Considering changing my MFP food categories

nentecular
nentecular Posts: 101 Member
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

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