Log the food before you eat it?

southernboho
southernboho Posts: 6
in Motivation and Support
I'm new to MFP, and already I've found myself planning my meals (or at least think about what I want for lunch or dinner) and logging them *before* I eat them,. I also figure in exercise I think I will be able to do. This has helped me adjust my day's meals and plan for exercise, and even once, stopped me from going to Starbucks to get their pumpkin bread! Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed sweets and even a couple of drinks, but it's been a good way for me to consider the food choices I'm making before I eat them, rather than after.

Do other people do this, or do you have other ways you help manage your nutrition and exercise proactively?
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Replies

  • Rachlovesfitness
    Rachlovesfitness Posts: 219 Member
    Hey there welcome to MFP, I log my foot/exercise a lot of times the night before or when I first wake up, it keeps me on track and makes things a lot more structured which I personally need
  • AlyssaNorth
    AlyssaNorth Posts: 57 Member
    i log my meals ahead of time. that i way i can plan for my sweet tooth =]
  • spongebex
    spongebex Posts: 194 Member
    Yes that's how I use myfitnesspal I use it to plan what in gonna eat and factor in exercise calories. If it works for you keep doing it and review when if it becomes not so helpful :)
  • Hannahmave
    Hannahmave Posts: 54
    actually thats a great idea, think i might take a leaf out of your book x
  • Karenmddefl
    Karenmddefl Posts: 4
    I do that as well. In fact, yesterdayI clicked on a few different food options for
    Lunch out at Hungry Howies and added them to see the impact. I then deleted all but what I chose to eat. It stopped me from having pizza! It was a challenge to. see and smell it there, but I stuck with my small salad. Will I always do that...no! Does it help me choose wisely? Yes!
  • karinefournel
    karinefournel Posts: 10 Member
    Welcome to MFP!! I do that too mostly during the week because I bring my breakfasts, snacks & lunches. I also plan on the type of activities I will be doing and estimate the amount of calories I'll be burning so I can adjust my meals accordingly. On the weekends when I have no plans I don't plan my food ahead but I do keep track of it as I go. It worked for me very well so far. :)
  • Mamasun3
    Mamasun3 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm new here - TODAY - and just logged in my breakfast, what I packed for lunch and what I have planned for dinner. (I have used another site and so far find this one far more user friendly for logging!)

    YES - it makes a huge difference to see ahead how close you are to your calorie count for the day - or if you are over! I am going to try to do this daily and that it will keep me from going over or eating that one extra thing because I know I've used up the calories. It also allows me to adjust meals if my planned meals take me over.

    Will be harder on the weekend, I don't have a smart phone and not at the computer like I am during the work week, so we'll see how that goes. Weekends are most dangerous for me!
  • nicola1141
    nicola1141 Posts: 613 Member
    Yup, I do this all the time. Not necessarily with the stuff I know is decent, or that I packed myself. But if I'm going out for lunch, I'll pre-log a few options to see which is best. Or if I'm really craving something crappy or have the muchies I absolutely log it before eating. Usually seeing the damage it will do to the rest of the day is enough to keep me from eating it. Last week I SO wanted one of these absolutely delicious cupcakes from somewhere near my work. Even knowing in my head that it was an outrageous amount of calories to waste on one little snack, it wasn't until I saw those 690 calories on my food diary and that it left only a couple hundred calories for the rest of the day that I managed to avoid it.
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    i log my meals ahead of time. that i way i can plan for my sweet tooth =]

    Same here. If I know how many calories I get from my meals, I know how much wiggle room I have for snacks or sweets.

    I also find that logging ahead of time allows me to accommodate office lunches or when people something in to share because I have the ability to say "if I'm going out to eat with my staff, then I can pass on eating X, Y, or Z today."
  • kluvit
    kluvit Posts: 435 Member
    I do the same, and logging the dinner or dessert I really want early in the day helps me say "no" to other temptations that pop up. I'm able to make choices about what I'd rather have which keeps me on track without feeling deprived.
  • southernboho
    southernboho Posts: 6
    Thanks for the feedback everyone, and it's good to see so many other people take this approach regularly. Like many of you've said, it's actually adjusted what I've ordered from a restaurant if I'm dining out. Seeing it there in your log definitely gives you pause from time to time!

    I expect this coming weekend, when I'm traveling out of town with friends, will be challenging. My aim is to eat as well as I can this week, in anticipation of the kinds of treats (and for me, that includes second helpings from the bread basket!) I might choose to have. And, well, if I go over one day, or even two, it won't be the end of the world, and Monday will get me right back where I need to be. That's the attitude I'm going in with anyway! That, and making time for long walks or some morning workouts to keep a little edge. :)
  • olDave
    olDave Posts: 557 Member
    First, let me say that everyone has their own way. If it works for you I say stick with it.

    Personally, I carry my smartphone around all day so it makes it easy to log calories as I consume/acquire them. I've been doing it for eleven weeks and am maintaining my goal of one pound/week and then some.

    Good luck!
  • Kelley528
    Kelley528 Posts: 319 Member
    I log mine ahead of time, too. I always enter my breakfast, lunch, and 3 pre-dinner snacks. If I know what I am eating throughout most of the day it allows me to be more flexible with my dinner and my night time snack. Knowing what I will be eating throughout the bulk of the day makes it easier for me to stick to my plan. I can tweek things to make room for other things.

