but I rarely come close. Sometime I find myself low on protein and/or fiber after dinner and make myself eat some more to hit those minimums. It's especially tricky when I exercise because the extra burn will actually increase the minimums for those numbers! I remember one day that I actually boiled and ate 2 frozen b/s chicken breasts at 11pm because I was 50g short on protein after a late treadmill workout! Nowadays I have bars and powders to make up huge deficits in fiber and protein, but always strive to reach them naturally. I also use low sodium V8 juice for a quick potassium boost; just tonight I had to drink 16 oz to catch-up.

Pre-logging has helped me better plan my day and avoid the last minute "OMG, I've only had 5g of fiber today!" at 11:45pm. It also helps me to eat anything I want because I have to reconcile the numbers ahead of time. Sure I can eat the fried fast-food chicken breast, but that'll be 60% of my sodium DV by itself so I'll need to double my intake of fresh produce to keep sodium low for the rest of the day. That also means that the slice of caramel cake with ice cream will have to wait 2 days, yadda yadda.

I pre-log on work days since I eat lunch and dinner there. I like to log it as I pack my food so I can be sure that I'm within my calorie goal.

when I can, i do pre-log meals. Really it is a lot like managing a budget... it is easier to stay on track if you know what you are going to spend BEFORE you go to the store. Sometimes, what I think is a good meal is actually well over what I first thought (not so much any more since I am on month 10 of this journey); however, if I pre-log it, I know BEFORE I consume the calories that I need to make an adjustment... You can always change it if you find it is not so accurate or you have to change your plans

I pre log and half the time I get around to eating it at all

Pre-logging suggests a higer level of organisation, which relates to a higher level of motivation. Almost certainly people who have this level of motivation and organisation will accomplish their goals as long as they stay ontrack.

Well Done!

Roland Chandler (Personal Trainer):laugh:

I prelog everything & I eat exactly what I've planned. It's a very rare occasion that I don't stick to the plan. I like sticking to the plan & it's easier for me this way, especially to make sure I hit my protein goal & such. I do this every night.

i pre-plan almost all of my meals!! i need to be prepared or else ill end up snacking....it really works for me