Pre logging ahead to plan out day.

foot2wood
foot2wood Posts: 149 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have been pre-logging my day to help me stay on track and its been great so far. I don't do it everyday, but i believe this helps me plan out my day and sort of time out my meals to be spread out every few hours. I feel it also helps me get the macros right where i want them. Does anyone else do this? What are some pros and cons? If you've experiment with this, what was your result?
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Replies

  • shaff1rm
    shaff1rm Posts: 39 Member
    I totally do this! I pack my breakfast, lunch, dinner and various snacks and take everything to work/ class with me. Since I have it with me, I pre-log it all since I know I really won't be eating anything different. At the end of the day, I go back and make adjustments. I think it helps, because if I have it pre-logged, and I know I'm a few calories under, I know I can grab a granola bar out of my desk drawer if I get really hungry, and I know how it will affect me.
  • mamareese
    mamareese Posts: 1,573 Member
    In order to keep my macros where I need them, I feel like prelogging is a must. It keeps me on top of my prep cooking too. I am one of the few (lol) without a smart phone so prelogging allows me to plan out my day and not need to log something to see where I'm at in the middle of a meeting/travel/etc.

    Pros- ^^^above

    The only cons I've found is minuet really..just simply if I make a change I've got to undo whatever I already put in. Which for a day isn't bad but I tend to prelog 3, 4, sometimes 5 days in advance. But again...very small price to pay to know macros are in line!
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    I prelog my dinner. I kind of know how many calories I usually spend on my other meals M-F, but dinner is always different. Also, it helps to sometimes prelog if I know that I don't really feel like eating what I brought, I know what I am working with. I never "complete" the diary until the end of the day, since I am fickle and change my mind a lot. :)
  • zillah73
    zillah73 Posts: 505 Member
    I have been doing this for a long time – even before I discovered MFP I did it with an excel spreadsheet. It works great for me. I use it to plan four days in advance so I can buy the groceries I need for the next four days.

    Pros:
    I can shop for the groceries I need and there is no superfluous food in my house – nothing to nibble on and break my plan, going over my nutritional requirements for the day.

    It enables me to plan meals not just around eating under a certain number of calories, but it also allows me to make sure all my macros are good for each day in advance. Takes out all the guess work.

    Makes it easier to make decisions on the fly – for instance, if I am craving a latte, I can look at my meal plan on my phone ap and decide what I have to pull from my meal plan in order to replace it with my latte.

    Cons:
    I really haven't found any.
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    I usually pre-track my day the night before. It helps me make sure I'm getting the protein that I want at each "meal" and gives me the big picture for the day. I don't always pre-track dinner, but everything else. I like it, it works for me.
  • daphne_m
    daphne_m Posts: 84
    If I don't prelog I don't eat. I'll go the entire day without food and order in/go out or just drink a bunch of Atkins shakes and call it a day. Prelogging means I have a shopping list and a plan. Downside of living alone: complete kitchen freedom.
  • j_ringsaker
    j_ringsaker Posts: 47 Member
    On work days, I eat breakfast and lunch at my desk. I am one of those people that eats the same thing every day because I know what I like and rarely grow tired. I try to plan out my dinner in advance as it helps me limit myself to no get seconds and to make healthy choices. The only variable is when my wife cooks dinner and I don't know ahead of time what she's making.


    So, yes.....I have good results with planning ahead.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    It's definietly a great idea! The only con is the time that it takes to do it in advance, but that's a matter of minutes.
  • Katrinadionne1808
    Katrinadionne1808 Posts: 95
    I've just recently started the pre-logging that way if a particular meal is high in cals etc I can ensure other meals throughout the day aren't.

    I prepped today's meals last night so was able to weigh out and so on - so today is pretty accurate. Otherwise I mainly pre log with things like half a carton of soup, my breakfasts etc where I know the weights / quantities won't change.


