We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

When do you put your food in diary?

suziblues2000
suziblues2000 Posts: 515 Member
edited September 2024 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!
«1

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.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories