The best way to use the food diary

wewon
wewon Posts: 838 Member
edited September 25 in Food and Nutrition
I've been logging into MFP for about 2 weeks now and have really benefitted from the food diary. It helps me make good choices, modify my eating plans, find trouble spots, phantom calories, ect.

I'm curious how others use the tool.

I personally use it as a budget, meaning I fill it out to the best of my ability in the morning by selecting my breakfast items, lunch (I brown bag it) and my best guess at dinner. I also know my work out routine for that day since I'm training for a 1/2 marathon, so I log my running miles in the morning even though I know that I'll be running in the afternoon.

I adjust things as I need to, delete an item if I don't eat it, or add items if I find that I need to. I also find that it helps me to resist temptation from sweets since I have a "plan" laid out ahead of time. One of the best things is that it keeps me from having a glut of calories at the end of the day so that I know that I may need to break out the almonds in the early afternoon or go for a walk at the end of the day.

Replies

  • tyienna
    tyienna Posts: 39
    I do it pretty much like you do. Like yesterday I went to subway for lunch because I was on the go. Since I only ate about half my sandwich I went back in and changed the serving amount. Doing it like that helps me stay on track.
  • neverrgiveup
    neverrgiveup Posts: 38
    thats the same way I do it :) I love it
  • stred321
    stred321 Posts: 48
    I fill mine in up to a week in advance planning my meals and my exercise and make small changes as I go along! Right now I have entries in there up until next Monday!

    I also use it learn about food and find out how calorific, salty or fattening foods may be. Its also taught me to be accountable for everything that goes into my mouth. I love it!
  • Debbisue52
    Debbisue52 Posts: 87 Member
    I do it that way, most of the time, too. It's good to plan ahead.
  • joycemhall
    joycemhall Posts: 164 Member
    I keep the site up all day while I'm working and generally fill each meal out as I go, but if I have something specific in mind I plan to eat, I'll go ahead and plug it in and get an idea what the calories will be & if it's more than I want, I'll make different choices. I am not organized enough to plan everything out in advance. I wish I was!
  • butterfly_lvr
    butterfly_lvr Posts: 88
    I am home all day, almost everyday and just the two of us here so meal planning is easy. I plan/log my entire days worth of entries - snack choices I set on the side in the fridge so I know what I'm having and if I do change my mind at any point, there is nothing set in stone, delete here/add there - no biggie. BUT for me it helps me to show where my numbers will be for the day based on my food choices and I can see if they are ok or not. I pretty much can do the same for exercise as I know hubby and I will get at least one work out in when he gets home from work and I know at least what I will be doing for that and modifications can be made.
  • mfiggs
    mfiggs Posts: 155 Member
    I do it the same way you do and it keeps me on track!
  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
    I use mine to plan my meals for the next day and to help me stay on track throughout the rest of my pregnancy.
  • Emi_chan
    Emi_chan Posts: 105 Member
    I do it for the same reasons as well. :) I like tracking my foods ahead of time and adjust it accordingly on my phone....it definitely helps to also be connected to the MFP app. I'm also trying to take a different direction - increasing muscle mass and hopefully burning fat faster, naturally. So it's nice that MFP calculates the deficit and how many calories I have left at the end of the day. I can see how close/how far off I am to the net of 1200. I try not to be anywhere below 1200 at this point and MFP definitely helps me do that. :)
  • emrogers
    emrogers Posts: 328 Member
    Exactly. I pack my breakfast, 2 snacks, and lunch. I enter them all in and once I get home and figure out what's for dinner I log that as well. Plus it helps me know how much I have left over in cals for dinner.
    I do however track my water in take as I drink througout the day.
    I don't have an app phone (that changes tomorrow :) Yay!) so the weekends my computer stays on and I have to manually do it as the day goes by.
  • skinnyjeanzbound
    skinnyjeanzbound Posts: 3,932 Member
    I also use it as a "budget"--that way if someone brings donuts or other junk to work (grrr! it's always the skinny girls who do this:angry: ) I just tell myself I don't have the calories. Likewise, I can plan for treats by budgeting my calories and exercise. For example, this Friday I am meeting a friend for dinner and drinks, so I will make sure to go to the gym and watch my calories earlier in the day to avoid going over. So far it is working for me :smile:
  • EllyK09
    EllyK09 Posts: 75
    That's exactly how I just started doing it! Seems to be working out great!
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    I fill mine in up to a week in advance planning my meals and my exercise and make small changes as I go along! Right now I have entries in there up until next Monday!

