log in food before or after?

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  • kendra1976
    kendra1976 Posts: 90 Member
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    I do it before I eat it..
  • dogdaze
    dogdaze Posts: 110 Member
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    There are no hard and fast rules. I do both depending on circumstances. However, when temptation strikes, there is nothing like calculating the calories you are thinking of consuming to make you think again!

    I never log exercise until it is completed.....
  • lesleyuk
    lesleyuk Posts: 57
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    I log in after every meal/snack if I can that way I make sure its all down there, and only log excercise I have done. I never log excercise that is part of my daily life like cleaning or stuff I do at work like moving boxes. I tend to over estimate my food portions (hardly ever weigh anything) and under estimate my excercise.
  • ChubbieTubbie
    ChubbieTubbie Posts: 481 Member
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    I log it all in the morning, and then I use that as a guideline for what to eat for the day. If I don't eat all of my meal, I come back and edit it, or if I decide I have enough calories left for a snack, I come back and add it then. It's a lot easier to stick to a plan than it is to realize you messed up somewhere after the fact!
    I only log exercise after complete, though.
  • lethalbanana
    lethalbanana Posts: 17 Member
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    I log my breakfast and my lunch since I pack my lunch and know what I'll be eating. Then when I come home I'll log whatever I have for dinner.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    I log everything I eat just afterward so I don't forget anything. Having the MFP App on my iPhone helps a lot with this since I can enter food into my diary any time or anywhere. I don't really plan my meals beyond knowing where I stand for the day as far as calories left for the day. Then again, I'm not really on a "diet", I'm on a calorie budget.
    [/quote]



    I like that thought "i'm not on a diet i'm on a calorie budget"...I'm going to use that
  • lina1131
    lina1131 Posts: 2,246 Member
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    Monday - Friday - I know what i'm going to eat for the day and log it in the morning. Sometimes i'm not sure about dinner, but i'll know how many calories I have left and can plan accordingly.

    Sat and Sun - I log as I eat lol
  • dragonfly__
    dragonfly__ Posts: 172 Member
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    I try to log in all my food for the day before I eat it. It helps me to stay on track. If I know I will go over with my choices I can switch things up and try to keep it under my goal. If I log it in after I eat then it is too late to make any improvements. That is the norm. Sometimes I have to wait until after, and sometimes when I have waited until after I don't log it at all because I know I have been "naughty" and I just don't want to face it!:sad:
  • Kappa124
    Kappa124 Posts: 24
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    I like to log it as soon as I make/get whatever it is I'm eating. I don't like logging it ahead of time as it makes me feel restricted as to what i'm allowed to have for the day.
  • abbracadabra
    abbracadabra Posts: 33
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    I log before for the most part because I Preplan EVERYTHING!! But allow myself a fair amount of play so I choose what I want for snacks and post workout food.
  • bebby
    bebby Posts: 18
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    I find planning out my food and exercise first thing in the morning helps to keep me on track. This especially helps if I'm going out for a special occasion - then I know how much room I have for special treats like dessert and drinks.

    This has worked best for me and now makes me more aware on the days when I don't track as I have a better idea as to the food's calorie content.
  • KarenBorter
    KarenBorter Posts: 1,157 Member
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    Personally I log before I eat it so I know what is going in before it goes in. I also try to plan my next day's meals the night before (or at the very least breakfast, lunch and snacks). This gives me a good indication of what calories (etc) I have "left over" for dinner/desert and how much I need to burn during my workouts so I have enough to use in the evening (I use a HRM so I am pretty accurate on this). Planning is TOUGH but it's worth it!
  • Paige1108
    Paige1108 Posts: 432 Member
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    I try to add everything in the morning or the night before. This really gives me a tool to use against an food urges that may come up in the day. That tempting treat can pull at me all it wants, but I feel strong when I can say, "Your not in my plan for today, maybe tomorrow I'll add you, but today no". If I'm still thinking about this pesky little treat that night I'll add it to the plan for the next day. But I find that most of the time it was just an urge of the moment and I'm just as happy to have not eaten it.

    You'll find a way that works for you. my only actual recommendation would be to make sure you log everything. Good luck on your journey.
  • josparkle
    josparkle Posts: 141 Member
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    I tend to log my breakfast and mid-morning snacks as they are usually pretty much the same each day. I then work out how much lunch is going to be by playing around with the database. Then I log the actual food eaten or amend it if I've left it in the sytem later. Then I play around with the cals for dinner to work out what is possible based on what's left and any exercise that I've done. Its very flexible plus I have a good idea of how many cals etc I've allocated for each meal and usually a little in reserve in case I'm tempted by an extra snack or glass of wine. .

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