Pre-logging entire food day vs log at end of day?
Options
Replies
-
I always pre-log on the days that I work. I usually log as I go on my days off with my goals in mind.0
-
i log before each meal, but not the whole day. the only thing i dont pre-log is snacks, because they are typically under 100 cals. i dont long the whole day because my schedule changes too much, and with 3 kids, i never REALLY know what is going to happen LOL. i've had too many surprise trips to the emergency room and missed meals and/or ate something different to log too far out. so i usually log while i'm cooking.0
-
I pre-log whatever my big meal is likely to be for that day, then adjust the rest of the day around that and whatever exercise I manage to squeeze in. Usually it's dinner, because I generally plan family dinners and shop for the week in advance, so I pre-log those each morning when I add my breakfast. Or if I know I'll be going out for lunch, I look up menus and do a rough log of what I intend to eat, then make sure there are salad ingredients in the fridge for dinner.
If I don't pre-log, I inevitably find myself overdoing it at breakfast/lunch, so I get stuck eating a smaller dinner with no room for my evening glass of wine and handful of nuts or square of dark chocolate--and those are crucial to my sanity! I know full well that I'm an evening snacker, and any routine that forbids that would be unsustainable for me. With pre-logging, I'm always careful to leave about 250-300 calories for the end of the day, and I don't feel deprived at all.
However, I do think it's a good idea to post-log for a few weeks when you first start MFP, just to see what your normal patterns are, where you're typically overdoing it, and where you can make adjustments to accommodate whatever is important to you--whether it's a big breakfast, lunch with the office gang, or your evening beverage.0 -
I usually pre-log my days, but I don't always stick to exactly what I logged. Sometimes the foods are the same, but the amounts change. Sometimes I'll eat something right before I lift and end up having to alter my dinner plans. In the beginning, it was helpful for me to stick to exactly what I logged because I mostly just cared about calories back then. Now that I have macro goals and follow IIFYM, I've gotten pretty good at adjusting things on the fly, so I don't feel bound to what I planned out first thing that morning.0
-
I always pre-log my family's dinner, then figure out my breakfast and lunch based on my remaining calories. Pre-logging also let's you make decisions on guilty pleasures through the day. It let's me decide whether I can have that 190 calorie candy bar and still eat dinner. ????0
-
As long as you're logging you're doing it right. Mon-Fri I tend to pre-log in the morning. On the weekends I log as I go.0
-
Personally, I prelog, it helps keep me accountable.0
-
Everyone is different for sure. I'm going to feel restricted if i pre-log. I'm fairly new but I see that it is a learning process. I'm getting better and better at making good choices on the fly having gotten a "feel" from logging in the last 5 weeks after each meal. I'm learning what a portion is and how food choices affect my macros. I like remaining flexible and choosing as the day goes and am happy with what i'm learning along the way! This is such a personal preference and probably should be a trial and error thing....For me, it would be a chore to pre-log and plan out meals in advance.0
-
what is your macro %?0
-
I try and prelog mine. That doesn't mean that I stick to it to the tee but when I go off of it I change and update it. I find that if I don't prelog then I have awful eating days. But like most said its what works for you.0
-
I log what I plan to eat that day, I prefer this way as I am a late night picker so if I leave enough calories over from the day then I know the night time fridge hits wont make a dent in the overall calories in/out.
Some day I don't log at all, like saturdays & sundays, my eating is sporadic & as i do a lot of cooking at weekends I tend to nibble & gave up trying to log that, so pre-log Mon-Fri with end of day adjustments & no logging at all at weekends.
You just have to find what works for you0 -
I do better when I pre-log. That just means that I have already got my food ready for the day. Most post logging days end up being bad.0
-
I recently (about a month ago) started pre-logging my day and packing my snacks and lunches according to that. It also forced me to plan my dinner ahead. This has helped me tremendously in sticking to my daily limit which is also 1500 and it forces me to re-consider any unhealthy snacks I might want to eat during the day as that would take away from dinner or the healthy snack choices I packed. It will also help you keep an eye on your macros if you prelog, I for example suck at staying at my sugar intake And another thing I love about this is being able to change things before eating. So let's say you prelog your day and you realize there are way too many carbs in it, change what you had planned to make for dinner. Or if you see you need much more protein, change your snack to hit the protein macro.
This.0 -
I log when i prepare it - I never know what lunch will be until I see what the chef at work has put out (on days where the main just doesn't work for me like perogies I stick to a salad with hard boiled egg). I could probably prelog breakfasts for a month but i just do it while I eat. I log Dinner once I make it, but work to a plan in my head (I pre-plan the week in y head when i shop, if I have a heavy lunch I have a lighter dinner and vice versa) . When I eat the main meals I take into account I want room to snack at night.0
-
I pre-log, but it isn't set in stone. I like to plan my meals a couple days in advance now, but if I change my mind and decide I want something else it's no big deal.0
-
I prelog M-F...usually 2 or three days in advance. I know what is in my freezer and when my husband will be home for dinner...(he does shift work).
It makes it easier for me to hit my macros and keep in check. I just have to learn to prelog on the weekends...:laugh:
It can change tho...for example last night we were suppose to have dry garlic pork...husband forgot to buy it...no biggy we still had pork...0 -
I log every morning except Sunday's my rest day but complete it at night cause somethings can change.0
-
I pre-log everything thru lunch and when I decide what I am going to eat for dinner I log it before I begin cooking to make sure I have enough calories left to eat what I planned. I find this works best for me. I need the structure.0
-
I have to log as I go, or prelog, or I have no idea how many calories I have left for the day and can't plan my snacks accordingly. I'll prelog what I know I will eat (like if I know what's for dinner, I'll prelog it), but I adjust before I eat it (I know I'm going to have chicken for example, but I don't know exactly how much, so if I prelog before I eat it, I know I can have more or less veggies with it etc).
If I logged everything at the end of the day I'd probably be over every time, or my macros would be totally wrong or something. My diary is a tool, it's a bit pointless if I don't use it for actually planning my meals and snacks.0 -
I've always logged my meals as soon as possible right after I eat them. Except for breakfast, I don't always know what I want to eat that day or what DH wants for dinner so pre-logging wouldn't work for me. I can see how it would come in handy for others though. As for the end of the day method, I have so much going on all day and my memory isn't always the best, so I'm afraid I'd forget something if I tried to do it that way. o.O hehe
Whatever logging method helps to keep you accurate, consistent, and stay within your calorie budget is the best option. :flowerforyou:0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 393 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 938 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions