Do you track calories before or after you've had your meal?

misshpn
misshpn Posts: 70 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been wondering about this for a bit. How many of y'all plan ahead? Do you think there's any negative side to doing so? I do it, because I'm scared of eating too much and ruining the balance of my meals. Hate to end up with too few calories for dinner.
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Replies

  • sarahyourprincess
    sarahyourprincess Posts: 36 Member
    I tend to track before I eat if I can.
    That way I know if I'm making a good decision or not, and if I don't have the calories for what I want, I can either shift some snacks or other meals to accomodate it, or make a healthier decision.
  • rhondatime2chg
    rhondatime2chg Posts: 92 Member
    I do both. I usually track my breakfast, snack, and lunch early in the morning and plan ahead for those meals. But dinner, I'm never sure what we are going to have, so I don't track that one in advance.
  • kristieshannon
    kristieshannon Posts: 160 Member
    I track my entire day in advance on most days-the exception being when I'm planning a meal out. On days I do track ahead of time I go back and make adjustments as needed.
  • ThePlight
    ThePlight Posts: 3,593 Member
    I tend to do it "while" I'm having my meal lol.
    However, if I am planning on eating something that I've been craving badly, I note them BEFORE and make sure my measurements on intake are correct. For healthier items, I don't track them right away, usually do it on the next meal.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    during the week i log in the morning as we do a menu of what we are having for our evening meal and i usually take lunch that i make the nigh tbefore, and then can add extra snacks in the evening depending how many cals i haave left - i workout after work so get a few more cals then.

    on a weekend, i log through the day as i eat, or at the end of the day, but i keep a mental note as i have been on here long enough to have a rough idea how many cals i have eaten.
  • majica8
    majica8 Posts: 210 Member
    I sometimes track my entire week in advance. Normally it's just the day though, or breakfast and lunch for a few days but no dinner until that day.
    For the most part I'll try to track ahead, doesn't always happen. Usually it's if/when we go out that I don't track ahead, but I still have a rough idea of then numbers in my head.
  • sunsetzen
    sunsetzen Posts: 268 Member
    I track my week in advance. I meal plan for a week, and it helps me keep everythingbAlanced and I can see where I can add in snacks when/if I want.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    I plug in what I know each morning. This maybe leaves a few gaps, but it gives me a steer of whether I need to add in more protein, or ease off on the sugar.

    I cant think of any negatives about planning ahead - it's easy enough to take something out if you dont actually eat it.
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    I generally log each day the night before. I plug in my daily treat first and plan my macros around it. :bigsmile:
  • lucan07
    lucan07 Posts: 509
    I enter calories accurately as I prepare each meal as for worrying about enough calories for dinner if I happen to be short then 20 mins on elliptical while it cooks would give me sufficient exercise calories to maintain my deficit.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    depends.

    I eat more or less the same every day, so i know more or less how many cals i'll be using.

    if i am eating out, eating somethign out of the ordinary etc, then i'll pre-log.

    if i find myself starting to graze mindlessly, then i'll pre-log and that usually helps me to stop.
  • t1954
    t1954 Posts: 81 Member
    I log them after the meals while it is still fresh
  • thatbelinda
    thatbelinda Posts: 94 Member
    I track my entire day in advance on most days-the exception being when I'm planning a meal out. On days I do track ahead of time I go back and make adjustments as needed.

    Exactly this :)
  • Ithina1
    Ithina1 Posts: 93 Member
    I plan most of my day in advance. I find this helps me stay on track and I am less hungry. I don't plan my whole day because sometimes things pop up, like a birthday cake at work. I want to be able to indulge in those sorts of things while staying within my calorie goals.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    I do it before. That way I have no choice but to stick to it.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I track as I eat typically. My days are pretty steady tho. I try and work it so I have calories after my dinner so if I want I can have ice cream...or cookies etc.

    But that being said I typically know what I am having for lunch and supper before it's time so I can put in my food in the morning but if I change my mind I adjust intake accordingly.
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
    I usually log everything I've ate before I've had it, but the only time I don't is if I know it will in my calories for the day.
  • DivaLuvsDisney
    DivaLuvsDisney Posts: 75 Member
    I usually plan out my day over my morning coffee. I'm a creature of habit and tend to eat the same things day to day for breakfast, lunch and evening snack. I've built up a good amount of recipes using the recipe builder on this site so can easily add dinner in too. I like knowing what I have remaining for calories the rest of the day.
  • MrsBozz1
    MrsBozz1 Posts: 248 Member
    BEFORE!!!! Nothing goes into my mouth until I log it!! That way I can't mess myself up. I always know where I'm at. I don't log days in advance but every meal and a lot of the time the whole day. Keeps me straight! Just what works for me :flowerforyou:
  • MandyMason7
    MandyMason7 Posts: 185 Member
    Usually before, I try to pre-log my day, if for some reason I don't stick to it and I add something or subtract something that's done whenever I decide to change it. It's very rare for me to eat something before tracking it.
  • katbirdinpa
    katbirdinpa Posts: 105
    I plan my food and track after Ive measured and eaten my food
  • Sovictorrious
    Sovictorrious Posts: 770 Member
    I add as i eat.
  • Rosieannaxo
    Rosieannaxo Posts: 129
    I usually log the night before so I have a food plan the next day. Sometimes, I change it up but usually I don't. I like knowing that I don't have to worry about calculations and whatnot the next day
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    After I completed my meals. Most of the time I have only a vague idea of what I am going to prepare/eat before I step into the kitchen.
  • NavyKnightAh13
    NavyKnightAh13 Posts: 1,394 Member
    I add as i eat.

    This. My husband and I split who makes the meal so I never know what will be for dinner. As far as other meals, I log it as I eat it so this way I don't feel guilty for eating.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I always planned out my day and pre-logged everything. Easy to stay on track that way and also make sure I'm hitting all of my macro goals. Adjustments were rare, but I made them as necessary.
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    I like to log in advance so I can tweak it if I need to. Sometimes I do the whole day; sometimes just before I have the meal. Sometimes after, but that rarely works out well.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I've been wondering about this for a bit. How many of y'all plan ahead? Do you think there's any negative side to doing so? I do it, because I'm scared of eating too much and ruining the balance of my meals. Hate to end up with too few calories for dinner.

    I definitely plan ahead, but I also leave room for an occasional treat. I have been known to replace a planned snack with something else, therefore I will change it in my diary when I do.

    At work, I don't eat anything but what I've logged in, which is whatever is in my lunchbox I bring from home.
  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
    Both. I enter what I'm planning to have so my food is spread out over the day & I know what I'll be eating. I go through and make sure what I ate is the same as what was planned after the meals & at the end of the day.

    Sometimes I change what I am having or the amount. For example, tonight my chicken breast weighed less than the last time I had it so I changed it.
  • Elpaw4mbv
    Elpaw4mbv Posts: 43 Member
    After. I tend to obsess about what I plan to eat if I log it first. I plan out the week's menu on Sundays but I only log what actually goes in my mouth. My goal is to stop thinking about food all the time and try to be more of an eat to live vs. a live to eat kind of person.

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