Pre-logging Food Diaries

13

Replies

  • Itsme_Mary
    Itsme_Mary Posts: 17 Member
    I do pre log. It help me stay, not have to guess, I go back and forth with staying on it.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    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 have started trying to plan better, which means pre-logging. On *most* days that I pre-log, I eat exactly as planned. If I don't then I use the "copy meal" feature and move my plans or simply delete and change it, depending on the circumstances. I have moved dinners around on a few occasions. Sometimes I change my plans just to hit my macros better.
  • academy73
    academy73 Posts: 9
    I pre-log if I'm concerned about what a homemade dinner meal will bring in calorie wise. Then I know ahead of time how to prepare it or how much I can have.
  • Palio75
    Palio75 Posts: 72
    I preplan. It makes it a lot easier. I also have all the food premaid though.
  • xSCiNTILLATEx79
    xSCiNTILLATEx79 Posts: 245 Member
    I pre log often - my best days seem to be when Im this organized. If I just go with it I usually hit max or a little over. I feel my food choices are wiser too when I think ahead.
  • sniegparslina
    sniegparslina Posts: 40 Member
    It really helps! Well, as now I've started to take my dinner with me, not randomly buy something, it helps me to understand how much and what should I eat/take! And also every day I'm trying to leave some 120 calories for something unexpected, of course, this is not always working, but for the days I can plan before - perfect! And then everything becomes better :)
  • DeMarraDontStop
    DeMarraDontStop Posts: 342 Member
    Good question!! I try to pre-log as much as possible but I do find myself deviating from what I planned. However if I do eat this and not that I will change my diary. I do like to pre-log to challenge myself to stick with the plan.
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    I pre-log, if it's entered, I eat it. It helps me figure out what I have left if I know I'm going out for dinner with a friend or on the weekends when I'm with my boyfriend I don't stress as much. That way I know what I can have for snacks
  • laurasimmons
    laurasimmons Posts: 575 Member
    I pre-log on work days because I will eat the same thing a lot of times. I also usually already know what I'll make for dinner so I'll pre-log it too. On the weekends I usually don't cause I don't plan it out.
  • thr33martins
    thr33martins Posts: 192 Member
    I have been easing into a very-low-carb eating plan, and pre-logging helps me make sure I am meeting my goals for the day. I track both carbs and fiber so that I can figure out my net carbs, and since my protein is so high I often have to readjust or add something in order to get it all in without going over somewhere else. I find that when I put in my whole day's plan and they survey the results, that sometimes I can do things better (like trading salmon for chicken at dinner if I am high on fats, or leaving out a fruit if I am high on carbs). Getting all of the details worked out in the morning makes me feel really in control of my day, and I find that I am pretty unlikely to deviate. :)
  • NicLiving
    NicLiving Posts: 261 Member
    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 this to plan my meals and to see if I need to add more cardio to my daily exercise in order to stay within my goals.
    I did this for Thanksgiving last year and managed to stay under calories!
    Full disclosure: I often deviate, but I always log whatever I end up eating at the end of the day.
  • TKHappy
    TKHappy Posts: 659 Member
    I pre-log a lot of times but I also prep my meals for the week on Sunday, weighing portions and such! :) I leave room for snacks when I do but for the most part I know on Sunday what I'll be eating M-F for breakfast, lunch and dinner...the weekends get a little hectic though!
  • tasiamere
    tasiamere Posts: 233
    In the first two months I pre-logged Always! This was the only way I could make sure I had a plan of attack for the day. As I gained more self control and awareness I'm able to wing it and mix it up a little but on a day I know I'm having a busy day or special gathering I try to pre-log.
  • LifeJacketWaterJogger
    LifeJacketWaterJogger Posts: 231 Member
    i pre log all the time its easier to stay on track that way for me!:blushing:
  • DenyseMarieL
    DenyseMarieL Posts: 673 Member
    If I have consumed a larger than normal portion of my calories by suppertime, I will prelog what I will eat for supper, to make sure I don't go over on calories. I have found that extremely helpful!
  • jennk221
    jennk221 Posts: 85 Member
    I find it very helpful to log my food in ahead of time...I definitely stick to it much better when I have everything pre planned.
  • slackerwoman
    slackerwoman Posts: 261 Member
    I do it sometimes. I did it today because I knew what I had planned for dinner. It makes it easier to stay in your macros too if you know ahead of time what you are going to eat and stick to it. You also know if you have some room leftover for a cookie. :)
  • cjeanthiele
    cjeanthiele Posts: 18
    I "pre-log" snacks I fix ahead and take with me. It's easier to do this while the ingredients are fresh in my head. And yes, I eat them
  • Impy84
    Impy84 Posts: 430
    I prelog on the days i bring all my food to work. If those are my only options that's what Im eating. Lately I've been doing it more as a way to restrict my mindless snacking.
  • frando
    frando Posts: 583 Member
    I pre-log so that I know what calories I have to play around with!

