Filling Food Diary ahead of time

raingirl21
raingirl21 Posts: 167 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is it weird to fill out your food diary in the morning for the day?

I find that planning my lunch and dinner in the morning is helpful on spacing out my calories for the day. Does anyone else do this? Is there any cons with this approach?

Thanks for the tips. :happy:
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Replies

  • ErinRibbens
    ErinRibbens Posts: 370 Member
    No, I think it's awesome and keeps me on track. I love being able to tweak it to get my macros the way I want. The only thing is to make sure to go back later and edit anything that you ended up changing or your calorie & macros will be off.
  • drojen
    drojen Posts: 203 Member
    I almost always plan ahead for my day - especially during the week. Mind you, breakfast & lunch are typically the same during the work week and dinner is usually the same 2 nights in a row (only 2 people eating = leftovers!). I think it's a great idea to plan ahead - if it works for you, keep doing it!
  • Junebugsc
    Junebugsc Posts: 34 Member
    I log my food the night before for everything except supper! Keeps me on track. I log supper right before we eat.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Is it weird to fill out your food diary in the morning for the day?

    I find that planning my lunch and dinner in the morning is helpful on spacing out my calories for the day. Does anyone else do this? Is there any cons with this approach?

    Thanks for the tips. :happy:

    I do this. I think people who do this as recommended when I started out. Pre-logging is just planning...proper planning tends to lead to great success.
  • crazy4fids
    crazy4fids Posts: 173
    It keeps me from eating it first and logging it after I have discovered that it has too much sugar or has trans fat in it.
  • RyanneRose
    RyanneRose Posts: 128 Member
    I've put in a meal or two ahead of time and then afterward changes portion sizes to reflect anything I ate less/more of. It's probably a good idea, what you're doing. I can just never plan that far ahead, usually lol.
  • jody664
    jody664 Posts: 397 Member
    I do this, particularly when I know I'm eating out for lunch or dinner. It helps me plan out what I want at a restaurant, and then back fill my other meals so I stay within my calorie limit and macros.
  • zhvah18
    zhvah18 Posts: 158 Member
    I don't think it's strange at all. I tend to actually log in my entire next week on Sunday afternoons. Between work and appointments and a kiddo in sports, it just makes my week so much easier when I now what I'm eating and what I will be fixing for dinners all week long.
  • c8linmarie
    c8linmarie Posts: 358 Member
    I do this all the time. Sometimes, days ahead. It gives me a good foundation for what I can eat for the day, and I go back and change it if my day did not go as intended. I consider this good planning. Plus, everything goes to he!! when I don't plan ahead.
  • JoRumbles
    JoRumbles Posts: 262 Member
    I would say this is the BEST way to do it. No point logging at the end of the day and finding you have eaten 4,000 cals!

    If I decide the day before what I want to eat the next day I can enter it in and see if I have spare calories- either for snacks or for a bigger portion at one of my meals.
  • pspetralia
    pspetralia Posts: 963 Member
    I log a day ahead. It helps me keep on track with my calories and macros. I think it is especially helpful when I want to fit in a higher cal food.
  • sa11yjane
    sa11yjane Posts: 491 Member
    I often close my diary in the afternoon after I have logged my evening meal and any snack, I find that it prevents me from snacking. I don't know why really but it just does! So no, it's not weird at all. Forward planning is good! Good luck with your weight loss journey x
  • ninjakowski
    ninjakowski Posts: 158
    I often make a rough log after I eat breakfast to see how everything fits in. Then if it doesn't fit I can readjust my food or exercise plans so that I dont get caught out at the end of the day.
  • badtastebetty
    badtastebetty Posts: 326 Member
    I do this everyday, usually the night before and have had a lot of success, and I make sure that I leave room for some spontaneous food choices.

