When do you put your food in diary?

suziblues2000
suziblues2000 Posts: 515 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I was wondering if you put your food in your diary first, or add the food as you eat it (or after you eat it)?

I usually put it in after I eat it but maybe I should start putting it in before, like in the morning, so that way it will be more planned out.

How/when do you add your food?

thanx!
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Replies

  • iamdesiderata
    iamdesiderata Posts: 95 Member
    i usually snack all day long, and never know exactly what ill be eating, especially dinner, because it all depends on whether i feel like cooking or not :P

    so i enter my foods throughout the day
  • JustAmy
    JustAmy Posts: 291
    I enter my whole day's food the day before so I know what to pack to bring to work :happy: and have no worries after work as to how many calories I have left for dinner and what I'm cooking, that seems to makes my life easier and less stressful:flowerforyou:
  • VeryKerri
    VeryKerri Posts: 359 Member
    I plan my food for the day out in the morning so I log all the way through my pm snack first thing in the morning. That way I know what kind of dinner I can have. I eat all home prepared food Monday through Friday so it's easier for me this way. It also keeps me from snacking too much if I know exactly how many calories I am at with my "planned" food.
  • sallyLunn
    sallyLunn Posts: 381
    I do both. I put food in - in the morning so I can plan my calorie intake. If I eat something outside of my plan, I add it.

    I like putting it in early because it lets me know if I have wiggle room, it also inspires me to get my behind to the gym so I get the extra calories from exercise.

    And, yes, I eat my exercise calories. My usual calorie burn at the gym is around 600 and my allotment for the day is 1200. I would go into starvation mode if I didn't eat them.
  • bloblynda
    bloblynda Posts: 99 Member
    I have the iphone app so I like to put my food in as or just after I'm eating it. It's very handy when you're eating out or at work
  • CinderellaMom
    CinderellaMom Posts: 22
    For me, I prefer to enter my food as I am going to eat it- but I have friends who do it in the morning and at the end of the day too..... :)
  • DanOhh
    DanOhh Posts: 1,806 Member
    I enter my food in throughout the day the majority of time (99%) but the times that I did add before I ate it did make me stick to it. So, I could see how it can make you stick to your menu.
  • Cina04
    Cina04 Posts: 609
    I do it while I'm eating - - this way i don't inhale my food lol
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Put my food for breakfast, lunch and snacks up till dinner in the morning before I go to work, and then my dinner and snacks after dinner
  • RunnerMama262
    RunnerMama262 Posts: 2
    Just before I eat, just to be sure I dont go over.... its nice having the phone app too!
  • sallyLunn
    sallyLunn Posts: 381
    I find it nice to enter things before I put something in my mouth. Seeing how many calories there are in some things has really helped me make better choices about what to eat.
  • krislew
    krislew Posts: 46 Member
    I add my meals in the day before..that way I know how many calories I can afford on snacks, if needed. If I added them as I ate then I would eat all my calories for breakfast!!!!

    ETA: if needed I obviously make changes throughout the day.

    Also I add my breakfast first...since it's the same every day. Then I figure out my dinner....and that is how I figure out what I can eat for lunch...because lunch is my most flexible meal.
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
    I usually enter it as I go along. I have an office job so it's easy for me to do it that way. I might plan my lunch and supper early in the day and enter it in the morning. But usually it's just before I'm about to eat or shortly after that I enter in my food.
  • tmcowan
    tmcowan Posts: 322 Member
    I add my food as I eat it. Since I do my the majority of my exercising at night I have no problems staying below calorie intake but don't eat all of my exercise calories because it's too late.
  • bluiz13
    bluiz13 Posts: 3,550 Member
    i entered my breakfast and my lunch first thing in the morning so i know where i am for the day....i pack my lunch everyday and we have been planning dinners for 3 weeks so i "know" what i am having for food every day....if things change through out the day but for the most part i have my journal "done" before i eat my lunch...but i dont close it out until the end of the day just in case i add a snack or change a food....
  • Rugbychick16
    Rugbychick16 Posts: 183 Member
    I put all my planned meals in in the morning. Sometimes if I don't know what were having I leave it blank until later in the day, but I leave enough calories for a meal. I also try to leave a few extra calories incase I want an evening snack! :flowerforyou:
  • jaylu
    jaylu Posts: 158
    i do it in the morning or sometimes the night before, this way i can pre make and pre weigh my lunch and snacks for work. it takes the hassle out of the day and knowing what food i can look forward to. if i ate and then logged at the end of the day i think i would over eat and be shocked and disappointed and then it would be too late to do anything about it and id have to go to bed feeling bad!
  • GinaB30
    GinaB30 Posts: 725 Member
    Unless I am out and away from the computer, I enter it as soon as I eat it..=o)
  • alyssashoop
    alyssashoop Posts: 3
    I put mine down in the morning.That way, it helps me know how many calories I have left for the day or how many carlories I need to burn with exercise when I get home from work. It also makes me stick to what I put down and not stray when I am feeling like I want to eat something else. To each their own though. :-)
  • k2charmed4u
    k2charmed4u Posts: 282
    I have the iphone app so I like to put my food in as or just after I'm eating it. It's very handy when you're eating out or at work

