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Considering changing my MFP food categories

nentecular
nentecular Posts: 101 Member
edited February 17 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm considering editing my MFP food categories so that they relate to time of day rather than specific meals, just so I can track what times of day I'm eating.

Has anyone else done this? What time brackets did you choose?

Here are my initial planned categories.

02:00 - 10:00
10:00 - 15:00
15:00 - 20:00
20:00 - 02:00
«1

Replies

  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    I've done this, but I've got 6 meals and you seem to have yours set up as if you'll be having complicated eating patterns over the 24hrs.
  • nentecular
    nentecular Posts: 101 Member
    No, I don't really have complicated patterns. Breakfast varies from 07:45 weekdays to 11:00 on weekends but lunch and dinner are generally the same times. I was just picking wide windows.

    What are your six brackets, I'm interested to see them.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    a.m.
    noon–4
    4–7
    after 7
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I have 6 - breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    0400-0800
    Add Food Quick Tools
    0800-1100
    Add Food Quick Tools
    1100-1400
    Add Food Quick Tools
    1400-1700
    Add Food Quick Tools
    1700-2000
    Add Food Quick Tools
    2000-0000
  • HealthyishWithMaggieG
    HealthyishWithMaggieG Posts: 397 Member
    I keep really weird, inconsistent hours (working nights, sleeping days mostly), so I have my categories broken up over the whole 24-hour clock.

    0600-0959 (6am-9:59am)
    1000-1359 (10am-1:59pm)
    1400-1759 (2pm-5:59pm)
    1800-2159 (6pm-9:59pm)
    2200-0159 (10pm-1:59am)
    0200-0559 (2am-5:59am)

    Since I have my times set up like this and the MFP clock resets on the website at 3am EDT and 12midnight EDT on the app and I frequently eat late at night/early in the morning, I frequently have to remember to switch back to "yesterday" to add my food or exercise, to get it added to the correct day. It works for me, though.
  • bumblebeez86
    bumblebeez86 Posts: 208 Member
    I have 6 - breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack.

    This
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    This is how mine is labeled:
    Breakfast
    2nd Breakfast
    Elevenses
    Luncheon
    Afternoon Tea
    Dinnner & Supper

    Forgot to add, since I work weird hours, I generally just track over a 24 hr period.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    I have 6 - breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack.

    Me too.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    I have a strange schedule so it eventually became simpler for me to just have 1 category for the whole day and log 12am-12am. It makes things simpler as I'm not stuck trying to decide what meal to put what I was eating under.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    I have a strange schedule so it eventually became simpler for me to just have 1 category for the whole day and log 12am-12am. It makes things simpler as I'm not stuck trying to decide what meal to put what I was eating under.

    This was also one of the reasons I chose time for names. You just put it into the slot in which you ate it, no catagorising required.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    I just use 1,2,3,4,5,6

    My schedule is all over the place. I don't like the time thing, because I tend to eat a lot more in the evening. I may only have breakfast and a snack before 6 pm, and then eat the remainder of my calories between 6 and bed time. Using numbers allows me to still separate each meal and snack, no matter if they are equally spaced throughout the day, or condensed into the evening/nighttime hours.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    I added a booze category :blushing: :drinker:
  • slacker80
    slacker80 Posts: 235 Member
    shakes - Carnivore - Complex/wholesome - tasty junk - general - Supps

    this works best for me. all my crazy meal patterns are easier to access and save for future use.
  • SueGeer
    SueGeer Posts: 1,169 Member
    Rise & Shine 6am-9am
    Brekkie 9am-12pm
    Lunch 12pm-3pm
    Afternoon Shift 3pm-6pm
    Dinner 6pm-9pm
    Wind Down Zone 9pm -12am
  • usernamekelly1
    usernamekelly1 Posts: 1,941 Member
    I have mine set to
    6am-10am
    10am-noon
    12pm-4pm
    4pm-7pm
    7pm-9pm
    After 9pm

    It works with my schedule
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    I work night shift so my diary is broken into four blocks of time.

    0000-0600
    0600-1200
    1200-1800
    1800-0000
  • billingbear
    billingbear Posts: 5
    This is how mine is labeled:
    Breakfast
    2nd Breakfast
    Elevenses
    Luncheon
    Afternoon Tea
    Dinnner & Supper

    Awesomeness
  • Slim_strategy
    Slim_strategy Posts: 199
    This is how mine is labeled:
    Breakfast
    2nd Breakfast
    Elevenses
    Luncheon
    Afternoon Tea
    Dinnner & Supper

    Forgot to add, since I work weird hours, I generally just track over a 24 hr period.

    hah this reminded me of hobbits ^-^
  • kar328
    kar328 Posts: 4,159 Member
    I work night shift so my diary is broken into four blocks of time.

    0000-0600
    0600-1200
    1200-1800
    1800-0000

    I work 12 hour nights, so I do the same six hour blocks. It also works well on my days off.
  • Rose6300
    Rose6300 Posts: 232 Member
    I did this to add one more "snack" as I tend to eat smaller amounts 6-7 times a day. One thing to be aware of, it will mess up your old entries when you do this. If that doesn't bother you, no problem, but it bothered me so I went back and changed 6 weeks of entries to fit my new format. :explode:
  • healthylifehappywife8914
    healthylifehappywife8914 Posts: 36
    I get up early even on weekends so I use these times:

    6 AM-10 AM
    10 AM to 2 PM
    2 PM to 6 PM
    6 PM to 10 PM

    I generally go to bed by 10 on weeknights and I don't usually eat past ten even on weekends, so I stop my times at 10 PM. I'm never in bed past 8 AM, so even on weekend, it works to have my first category end at 10 AM
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
    One thing to be aware of, it will mess up your old entries when you do this.

    Yes - I changed mine from the original state, to just one giant "all the things" meal - and it messed up all my old entries - even my calorie totals. I track elsewhere as well so I didn't care, but def need to be aware of it.
  • moviestarsara
    moviestarsara Posts: 66
    I have 6 - breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack.

    I do this too. Love it.
  • zenalasca
    zenalasca Posts: 563 Member
    Breakfast
    Drinks
    Lunch
    Treat
    Dinner
    Other (like supplements)
  • Meredith8684
    Meredith8684 Posts: 681 Member
    I have <8, 8-12, 12-4, and >4.
  • Bianca42
    Bianca42 Posts: 310 Member
    Breakfast
    Lunch
    Dinner
    Snacks before dinner
    Snacks after dinner
  • EMTFreakGirl
    EMTFreakGirl Posts: 597 Member
    I do 3 categories; Supplements (like my protein shakes/bars and such), Lean and Green ("real" food/meals), and extras (my snacks and condiments)
    As you can tell by my screen name, I am a paramedic and work very strange hours. Sometimes 12's, 24's or 36's....sometimes just on call for days!!!!! It became to difficult to fit food into times, so I choose to do categories and track over the 24 hour day. Do what works for you. :drinker:
  • branbuds
    branbuds Posts: 624 Member
    I'm considering editing my MFP food categories so that they relate to time of day rather than specific meals, just so I can track what times of day I'm eating.

    I didn't even know this could be done. Thanks for bringing this up.
    And congrats to everyone in this discussion who work nights/varied shifts and still manage to lose weight!! Wow!
  • cstringfellow2013
    cstringfellow2013 Posts: 172 Member
    This is how mine is labeled:
    Breakfast
    2nd Breakfast
    Elevenses
    Luncheon
    Afternoon Tea
    Dinnner & Supper

    Forgot to add, since I work weird hours, I generally just track over a 24 hr period.

    LOVE LOVE LOVE
This discussion has been closed.

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