When do you fill in your food diary?

SJLS2013
SJLS2013 Posts: 149 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I used to fill in my food diary at lunch time and in the evening, but if I went over, it was too late.

Now I'm starting to fill in my food diary in the morning for the whole day so I can be more strict with myself and hopefully won't stray from it and snack.

I can't keep filling it in at work every time I eat something!

But when do you find is the best time to fill it in?
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Replies

  • JJordon
    JJordon Posts: 857 Member
    MFP app on my Android.

    Also, I pick my foods at the beginning of my day. To plan out my day, strict diet/nutrition plan here.
  • hhayes06
    hhayes06 Posts: 189 Member
    I fill in as I go, I don't want my whole eating day planned out first thing in the morning because sometimes I have no idea what I am going to be having that day. I bring in my whole weeks worth of lunches to work so I could say this is for Monday, this is for Tuesday, etc etc but in reality I am going to eat what sounds good at the time. Since I fil as I go I can say "okay, I am at this amount and still have this many calories left so I am going to have this for dinner". I don't worry too much when I go over as long as it is not by a huge amount. Daily totals aren't what's most important to me but rather totals for the week and what the scale says or how my clothes fit.
  • LittleMissDover
    LittleMissDover Posts: 820 Member
    I fill in my main meals up to a week in advance so I can plan my food shopping and usually plan snacks etc the night before. I prefer to have it all planned out so I never have a situation where I'm grabbing anything because I'm starving or where I suddenly realise I only have 57 calories left for dinner!
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    As soon as I know what I'm eating for the day. Always BEFORE I've eaten it. Sometimes as much as the day before. I use it to look at various options and then take out the ones I wont be having.
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    Now I'm starting to fill in my food diary in the morning for the whole day so I can be more strict with myself and hopefully won't stray from it and snack.

    On work days, I also pre-log all my food/snacks in the morning. It's not set in stone, obviously, and I tweak it throughout the day or swap some meals or snacks out for others. I do pretty much all my cooking from scratch, so I am usually planning out what I'll be making in advance anyway, and like you, I find that logging in advance helps keep me on track. It also helps me plan my workout for the day, based on my calorie intake.
  • curvycarrie
    curvycarrie Posts: 56 Member
    During the week I fill out my breakfast and lunch first thing in the morning while im having my coffee. It also helps me plan what to pack for my lunch, or what i might feel like for breaky! Also, it lets me know what i have left remaining for supper. If something extra comes up during the day, i will add it..or if i don't eat something from my lunch..i will delete it. You will find it easier as you go along trust me!! I really enjoy the logging, I don't know what Id do without it ...its become such a habit! One day I wasnt able to get into the site due to temporary maintance and i was going through with drawls! Good luck with your logging! :smile:
  • wibbley74
    wibbley74 Posts: 80 Member
    i do it as soon as i eat or the first instance i can after - say after a meeting

    what i tend to do mid to late afternoon if i am feeling peckish is work out my evening meal and add that then i know why i've got left to play with and nibble on and i know what i have to look forward to for dinner