    The only con is
    You need to make sure that the quantities are what you actually consume.
  • pennydreadful270
    pennydreadful270 Posts: 266 Member
    I pre-logged my lunch and it made me stop and think whether that second slice of bread was worth it. Had a half-sandwich with the same filling. Small victory.
  • My0WNinspiration
    My0WNinspiration Posts: 1,146 Member
    I try to do this everyday. It keeps me on track.
  • SweetlyVague
    SweetlyVague Posts: 172 Member
    I work as a shift worker (12 hour days, 4 days on, 4 days off) and I almost always pre log my day when I'm on shift! It helps me a ton! I don't really pre log on my days off, though.
  • BCSMama
    BCSMama Posts: 348
    I almost always prelog during the week. I'm a little more relaxed about it over the weekend, but only because I'm usually not as sure what I'll be eating on the weekends. I prepare dinners for the week on Sundays, so M-F, I know what's for dinner and I pack my lunches and snacks to take to work. I love it because it helps keep me on track and I know if I have room for something I may be craving ahead of time. It also helps me from having a big surplus of calories at the end of the day. Before I started prelogging, I would be so afraid of going over my calorie goal that I would undereat and then have hundreds of calories at the end of the day that I couldn't possibly eat. I really haven't found any cons at all. If I do make small changes, it's really easy to change/add/delete things.
  • gadenni34
    gadenni34 Posts: 294 Member
    When I pre-log I find that I actually get in my protein, stay under my calories and in general feel more in control of my day with food. No cons that I have found...all good.
  • LisaGNV
    LisaGNV Posts: 159 Member
    I'm a huge fan of pre-logging but typically just do it during the work week. I bring my lunch & snacks with me so it's super easy to log them in the morning when I'm packing it all up. I like that I can plan out the majority of the day to make sure I'm hitting my macros and keeping my sugars low. The pros outweigh any cons. I can't even really think of a con! When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
  • liya368
    liya368 Posts: 122 Member
    I do this too. It helps me keep on track. This week I planned ahead until Friday on Wednesday. I do have trouble planning ahead on weekends though.
  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
    I pre-log for up to a week in advance. It helps me to hit my macros and it helps to save me money too! I do my grocery shopping on Saturday and then sit down and plan my meals. Doing it that way ensures that I'm not wasting food, especially things like veggies and fruit that go bad fairly quickly.
  • yamsteroo
    yamsteroo Posts: 480 Member
    I do it everyday. I put the three meals in and then whatever is left over I can have some more fruit with lunch or even a glass of wine if I've been particularly dilligent. (I don't leave out food to make room for wine though before anyone thinks I've a problem ;) )

    It really does help because then if my husband asks if I want peanut butter on my toast, I don't 'accidently' overshoot the runway if I forget I'm using a lot of calories for dinner that day..
  • jade2112
    jade2112 Posts: 272 Member
    I do mine for the next 3-4 weeks. That way I know how much of each item I need to buy for the week. It keeps me from eating the wrong things.

    There are days that I might change a banana for an apple if I want one and not the other. Otherwise I try hard to stick to the menu. Not to say there aren't bad days with me consuming 2,000-4,000 calories a day of pure crap.

    I was embarrassed to set my food diary to public because of those bad days, but I did it anyway in order to keep me from binging like that. If I don't want people seeing the bad days maybe I won't have so many.

    I joined MFP a couple years ago but only seriously started logging food in mid November 2012 and log everything, good or bad.

    Sometimes I disgust myself.
  • cosplayerkyo
    cosplayerkyo Posts: 30 Member
    I pre-log on a daily basis.
    It's especially useful if I plan on eating out so I know what I can or cannot eat through the day.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    I pre-log Mon-Fri (except friday's dinner) Then I try to stick with it. I'm not always successful at sticking to it, but I rarely add foods, just dont' eat it all.

    It works very well for me and helps reduce the morning stress of deciding what's for breakfast and what to pack for lunch. I don't have to think in the morning, cause I already did it last night. I love it.

    Weekends are all over the place, so I usually can't pre-log them and stick to it.

    I shop sales and try new items all the time, so pre logging father out is unrealistic for me.

    I get excited about my dinners sometimes too. LOL. plus it helps me fit my dinner into my plan, as i like to try new and carzy things at times. :~)
  • XRavenhood
    XRavenhood Posts: 102
    I pre-log as well and try to guess the kind and amount of exercise I will do the following day. I make adjustments as needed afterwards. Works very well for me.
  • tennesseeleigh
    tennesseeleigh Posts: 169
    I generally prelog as well. I just have to remember to go back and adjust if my days goes awry or I end up adding in things I didn't log.
  • lemon712
    lemon712 Posts: 3
    I absolutely do this! It helps stop me from snacking on sugary foods, and it makes me feel like I have something to look forward to.
  • rmhand
    rmhand Posts: 1,067 Member
    pre-logging is great for me!
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    I've been doing this more and more lately. I find that it helps me hit my macros closer to target.

    I just make sure to check my quantities when I'm actually dishing out the food, but I would have to do that anyway, so it's all good.
  • nkyjennifer
    nkyjennifer Posts: 135 Member
    I usually do - and those are the days I'm not going over my calorie goal. I actually went through my diary last night and planned out the rest of the week. :smile:
  • meljames1911
    meljames1911 Posts: 2
    Yep I do this too, just for the current day but I've found it helps keep me on track and I'm not tempted to pop to the vending machine at work when I'm having a bad day
  • smilingirisheyes
    smilingirisheyes Posts: 149 Member
    I do the same. I find it easier to make the decisions all at once.

    The only negative can be something that just happened today - a last minute change. I'd planned my day around eating out for lunch, but my friend had to cancel. Not a big deal though, and easier than fguring out macros every time I need to eat.
  • Kanuenue
    Kanuenue Posts: 253 Member
    I definitely pre-log. It helps me balance out meals into "Zoned" proportions before I start cooking. And when I am in school, I have to plan my meals in advance or I get stuck with on-campus choices. Another plus, I buy from my local Farmers Market, so certain veggies turn quicker (like leafy greens) than other foods. I use pre-logging as a reminder to use more perishable produce first, preventing waste.

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