I don't plan the meals per se, but when I put a meal together, I pay attention to how the macros come out so that it is not a shocker. At the beginning, for about a month I had to plan....it was my learning period. Once I got the hang of it, I could then just open the fridge door and build a meal appropriately.

I would say I sorta do, without it I don't think I could make it work. I have my lunches packed 3-5 days ahead of time.

And then, when it comes to dinner, my fiance and I try to find a happy median in what we eat (he isn't low carb, he likes his steak and...potatoes), so generally, we will make a meal and the side will be different, or I'll just pull the meat out of it, the veggies I want, and make my side dish with the veggies, while he devours the rest (he eats more than me anyway). He refuses to eat leftovers, says he doesn't like them :grumble: , and since being on Keto, we're finding with the way we make dinner, we no longer have them because we don't make as much and are more cautious. This being becasue before, on most nights we would incorporate somehow into each dinner a meat, a surplus of veggies + bread/pasta = large meal for both of us& leftover that I sometimes ate, so now we just make less of those two. So we're also saving money. Our grocery bill dropped 80-100 bucks a month. (not including dining out, which has decreased significantly).

As well, just as Smedynski said, I always have keto friendly snacks around.

I often find myself thinking, 'Ok, I had this for breakfast, so I know I'll need more fat/protein....so I'll have this for a snack'.

I didn't really plan the first time I tried Keto.. and well, I think that was the coffin nail that got me off track when the holidays and my crazy (or even crazier, I should say) work schedule came about this fall.

That's the biggest reason I joined myfitnesspal this time around was to plan my meals a few days in advance. That way I know I get the macros right so I can pack up meals and snacks for 10-12 hrs of work at night and not HAVE to think "how much fat do I still need today, how many carbs do I have left, etc." It keeps me out of the cafeteria and vending machines, evil, trash spewing things that they are, and on the straight and narrow.

I eat breakfast and lunch at work, and keep the same stuff in the freezer every week, so I always know what I'm having. Dinners can get a bit pre-planned, yeah. Not in a bad way, but just a "we need x ingredients if we want these recipes throughout the week, we have to go shopping".