MFP tracking tip for Primal/Paleo

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In my need to get my brain out of the "Must eat breakfast in the morning, must eat lunch at noon" mindset (and feeling like I was skipping a meal when I didn't eat in the morning or a lunch) I changed my food diary to say "First Meal" "Second Meal" "Third Meal" "Snack 1" "Snack 2 (if needed)" .. I don't always use all of these, and I'm sure at some point I will probably use them all and have to add another. For now though this is really helping me realize it isn't about WHEN i eat, it's about eating WHEN i'm HUNGRY.

Didn't know if any of the other new people, like me, would be interested in this but I wanted to share :) Every bit of help helps!

Replies

  • bonnieellison96
    bonnieellison96 Posts: 50 Member
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    Awesome idea! I've had the same trouble getting out the of the "It's noon, musssst eat lunch" mindset :P
  • hilliardjoe
    hilliardjoe Posts: 111 Member
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    I saw something somewhere here that mentioned changing the terms to be timeframes(ie 6 am - 11 am, 11am - 4 pm, etc).

    Just a way to get away from the conventional thinking about when to eat.

    You just record the food you eat during that timeframe, if you don't eat for a timeframe it may not be as big as deal as seeing that you put nothing in for lunch (which I haven't been hungry for lately).
  • Tanja_CHH
    Tanja_CHH Posts: 216 Member
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    Does this work for the app on the ipod aswell or only on the internet diary? :)
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    In my need to get my brain out of the "Must eat breakfast in the morning, must eat lunch at noon" mindset (and feeling like I was skipping a meal when I didn't eat in the morning or a lunch) I changed my food diary to say "First Meal" "Second Meal" "Third Meal" "Snack 1" "Snack 2 (if needed)" .. I don't always use all of these, and I'm sure at some point I will probably use them all and have to add another. For now though this is really helping me realize it isn't about WHEN i eat, it's about eating WHEN i'm HUNGRY.

    Didn't know if any of the other new people, like me, would be interested in this but I wanted to share :) Every bit of help helps!


    I use time of day designations: "Early Morning," "Mid Morning," "Late Morning," "Afternoon," "Evening." I'm most concerned about my morning eating habits if I'm trying to fast until the afternoon on a particular day.
  • ElloSweetie
    ElloSweetie Posts: 56 Member
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    Maybe do away with all times and "meal names" and have just one set and add all food to that and put the times you ate THAT DAY in the notes section and see if there's a trend on when you hunger?
  • ajourney2beme
    ajourney2beme Posts: 181 Member
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    Does this work for the app on the ipod aswell or only on the internet diary? :)

    I'm not sure you can change it on the app but if you change it online it will reflect it on the app.
  • monkeydharma
    monkeydharma Posts: 599 Member
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    In my need to get my brain out of the "Must eat breakfast in the morning, must eat lunch at noon" mindset (and feeling like I was skipping a meal when I didn't eat in the morning or a lunch) I changed my food diary to say "First Meal" "Second Meal" "Third Meal" "Snack 1" "Snack 2 (if needed)" .. I don't always use all of these, and I'm sure at some point I will probably use them all and have to add another. For now though this is really helping me realize it isn't about WHEN i eat, it's about eating WHEN i'm HUNGRY.

    Didn't know if any of the other new people, like me, would be interested in this but I wanted to share :) Every bit of help helps!

    Yeah, I long ago changed mine to read 'Meal 1' thru 'Meal 6'. I don't differentiate between meals and snacks - I eat when I eat.
  • babymaddux
    babymaddux Posts: 209 Member
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    i graze though the day at work and whole i haven't changed the headings, i just log it under which section of the day it is. if it's before noon i log it under breakfast, if it's after noon i log it under lunch. and i always put my dark chocolate in snacks lol
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
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    Alternatively, you could just have one section where you log all your food. :3
  • ajourney2beme
    ajourney2beme Posts: 181 Member
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    Times, Meals, or one big lump .. these are all great ideas :) I never thought about just lumping everything together .. but I make notes on my meals (which is why i break it down at least somewhat) and so it makes it easier on my own personal journey.

    I hope one of these ideas from all of these people can help out another fellow Primal/Paleo eater!
  • ElleBee66
    ElleBee66 Posts: 128 Member
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    I just have one entry:- Food

    and leave it all at that. Much easier (for me!)
  • ravengirl1611
    ravengirl1611 Posts: 285 Member
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    Way back in the beginning of my time here on MFP I changed my diary to have just one category called all food - I start logging in the morning and finish at the end of the day - just consider yourself warned that if you go in an change from a multi category to one category you will lose the information from previous entries in the categories that you 'deleted' Use whatever categories work for you.
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
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    Yup, I prefer it that way as well. I try and do a 16-hour IF, so I put mine with time slots. (Before noon, 12-4,4-8, After eight).

    I try to keep my food between noon and 8.
  • nynvilva
    nynvilva Posts: 54
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    I love the idea of chaning your meals to times! Question, on Paleo, what do you folks adjust your Daily Nutritional Goals to (e.g. Carbs, Protien, Fat, etc.)?
  • KBGirts
    KBGirts Posts: 882 Member
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    I didn't read through all the above responses, so sorry if I am repeating someone. Some people have it set up with time. For example 8:00 - 10:00 am or something. I should consider doing this as well, but honestly, I don't really pay attention to what designation I give my food.
  • 252dlp
    252dlp Posts: 2 Member
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    I have mine set to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, lol. Just fill them out in the order I eat them.