Inputting food & exercise BEFORE you do it

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Replies

  • LydiaShackelford
    LydiaShackelford Posts: 93 Member
    I try to always pre-plan my food the evening before and log it into MFP. Then I'm more likely to stick to it the following day. I never pre-record my workouts. I use a HRM, so it would be pointless to guess how many calories I would work off in my next workout session.
  • bzmommy34
    bzmommy34 Posts: 229 Member
    Absolutely! I always pre-plan my food the night before. If I have a busy week, I'll aim to pre-plan as many days as I can so I'm never stuck with just grabbing what's easiest.

    As for exercise - I don't log my burns until I've done them. Mainly because I use a HRM faithfully so I don't know my burns until I've reached them.
  • flanary888
    flanary888 Posts: 158 Member
    YES, YES, YES!! It makes me stop and think about having to delete my good food to replace it with bad food! Not saying I don't ever do it, but it has been a deterrent many times for me.
  • kaybelieve
    kaybelieve Posts: 118
    I pre-log a lot of my food as I know then whether I can treat myself that day, it helps me stay on track.

    I rarely pre-log exercise as I probably wouldn't do it, and there's no point lying about it.
  • classy2731
    classy2731 Posts: 13
    I prelog both sometimes. I find that prelogging my exercise makes me more likely to do it. It basically makes me stay true to my word. If I happen not to do it, then i'll take it off or i'll change it if I do something else. But it works for me mentally.
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
    I find it helps to pre-log on the extreme days of my week. For instance, today is a rest day, so I won't have any calories to eat back (unless I just can't stand it and go for a walk--and then it will probably be no more than 200 anyway). So I planned out my food today to give me a better sense of how much I can eat.

    And on days when I'm going to burn 700-900 calories exercising, I pre-log that so I can plan bigger meals throughout the day and spread out the calories.

    Sometimes I'll also pre-log if I'm going to eat out, to make sure I can comfortably allow enough calories for a restaurant meal.
  • prium01
    prium01 Posts: 306 Member
    I pre log my food and exercise every day...sometimes I go over my exercise...I change my food log sometimes, but it remains more or less same..:smile: It definitely helps me stay on track!!
  • ltowne
    ltowne Posts: 129 Member
    Not very good at that....however, I have started logging right before a meal and that helps me with portion control. "Seconds" can be a problem for me! We eat out alot and I do try to check the menu before going so that I know what I should/should not eat and the calories involved. I have a hard time being disciplined. I am a "work in progress." LOL
  • mammakisses
    mammakisses Posts: 604 Member
    Yes I log in all my food in the morning while I'm having my coffee. I don't log in exercise until I've done it. When I log in my workouts I also plan an extra snack with the extra cals.
  • xampx
    xampx Posts: 323 Member
    I eat a variant on the same thing for breakfast and lunch every work day so thats easy to pre plan and then I can work out what the best option for dinner that night would be, depending on whether I plan on going to the gym or not. It definitely helps me keep on track.

    I never pre load exercise, as I don't know what I will do until I do it, but I usually go to the gym (after work, before dinner) with the intention of burning at least 400 calories on a cardio day and at least 200 on a strength day (usually more). If I look like I am going to go way over calories that day, I will do more.

    But then I have days like today where I have logged everything I plan to eat, and it really is everything as I don't want to go food shopping until Monday so the only snacks I can have tonight will be peanut butter straight from the jar! And I am running low on that too!
  • heidihorton
    heidihorton Posts: 110 Member
    I pre log my food and exercise every day...sometimes I go over my exercise...I change my food log sometimes, but it remains more or less same..:smile: It definitely helps me stay on track!!

    Same here...check it out if you want. I've been at this for over a year and it works for me. Knowing what I'm eating for the day keeps me in my calorie goal also presetting my exercise makes me stick to it. Every time I have to delete my exercise for the day I feel crappy about it and I usually decide to just do the exercising instead of deleting it. Lol
  • bermudamel
    bermudamel Posts: 212
    Most days I either plan my whole day out in the am or even the night before so I can just pack the essentials in my bag before going to work. If I did it throughout the day I'd prob eat all my calories by lunch!
  • baileybiddles
    baileybiddles Posts: 457 Member
    Actually, no! I change my mind so often throughout the day about what to eat that I would just be constantly changing it anyway. I do, however, track my breakfast, lunch and snacks first thing. It's really only dinner that I don't track since I can never make up my mind about what I want.

