logging after midnight.....

Alegre70
Alegre70 Posts: 13
edited November 2023 in Getting Started
Hey guys/gals, how do you log any food you eat after midnight? I'm a late eater and wonder if I should log it for the current day or the day that starts at midnight?

Replies

  • missmegan831
    missmegan831 Posts: 824 Member
    If I havent been to sleep yet I log it on the current day.. if I go to bed and wake up hungry at like 2 a.m. I log it on that day
  • robabob3
    robabob3 Posts: 79 Member
    Either, makes no difference to me... I prefer to hit my weekly calories rather then daily, this gives me some room to be more flexible with my eating.
  • Kalashnikova73
    Kalashnikova73 Posts: 17 Member
    I log it on the next day after about 11:30
  • ElsaVonMarmalade
    ElsaVonMarmalade Posts: 154 Member
    I get off work at 11:30p and I am often tempted to have something to eat when I get home, even though I'm not actually hungry. I log anything I eat after work on the next day - encourages me to just go to bed and save those calories for when I actually need food.

    On weekends my food diary day lasts from when I get up until when I go to bed, regardless of time.
  • thisisliana
    thisisliana Posts: 3 Member
    next day. annoying, but since I'm not a night worker of any type, it keeps everything more consistent. Especially since my awake hours vary.
  • Alegre70
    Alegre70 Posts: 13
    Interesting!! I don't go to bed till around 3am and I've been logging anything I eat after midnight for the next day....
  • SilverLotusGirl
    SilverLotusGirl Posts: 537 Member
    As long as it all gets logged not sure it really matters when you log it. I personally do my best to log from midnight to 1159 but sometimes I will log on the current day, previous day, next day, depending on time of day and where I need the calories. It all gets accounted for.
  • SherbAliciouS
    SherbAliciouS Posts: 16 Member
    For myself, just to keep it simple, I log it as the next day, if it's after midnight. Otherwise it gets wonky for me, especially when I'm up until 5 am, gaming. I just plan ahead and portion out my caloric intake for the day to go into the night! I guess, as long as you understand your method, and you keep track of your intake, consistently, using the same method, if it works for you, go for it!
  • SherbAliciouS
    SherbAliciouS Posts: 16 Member
    Either, makes no difference to me... I prefer to hit my weekly calories rather then daily, this gives me some room to be more flexible with my eating.

    Absolutely...
  • jhloves2knit
    jhloves2knit Posts: 266 Member
    I've been wondering the same thing, since I don't go to bed until 2 a.m. and am a late night snacker. I log everything I've eaten for the day until I submit my diary. If I snack after that, I feel I have to enter it on the next day or I'd be cheating. Sometimes I don't have a lot of calories left the next day. It's easier if I don't do that.
  • RebekahR84
    RebekahR84 Posts: 794 Member
    I'm a 3rd shifter, so my breakfast is around 4:30pm. So I keep it all on one day, even after midnight. I go to bed typically around 7:30am, so anything after waking up gets logged on the next day. I've tried a few different ways at doing this, and this is the best, simplest way for me to do it.
  • sabromley13
    sabromley13 Posts: 18
    Hi there

    You will need to start a new day before 12 would be the current day after 12 is a new day, keeps everything in check, hope this helps.

    Shelley
  • reviewboy
    reviewboy Posts: 13
    I tossed the typical breakfast lunch dinner snack labels for "before 9, 9-noon, noon-3, 3-6, 6-9. after 9", and anything between 9pm and bedtime (whatever time that is) goes into the After 9p category. Since I'm often still at work after 9pm, and frequently finish at the gym after midnight, it's all about waking hours for me.
  • suzyqbolles
    suzyqbolles Posts: 5 Member
    If you want it on a specific day, you can go into the calendar and go right to the day you need...
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    I log from when I wake up till I go to bed all on one day.
  • jamesbowlin
    jamesbowlin Posts: 10 Member
    This is really up to you and your own personal preference. There's no right or wrong answer here. I myself log everything on the day in which the food was consumed/exercise performed. I don't really think it matters so long as you do log it. As one other poster said I try to concentrate more on my overall weekly goal.
  • ElsaVonMarmalade
    ElsaVonMarmalade Posts: 154 Member
    As long as it all gets logged not sure it really matters when you log it. I personally do my best to log from midnight to 1159 but sometimes I will log on the current day, previous day, next day, depending on time of day and where I need the calories. It all gets accounted for.

    It matters to me b/c if I eat 200 calories when I get home from work and I log it on that day, I'm all "Bummer, I went over! Sure am tired..." and then I get in bed and forget all about it. If I log it on the next day, the minute I look at MFP in the morning I remember that I need to eat 200 calories less that day to make up for the night before. I totally understand why other people don't do this - I'm not saying it's right, just that it's right for me and works for me.
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    Find what works best for your schedule.
    I work graveyard and have my diary renamed with times instead of meal titles so midnight to midnight works best for me.
  • Alegre70
    Alegre70 Posts: 13
    I find it so interesting how everybody has their own way!!
  • dababydollmami
    dababydollmami Posts: 13 Member
    I believe you should do what you feel fits best for you. If you want everything to count as one day log it as one day, if you want midnight to start the next day log it as midnight. Just make sure to stay consistent to avoid confusing and over consumption of calories.

    I personally log everything from the time I wake up till the time I go to sleep as one day, even if I have midnight meals. But like I said this is my personal preference.
  • mike_ny
    mike_ny Posts: 351 Member
    If it's before I go to sleep, I record it under the previous day. I figure whether I ate it at 9, 10, 11, or after midnight, it's still a late night meal prior to the end of my virtual day whenever it actually ends. That way I start each day fresh when I awaken.

    As long as you're consistent in how you log it, it really doesn't matter since it all balances out over the week anyway..
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    I log from when I wake up till I go to bed all on one day.

    ^ What I do.
  • PippiNe
    PippiNe Posts: 283 Member
    I log from when I wake up till I go to bed all on one day.

    I do the same. I often am logging after midnight both exercise and food. I always count it as the "prior" day's activity and food intake, as I have not gone to bed yet. I don't know that it really matters to your body what you do, but it makes sense to me to keep it all in the same awake cycle of my day. Otherwise the exercise calories I've eaten back may not be properly reflected if my after midnite workout gets logged the "next" day.
  • nobonbon
    nobonbon Posts: 4 Member
    Using this tool is fun (especially for geeks like me) and it does require the discipline to log food and activity in order to keep me honest and aware of what I'm consuming. But I think as long as you pick what works for your schedule and you're consistent, it doesn't matter. An old friend of mine used to say (apropos of giving people driving directions, but it applies for many things), "Every rat runs its own course".
  • susanhiding
    susanhiding Posts: 88 Member
    When I worked 2nd/3rd shift, my typical day started between 12 - 2 pm and I went to bed between 4 - 6 am, which made logging super annoying. So since I live in the Eastern time zone, I decided to switch it to Pacific time. So on mfp my day wouldn't end until 4 am.

    So basically I logged in everything the day before.
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