    I didn't realize that you could go that far ahead. I may start using that way. Right now I'm acting on the current day.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    That's what I was doing too. I'd usually fill out my food diary the night before or a couple of days in advance. Right now I'm not logging though, in an effort to reduce some stress. And since I'll be getting pregnant in about 6 weeks I'm trying to make sure I can listen to my body's hunger signals and choose healthy options when I have cravings. I've been at this since October so I have a pretty good idea of what I'm doing, and it seems to be working. After a couple weeks of being sick and eating out I lost 2.6 pounds of water weight in two days! If this trend continues I'll know I can go through pregnancy without having to focus too much on counting every calorie.
  • amuhlou
    amuhlou Posts: 693 Member
    I do the same, trying to add in as much as possible early in the day, sometimes I"ll plan breakfast and snacks for the next day.

    I make liberal use of the Meal and Recipe features so I can add things quickly. My lunch is usually a repeat of the last day's dinner so it's much easier to add if I have it stored in a Meal or Recipe.

    I like to have a snack in the evening so the planning helps me know what I can look forward to. I don't like to log my exercise until I actually complete it though, because you never know what can happen during the day so I don't want to count on it until I know i've actually burned the cals.
  • bmmiller4
    bmmiller4 Posts: 39
    I have been using MFP for about 2 weeks too and usually just log my meals as I eat them. The problem with that is that I sometimes find myself having to put in some extra time on the treadmill so I have enough calories to make it to the end of the day. I think I will try putting in at least my meals for the day to help me budget better. I did really well in the beginning but have really been struggling the past couple of days...eating just to eat, not because I am hungry. I know WHY I am doing it, just can't seem to stop myself from doing it.
  • johnwhitent
    johnwhitent Posts: 648 Member
    I started using MFP after I bought a new smartphone and downloaded the MFP app. So I log as I eat using the cell or home/work computer, wherever I am at the time. I never though of budgeting ahead, but that may have possibilities for me. As some of you do I could budget my day then modify during the day as needed. Interesting!
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    I track it as I eat it, I'll plan ahead where I can like I know tonight I'm having homemade taco's so I know that I don't really have room to be snacking mindlessly all day long.
    But I track it as I eat, if it contains calories ie not just plain ol water or diet soda or tea I track it.
  • raven1114
    raven1114 Posts: 115 Member
    right now i just add in as i go. now for special occasions/treats i'll probably figure in ahead of time. for example we usually go out to eat once a month so i'll probably budget that in ahead of time that way i know what i can have.
  • jcg926
    jcg926 Posts: 38 Member
    I am home all day, almost everyday and just the two of us here so meal planning is easy. I plan/log my entire days worth of entries - snack choices I set on the side in the fridge so I know what I'm having and if I do change my mind at any point, there is nothing set in stone, delete here/add there - no biggie. BUT for me it helps me to show where my numbers will be for the day based on my food choices and I can see if they are ok or not. I pretty much can do the same for exercise as I know hubby and I will get at least one work out in when he gets home from work and I know at least what I will be doing for that and modifications can be made.
    Same here! My husband makes dinner (he's home before me from work) so I am never really sure what we're having unless it was previously planned out. It's nice working in front of a computer all day though because I can constantly add and update and see where I am. It definitely helps me see how to move around my snacks depending on what I am eating for lunch/dinner.
  • sbwood888
    sbwood888 Posts: 953 Member
    I fill it in as I go. I am not good at plannig ahead. I am too unorganized.
  • susu5
    susu5 Posts: 122
    I currently use the food diary as I go through out the day. I don't have a computer at home. But it seems to be working ok for me this way.
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