    the only day i haven't done this was when i was out with friends at the weekend. i came home and logged all my food before deciding what to have for dinner based on spare calories
  • Sla6adm
    Sla6adm Posts: 31
    I don't log everyday now as I am maintaining, and won't realistically log every day for the rest of my life. However, if I am eating something new I log it so I can get an idea of what I am eating calorie and sugar wise. I do this the night before so I know how many spare calories etc I have to play with.
  • runlikeananna
    runlikeananna Posts: 42 Member
    I do it as I go too. I have been doing it long enough now to know when I may be over eating and I head on out and do some exercise.
  • keltay2012
    keltay2012 Posts: 7
    i fill mmine in the morning so i can control what i eat and know what i have left if i feel peckish lol x
  • charliehefferon
    charliehefferon Posts: 223 Member
    I plan my meals a week ahead, so I can fill in most of my diary at the weekend - leaves only a small margin for error and over eating
  • tndejong
    tndejong Posts: 463
    i try to fill it in the mornings. but i usually dont finish it until late afternoon or early morning the next day.
  • pinkcloudrising
    pinkcloudrising Posts: 63
    the night before. i have to plan my meals otherwise just graze all day. the planning takes away that stress of what and how much and if....
  • MrsBobaFett
    MrsBobaFett Posts: 802 Member
    I fill it out throughout the day, literally after I eat something so I don't forget to put something down.
  • ron2e
    ron2e Posts: 606
    If I can I log it ahead of time, not always possible when I am travelling, which allows me to keep at the level of calories I wish to. Eating out is more difficult and I tend to use the MFP phone app to check menu items I like the look off to get a rough idea how much I am loading. In a month, two business weeks of which I have been travelling, I have only been over once and that by a very small amount. However yesterday having decided what I was going to eat in the evening and taken it out of the freezer, I filled in my diary and found myself 500 cals short of my allowance, so added in a couple of biscuits (cookies) and some chocolate to bring the count up. Probably not a good idea and I will get some nuts in reserve in case this happens again.
  • bobf279
    bobf279 Posts: 342 Member
    Mostly in the mornings after my first walk and when I can check the contents of my lunch box, then again in the evening after dinner while making an allowance for my many cups of tea
  • cervenec
    cervenec Posts: 64
    I usually log everything I plan to eat in the morning, but I'll move things around as stuff changes. I try not to worry if I go over, but I usually don't.
  • Sqeekyjojo
    Sqeekyjojo Posts: 704 Member
    As I go along, mostly, on my phone. It's usually in my pocket, so there's no reason to put off recording until later. I don't record before because I might change my mind. I don't like rigid meal plans when real life can so easily get in the way.

    And I do like logging the food and exercise, then seeing that I can have pretty much anything I like for dinner.


    I'd be pretty miffed to find out afterwards that I'd gone way over, rather than thinking 'I'm good for some bread/fruit/extra bowl of cereal if I feel like it', so knowing I could have more - and choosing not to.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,242 Member
    As soon as I know what I'm eating, and always before I eat it :)
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Before I eat the item - or if out, I enter it into my phone's spreadsheet (it's too old to run the apps :( ) then log it when I get home.
  • rfsatar
    rfsatar Posts: 599 Member
    Broadly (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) first thing in the morning
    Then additional snacks through the day depending on how many cals garnered through exercise (up to my TDEE cut range) through the day.
  • RaineyLaney
    RaineyLaney Posts: 605 Member
    I fill in my food diary either the night before or that morning while I am eating my breakfast. I like putting the whole day down before eating so I can readjust my calories, carbs, protein etc per meal or snack.
  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
    A bit of both, if I know what I'm going to eat for lunch or dinner, I'll be adding it in the morning so I can get an idea of how many calories leftover for eating of snacks and things. I log all the time throughout the day.
  • 73Freckles
    73Freckles Posts: 201 Member
    everytime i eat something. it's like balancing a checkbook. you don't want to overdraw your account.
  • sarahmoo12
    sarahmoo12 Posts: 756 Member
    soon as i eat its logged! Iv an Iphone and the app is a life saver :) iv recently started to try and plan my meals out and log them that morning or the night b4
  • delonda1
    delonda1 Posts: 525 Member
    I semi pre-plan on sunday and go from there with room for changes. I have crazy schedule and most nights not home so i can dictate up until dinner
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    I mostly do mine days in advance and tweak as necessary. Helps me know what I'm using I'm the fridge too!
  • IsleEsme
    IsleEsme Posts: 175 Member
    Either the night before or early in the day. It's all about good planning. Think about your bank account. Do you spend first and THEN look to see if you really had the money there to spend? For me calories are the same concept. I don't want to spend what I don't have.
  • drop_it_like_a_squat
    drop_it_like_a_squat Posts: 377 Member
    I usually meal-prep my lunch/dinner, so I track that in the morning when I track my breakfast. :) I only plan 1 meal a day (if even), the rest gets tracked ASAP.
  • PandaPudges
    PandaPudges Posts: 45
    First thing in the morning while I am eating breakfast, that way I know what my general consumption will be and it leaves room for snacks throughout the day :D!

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