    Me too. I have the iphone app and update it everytime I have anything. Keeps on top of it, nothing is missed and makes life so much easier. :bigsmile:
  • nbingham
    nbingham Posts: 102 Member
    I generally put all my calories in after I eat them and just keep a running balance in my head. However, if it's something I'm planning to make that I'm not sure about the calories, I'll put it in so I can find out before possibly making a mistake.
  • fitgirl4life
    fitgirl4life Posts: 111 Member
    I am quite obsessed about logging food...I log all my food for the week on Sundays! It's easy with the "Add recent" function. Then I prepare my meals each morning to take to work. The only meal I don't log in advance is dinner, as that can be variable, but I always know how many calories I have left for dinner (or how much exercise I need to do to earn it!).

    I do it this way for the following reasons:
    1. I know what to put on the grocery list and can ensure I have everything I need in the fridge.
    2. I'm not tempted at all during the day to eat something "off plan". I always have meals/snacks with me so am never hungry.
    3. It is impossible for me to find food to buy on-the-run that fits my nutrition plan. I need 250-300 calories per meal, with a balance of protein and complex carbs. Everything available near work is way too high in calories, fat, sodium, or is just plain fruit or yogurt (no complex carbs!).

    I wrote a blog about this recently:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/fitgirl4life/view/failing-to-plan-is-planning-to-fail-35760


    Everyone has their own methods, but for me, this works. I would constantly stray from my eating plan if I didn't have my food with me, I don't have the willpower to make good (healthy, low calorie) decisions when I'm hungry. So I have to be prepared to never be in that situation.
  • udallmom101
    udallmom101 Posts: 564 Member
    I put my food in my diary before I fix it. Doing it that way makes me feel better as I prepare it, and I know I am doing the best I can for my body.
    If I know I am going out to eat somewhere for lunch or dinner, I put that in before I leave. That way I stick to what I put in and I do better when I am out. No appetizer in the Diary, I skip it at the restaurant.
    You just have to find what works best for you.
  • Pinky_Calhoun
    Pinky_Calhoun Posts: 125 Member
    When I pre-plan my meals BEFORE....If I haven't pre-planned then DURING (while I'm eating).
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
    I put all my meals in at the beginning of the day and adjust as I go.
  • Talljinx
    Talljinx Posts: 2
    I too have the iPhone app and I like to put my food in as I'm preparing it or whenever I sit down to eat. I have a hard time remembering exactily what I've eaten if I wait until the end of the day.
  • pfenixa
    pfenixa Posts: 194 Member
    I do a bit of combination and it kinda depends on each day. For example, last night I made a casserole and planned to take leftovers with me for lunch at work today, so I also went ahead and did my breakfast for today so that I could better balance my carbs for the day. I didn't put in any of my snacks and plan to do that as I go along, though some days I plan it all out advance. Either way I have it all in before I head home from work, that way I know how much I have left for dinner.
  • mable10
    mable10 Posts: 39
    i enter everything at the end of the day but i write down everything i eat/drink throughout the day in a journal. i workout in the evenings too so i log that at the same time.
  • JustBeckyV
    JustBeckyV Posts: 182
    I do mine after I have eaten. I am not a great planner lol
  • Buppie
    Buppie Posts: 43
    I enter it after I eat it. A lot of the time, I don't even eat an entire serving of something. This way, I can be as accurate as possible and only enter exactly what I ate.
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