    As far as exercise goes, I track after I work out. It seems like a curse for me. Whenever I track before I do my work out, my work out doesn't happen... If I wait to track, it does.
  • suz155
    suz155 Posts: 326 Member
    I input food , during the work week, for breakfast , lunch and snacks. Dinner, I leave open. On the weekends, Im a bit more flexible, but, 99% of the time, I always input food, before I eat, but, it might be 5 mins, before, I eat. I want to know, where I am, for the day, before, I eat. Its that awareness thing, that MFP has taught me. Exercise, I always log afterwards.
  • Kelley528
    Kelley528 Posts: 319 Member
    Do you find it easier to be disciplined (sticking to your targets) when you load MFP early in the day? Maybe the whole thing?

    Yes. I always log my food and exercise the day before. The only thing I leave out is dinner. I bring my breakfast, lunch, and snacks to work so I have my whole day planned. I can taylor my dinner based on how many calories I have left. This also allows me to eat a treat during the day if i'm really craving something. By knowing the bulk of my calories in advance it allows me to stick to the plan a lot easier. I also do a set amount of walking every day so I enter that the day before, too. Anything extra I do gets added as I do it.
  • fattyfoodie
    fattyfoodie Posts: 232 Member
    Yes, I often plan & log food night before but never register exercise until I've done it.

    ^^This!
  • Apyl32
    Apyl32 Posts: 91 Member
    I will enter my food before eating it if its still cooking or I know what I'm making for dinner so I dont have to do it after. As for exercise, no I only add that after I do it I exercise different amount each day so I dont know what the time will be until its over.
  • poseyj88
    poseyj88 Posts: 140 Member
    I do best when I log the night before. I bring breakfast, lunch, and snacks with me to work, so it also makes for efficient packing the next morning. Sometimes things change as the day goes on, but I enjoy pre-planning.
  • momofJandA
    momofJandA Posts: 1,035 Member
    I log all my food for the day in the morning (keeps me on track and less likely to "cheat". . . I log my exercise after I've done it (according to my HRM)- of course I get all my exercise done by 6:30am so that's not too hard
  • doctorwhome
    doctorwhome Posts: 59
    I try to plan and log everything in the morning, and it works...right up until dinner. Usually, I end up not eating what I planned. It's usually still pretty healthy, but it still makes me feel like I have zero discipline.
  • SweetestLibby
    SweetestLibby Posts: 607 Member
    food? sometimes. I meal plan weekly so I can prelog.

    exercise? NO. It doesn't get logged until I actually do it.
  • cnlargent
    cnlargent Posts: 199 Member
    I also input my food after breakfast, when I know what my lunch and dinner plan is. Exercise no, because I use a HRM, so I don't know exactly what my burn will be.
  • scooterjay_wwis
    scooterjay_wwis Posts: 120 Member
    I log my food and excercise as I go throught the day. That way there is no cheating. (like logging excercising when you didn't, or the chocolate sundae you had, that wasn't on your food diary)
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    FOR SURE!,, i log it all before i do it,,,, then i make sure that i do it,, motivates me more!
  • askeates
    askeates Posts: 1,490 Member
    it is much simpler to add it before for me... I find I stick to plans better than when I just wing it!
  • MelyndaWaldner
    MelyndaWaldner Posts: 442 Member
    I log everything in the morning including exercise, it motivates me to stick with the plan.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    I try to. I prefer to. There are times when I don't, and I try to eat something that seems healthy, but when I go and track it AFTER eating it, I'm often shocked at how high the calories actually are.
  • fiferize
    fiferize Posts: 141
    Absolutely! Sometimes I eat something different for dinner than what I logged, but it's always within the same calorie range. Inputting the exercise ahead of time keeps me honest. I am much more likely to go through with it if it's already been logged! So YES!
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    I do a little of both. I log breakfast while I'm fixing it or eating it, usually the same with lunch and any daytime snacks, but I often pre-log dinner to see what I can fit in (altho I adjust amounts as I weigh the food during prep), and if I end up with calories left over, I try different late snacks (aka desserts) to see what works best within my calories/macros before I eat it.

    I log exercise after I do it so I know what I actually burned--my walks and runs are uploaded automatically from Endomodo, and I log my gym workouts using the calories burned from my BodyMedia Fit, so have to wait until I sync post-workout to get the accurate reading.

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