Do you plan your meals?

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  • Four_Leaf_Clover
    Four_Leaf_Clover Posts: 332 Member
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    I generally plan our dinners (at least 6 days worth ) one whole month at a time. We have theme nights - like Mondays are soup in the winter and salad in the summer, Tuesday is Kid's choice, Wed is crockpot, etc. It takes time to make the monthly schedule, but then each week I know what I am making and can shop for it. It also gives a good amount of variety.

    We almost never get take out anymore because I always have a plan. And we get home cooked meals, which our easier to measure, log, control, etc.

    I do a fair bit of prelogging when I can and it always works out great - esp. for meeting macros.
  • errollmaclean
    errollmaclean Posts: 562 Member
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    I like to prelog and make sure everything fits. I also do a cook day and make about a months worth of dinners, with a few different options, and freeze them in ziplock containers. Mostly just as a time saver. Luckily I'm not one of those people that need lots of variety!
  • d4rkkn16ht
    d4rkkn16ht Posts: 77 Member
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    I want to plan my food weekly, but my wife is an impulsive eater.
    So I plan my food daily.
  • ninav1980
    ninav1980 Posts: 514 Member
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    I try to
    Go to grocery store Sunday and plan out Monday-Friday
    It makes it so much easier to just sit back and relax knowing I am within my goals for the day when I am eating
  • Leggylass
    Leggylass Posts: 215
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    I have tried just watching what im doing throughout the day and totting it up by the end of the day,.. that didnt work so tried planning out the whole day.. im thinking maybe i should measure weight out and cook everything for the week and freeze.. im just ending up picking bits in a rush otherwise and not quite making my calories up ..im not going over my calories, just ending up blowing my sugar sodium or fat out of the window :P
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,567 Member
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    I try. It's interesting to do so in a household of 6, including 4 kids ages 14 to nearly 9. Fresh fruits, veggies, lean meats and fish are killer hits to our budget, even with bulk and sale shopping, heh. Not to mention, during the school year, planning around JV volleyball, two soccer players and a robotics club kid.
  • aeb09
    aeb09 Posts: 424 Member
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    On Fridays I look up recipes I want to try and make a grocery list based off what I have and what I need, then I go through my staples and add anything I'm low on and go grocery shopping Saturday mornings. I plan the meals I want to make but I don't plan which days I want to make them, it's more what I feel like making for dinner each night. I do pre-log before eating to make sure my macros fit my plan.
  • nam985
    nam985 Posts: 140 Member
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    I am super anal retentive and tend to plan everything out for a week at a time. It makes it easy for me to stay on track, both in terms of kcal/macros and budget. I decide what I am going to make for the next week, cross reference with my fridge/pantry/freezer contents, then hit up the grocery store to pick up the things I will need. I actually have an Excel spreadsheet where I keep track of what I have on hand (yes, I am that Type A), which makes it easy to figure out what I will need to buy, and helps eliminate having random things languishing at the bottom of the freezer or in the back of the pantry.

    Since I have a crazy schedule, I tend to make dinners that will give me leftovers for a day or two, or that can be quickly reworked into new dishes (e.g. leftover grilled chicken breast and rice becomes fried rice or burritos). I pack my lunches the night before, mostly so I can enjoy the extra 10-15 minutes of sleep.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    At the moment, I have the same thing for breakfasts on weekdays (porridge), and on Sundays I cook my lunches and have the same thing each day and on the weekly shop hubster and I pick the meals we're going to have on weeknights with consideration given to what commitments we have etc.

    Weekends tend to be fair game.

    I don't plan them calorie wise, but I have a range of calories that I'm happy to have lunches within and I know that with dinners I can make whatever we choose fit in my calories.

    That's me also. Standard workday breakfast (cottage cheese, fruit, coffee), standard weekend brunch (eggs, ham, toast, cheese, fruit). Standard workday lunch (chicken breast w/ salad greens, tomato, avocado or chicken breast w/ couscous or leftover dinner veggies or chicken wrap). Dinner varies, but usually 600-800cals. I don't really do "snacks" because my meals are pretty filling. And I can usually make room for the occasional (2-3x/wk) dessert.

    And I pre-cook on Saturday or Sunday.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
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    I plan Monday through Saturday on Sunday. I eat the same things in cycles. I'm on a sammich kick Now. a few weeks ago it was pizza before that nachos.
  • IllustratedxGirl
    IllustratedxGirl Posts: 240 Member
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    Yes! I create a meal plan for the week, buy all of the groceries, and plan certain recipes on certain workout days. Love it
  • Sofaa1
    Sofaa1 Posts: 19
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    I usually plan my meals one day ahead at night time so that I can fit in my macros :)
  • TheMotivator123
    TheMotivator123 Posts: 194
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    I plan my meals 3 days out. I cook Sun for mon-wed and cook wed for thur-sat
  • paulperryman
    paulperryman Posts: 839 Member
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    almost at ultimate goal, and yes i do still plan and calorie count almost everything, i don't go totall anal OCD over every single calorie

    I plan atleast my next days breakfast, morning, lunch and after gym meals. Tea is open and on the fly.
    sometimes usually only on a sunday i plan 2 days meals and log them so i know what i can work with.

    My meals are easy and fairly generic so it's not too hard, every meal comprises some form of protein & vegetables.
    Breakfasts i rotate between egg fritata (eggs, milk, capsicum, mushrooms and multigrain bread), Quick Oats/Oat Clusters, Sultana Bran and Weetbix,

    2-3 Protein shakes a day plus 3+ cups of green tea, those are a staple.
  • Archer9304
    Archer9304 Posts: 113 Member
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    As a full time student I have a pretty tight schedule and I don't want to worry about planning food. On Sunday, I plan my whole week ahead. And then just follow it, and make neccessary changes if need be. :smile:
  • mhasita
    mhasita Posts: 93 Member
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    Some weeks I cook everything on sundays and pre-log everything, so whenever I feel hungry, I just check up the app and know what to eat.

    Other weeks I just take 30 mins before my workout (right after my pre-workout snack which is always the same) to plan the day.

    Whenever I dont plan I just overeat like crazy. I'm one of those people who needs extreme structure or everything goes to hell.
  • trekkie_bbs
    trekkie_bbs Posts: 64 Member
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    Yes for several reasons.

    1. Helps me figure out what I can eat.
    2. Helps me with grocery list.
    3. Helps me not feel guilty from being forced to go out to eat.
    4. I prefer to know what to expect instead of trying to figure it out last minute.
    5. I have lost over 50 pounds and eat whatever it is I choose to eat good or bad.

    I eat whatever it is I want and have throughout my weight loss so I would know what I can eat. As it is now I know I can eat anything I want as long as I watch the calories however that does not mean I won't gain water weight. I don't consider a temp water weight gain anything to be concerned about especially since I need to buy smaller jeans AGAIN!!! When 32 waist paints are starting to overlap when you use a belt it's time to get smaller jeans I am thinking.

    So yes pre-planning your meals IMO is crucial to success even if you are forced to change it last minute cause you will know what you can eat worst case scenario.
  • Jezebel_Barbie
    Jezebel_Barbie Posts: 198 Member
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    I meal plan for shopping and budget purposes, so I know what meals I'm having for the next two weeks. There's room to switch it about if needed, but I generally stick to that plan. I know my meals will keep me within my calorie allowance without even checking. My life is fairly busy and hectic and things can change on the fly quite a lot, so pre-logging the night before rather than in advance is more sensible for me.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
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    I do weekly meal plans. It saves so much time and hassle when it comes to grocery shopping and cooking!

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