    We bought cheesecake this weekend and I havent had a piece yet. I told myself I am working this cheesecake into my calories for Monday so on Saturday, i planned Mondays breakfast, lunch, and snacks ( including the cheesecake I plan to have at night). Now I can choose what I what for dinner that fits into my remaining calories and still have my cake and eat it too :tongue:
  • Jenny775
    Jenny775 Posts: 108 Member
    Hello & Welcome! :)

    I've been trying to prelog my food the night before or early morning. It absolutely helps me keep on track.
    I never prelog excerise though.
  • RaineMarie
    RaineMarie Posts: 158 Member
    I do this too! Usually every morning while I am eating breakfast, I log breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I have a general idea of what my calorie burn will be each day because I work out in the mornings - then if I get in a workout after work it's like a bonus. This really helps because I am a huge snacker, especially while at work, so if it's already logged, I know what I have alotted myself. :)
  • callmeLuna
    callmeLuna Posts: 42 Member
    Same here - keeps me on track and reduces the propensity for 'grazing' on various offerings if they are not in the 'budget'.
  • stephstg
    stephstg Posts: 9 Member
    I usually do it while I'm eating because it makes me stop and usually when I get back to eating I'm already full so I can go back and lower my servings and it also gives me an idea of how much I actually need to eat because I don't get full fast.
  • 1julietax
    1julietax Posts: 117 Member
    I don't always log ahead but if I'm going out I do. It helps plan my meals for restaurants. Just make sure that if you stray off of your preloaded plan to adjust or your calorie count will be wrong.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    If I know what I'm going to have for a certain meal, I go ahead and log it. It helps me figure out what leverage I have for other meals. Especially if we're going out of town - when we go see my parents, we like to go to a certain pizza place, so I'll go ahead and log that to try to keep me on point.
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
    That's what I do. I log my meals & snacks for the whole day when I'm eating breakfast. That way, I know if I have any wiggle room, and if anything changes I can make whatever adjustments are needed. It's helped me stay on track.
  • XtyAnn17
    XtyAnn17 Posts: 632 Member
    For me its mandatory i like knowing ahead what i can squeeze in without going over!
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    I often log my food the night before. This way I make sure that I am eating the right number of calories, getting enough protein, fiber, etc.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
    I log most of my day when I eat breakfast. It keeps me from adding things in without thinking about it. I did have to adjust at lunch as someone brought in homemade chocolate chip cookies and I didn't say no, but only had one (this can be a challenge when it comes to chocolate chip cookies). I have the room, or I will when the fitbit updates when I get home!
  • JuzDuIt
    JuzDuIt Posts: 222 Member
    I'll log what I eat as I eat it throughout the day, but I know I slack off at night once I'm home. So I'll pre-log dinner and a nighttime snack and it helps keep me on track. I will even pre-log exercise - sometimes just knowing I already counted it gets me to the gym when I don't feel like going!
  • morielia
    morielia Posts: 169 Member
    Yep, I do it to an extent. Usually there's one meal (either breakfast or lunch) where I pretty much eat whatever I want, within reason. Which meal depends on the day - like on Sundays, I go have lunch with my husband when he's at work, and we don't have access to a microwave or anything, so i usually pick up sammiches or something. Then I plan dinner and my day's snacks around that.
  • 120weeks
    120weeks Posts: 242 Member
    I do! I like to log most meals the night before as much as possible. It makes food prep a snap and I don't have to use too many brain cells before I walk out of the door in the early AM.
  • sharleengc
    sharleengc Posts: 792 Member
    I usually log my days the morning of or the night before. It helps me plan my day out and know what I can/can't have. I normally put in my breakfast, lunch and dinner before then I know what I have "left over" for snacks. Occasionally I do make changes, like sometimes I'll get to dinner time and what sounded good the night before no longer seems appetizing so I change it.

    However, I do not log my exercise until I actually do it. Exercise is the hardest for me to get motivated for and stay motivated to do so it's more of an accomplishment for me to get it done. If I get in the habit and do it several days straight, then i'm good and on it but if I get out of the habit, it takes me a lot longer to get back into it.
  • Dlacenere
    Dlacenere Posts: 198 Member
    I log all of my food the night before in the next day's diary ie: tonight I will put everything I plan to eat tomorrow in Wednesdays diary - then I just make any changes and cut and paste my meals over as I eat them and then delete everything out from Wednesday when I am done. Sounds confusing but I am a creature of habit and watch my macros closely, so it takes a lot of guesswork and time out of the equation for me.
  • jessvaughn74
    jessvaughn74 Posts: 164 Member
    I do my grocery shopping on Saturdays. So every Friday evening after dinner, I spend some time sitting down and planning my menu for the entire week. I plan my Breakfast, Mid-Morning Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack, Dinner and Evening Snack. I write these down on a white board I keep on my refrigerator. This helps me to know exactly what I need to pack for my lunch the night before and to avoid the grab and go that I did before that got me to this weight. It also helps my budget, by not having to go shopping several times a week ( I do a produce run twice a week).

    I pre-log what I am going to eat the next day the night before after I have packed my lunch. In my particular case, I do leave the house every morning at 7AM to take kids to school and then I go to work.

    Also, by planning ahead I know if I need to take meat out of the freezer for dinner, etc.

    As for exercise, during the week I pre-log since I am pretty rigid in my schedule. Weekends, I do not since they are hit and miss if I exercise.

    For me this works. I found that I NEED a schedule. It keeps me accountable and keeps me from guessing. And I keep a little spiral notebook in my purse to record any food I did not plan for. I do have to have impromptu lunch meetings quite frequently for work.

    Hope this helps!
  • CongoClark81
    CongoClark81 Posts: 95 Member
    I usually try to log everything (food and exercise) for the day and sometimes even the week 1st thing in the morning. I find when I do that then about 98% of the time I stick with it and make no changes. Helps keep me on track

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