    Normally the night before I log the major meals- for me it tends to be dinner and breakfast- then work out what calories I have left to work out what I can have for lunch.

    I do it because I like to plan- but I'm also less likely to go astray from it. I can say 'well- I want room for a chocolate bar, so I'll have this for lunch and free up some calories or work it out before hand' rather then it being seven or eight at night after a hard days work totting up everything I've had only to find that chocolate bar put me over!
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
    I always pre-log. I'm working on staying within my macros now, so it helps me because I still haven't gotten the hang of all of that. I'm a planner and a list maker anyway, so it's easier for me. Sometimes I pre-log something and don't eat it, or change my mind about what I want to eat, so I just go back and adjust it before I close my diary for the day.
  • oregonzoo
    oregonzoo Posts: 4,251 Member
    I pre log in the mornings most every weekday.

    NOT all the time on the weekends. I kind of allow myself fudge room on the weekends.
  • Siekobilly
    Siekobilly Posts: 401 Member
    I pre-log in the morning, but never close out my diary until the end of the day (can't predict the future). I find it helps me stay on track during the day and demotivates me from making impulsive meal decisions.
  • swolegirlcb
    swolegirlcb Posts: 67
    I almost always enter my food before I eat it and I'm pretty good at sticking to my plan.
    This. I always pre-plan. How far in advance just depends. It has made me a lot more successful in sticking to my macros.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    I prelog on work days since I know how it's going to go up until dinner. Then I prelog that if I know. Sometimes my mood will change and I'll end up having to change the diary, but it's no big deal.
  • AmberJo1984
    AmberJo1984 Posts: 1,067 Member
    I will, at times, pre-log everything. Especially on the days that I am working. I bring lunch and occassional snacks from home, so I will go on and log those. It allows me to know how much I am allowed for supper... allowing me to better keep myself under my calorie goal. On the days I am off, I pretty much just log as I'm going.
  • this1bigdog
    this1bigdog Posts: 350 Member
    I pre plan almost everything because for me it's a simple matter of

    Failing to Plan = Planning to Fail

    If you want to succeed you have to know before hand what you are going to be sticking in your face . .
    Sticking stuff into your face and not knowing what it's cost you is not making a healthy choice, it's living by instinct. and that's how you fail

    Don't get me wrong I enjoy pizza, but the difference is I know how much it's costing me before I buy it. and I know how much I can eat. Other wise I am going to eat it and be logging it later and wish I hadn't eat it!

    So I pre log pizza and know two slices should be good enough...Good luck
  • AmberJo1984
    AmberJo1984 Posts: 1,067 Member
    I will, at times, pre-log everything. Especially on the days that I am working. I bring lunch and occassional snacks from home, so I will go on and log those. It allows me to know how much I am allowed for supper... allowing me to better keep myself under my calorie goal. On the days I am off, I pretty much just log as I'm going.

    I am, however, trying to work up to logging everything for a few days a head of time. I think this would be even better with planning and staying under calorie goals.
  • felblossom
    felblossom Posts: 132 Member
    Cooking for one is always rather boring, so I usually make 4 servings and save the leftovers. This way it's very easy to pre-log, I know what meals I have in the fridge ready to go the next day. If I've planned a meal I log the recipie before cooking it usually. It also motivates me to actually cook it that day, rather than getting bored and grabbing something else.

    Today I didn't plan ahead, and realized that I was ridiculously low and had to make a 900 cal dinner - well, I added 150 cals of nuts and feta cheese to up it - and I'm still below goal. Pre-logging would've helped today :P
  • jennk221
    jennk221 Posts: 85 Member
    I always enter my food for the day ahead of time...it is so much easier when you know what you are going to have and it makes it much easier to stay within my calorie limits for the day. I may add an additional snack if I know I have available calories left, but otherwise I stick to what I have already logged.

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