    I would like to eventually meal plan my entire week, but I have quite figured out the how to make this work.
  • jolene_ca
    jolene_ca Posts: 91 Member
    I log every morning for the whole day. I leave myself a 200 calorie "cushion" for any extra bites of whatever I grab during the day. And I adjust accordingly if I eat more/less than I had originally logged.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    I fill my food diary ahead of time. Knowing that I'm planning to have a balanced meal, and that some or most of my calories are already spoken for, helps keep me from snacking. I'm not inflexible about it though, if I change my plans.
  • Vicks1978
    Vicks1978 Posts: 81 Member
    me too, same as everyone else...but my other goal with this is to stop wasting money on food I don't need
    so I plan for the week now...on paper..and then fill my diary in the night before.
    and like others it makes me think ahead about snacking and making the right choices....instead of a bag of crisps im now eating loads of fruit.

    good luck!
  • halips
    halips Posts: 134 Member
    I do exactly that. Actually, I usually fill it out the night before so when I wake up I know what I am having for breakfast. I also find that it helps to keep me on track. I don't complete it until that evening just in case I change something, but that rarely happens. Nothing wrong with a little planning! :smile:
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    i usually pre plan, helps me get a better idea of what to eat. sometimes it changes but i like to know ahead of time, especially since i am obsessive with logging. i used to just log after i ate but now i will log everything and plan my lunches and dinner in the morning
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    I almost always plan ahead for my day - especially during the week. Mind you, breakfast & lunch are typically the same during the work week and dinner is usually the same 2 nights in a row (only 2 people eating = leftovers!). I think it's a great idea to plan ahead - if it works for you, keep doing it!

    dude same here, there are 2 of us and breakfast is usually oatmeal, cereal or cream cheese and apple butter on a sandwich thin
    lunch i bring with me to work usually the same things
    and dinners i have like 2 or 3 days of leftovers, sometimes that is lunch the next day or breakfast
  • MrsGriffin67
    MrsGriffin67 Posts: 485 Member
    I like planning on what to eat so I log all my food in the morning. It also helps to see if I have a few extra calories to spare for a special treat or something. I really feel that it helps to keep me on track.
  • jeremyw1977
    jeremyw1977 Posts: 505 Member
    Monday - Friday, I typically have the same breakfast and lunch, so I will enter that in for the whole week.
    Also, my wife will typically plan out our family's dinners for the week, so I will enter that as well.

    It gives me a nice snapshot of my calorie intake, so I have a gameplan of how hard I need to work.
  • raingirl21
    raingirl21 Posts: 167 Member
    Thanks everyone. Good to know that I'm on the right track with this. It seems to be a good thing. I don't know if I'll be able to do a week at a time but I'm sure that is the best option.
  • FindingMyself24
    FindingMyself24 Posts: 613 Member
    I dont think its weird...i do it sometimes...it helps me stay on track....its not like you cant go back and change it if you change your mind lol I plan ahead all the time just so i know where i stand for dinner...
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    I do if I know what I'm having. Then I can figure out how to tweak it so I can have some dessert after dinner! :tongue:
  • EmilyEmpowered
    EmilyEmpowered Posts: 650 Member
    I do it all the time so I can tweek before hand and not eat anything that doesnt really fit in my macros. I plan a day or two ahead most times.
  • shinesunfish
    shinesunfish Posts: 93 Member
    I just started logging breakfast and lunch after eating them, and then pre-log dinner and snacks. I find that it keeps me accountable a bit better, and when I get to the "I'm sort of hungry, what should I eat?" phase, I've already written it down ahead of time. Good to see so many others who have had success doing the same!
  • corneredbycorn
    corneredbycorn Posts: 267 Member
    I do it fairly often. If I know what I'm going to eat for the rest of the day, why wait to fill it in? Plus, then I'll know ahead of time if I have enough left over for a drink later.
  • jennagoogles13
    jennagoogles13 Posts: 266
    I actually fill it out the night before! It's probably the best thing I've done for myself because it lets me know when I can or cannot have extra food throughout the day. I just alter it a little at the end of the day if need be. It makes the day really easy because everything is already planned:smile:
  • Shetchncn1
    Shetchncn1 Posts: 260 Member
    A friend on WW told me one time " If you don't plan- plan to fail" It stuck with me. And she lost over 60 lbs and runs marathons now :) I think what you are doing is smart!

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