Does everyone fill out their tracker, every day?

capricorn144
capricorn144 Posts: 335 Member
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Do you fill it out first thing in the morning and make it your daily plan?

Do you not fill it out at all?

I find this is the BEST tool ever ... if you don't use it...why not?

I have even printed it out for cooking a meal so I could recall the individual ingredients...LOL
just curious and looking for insight from others.
thanks!
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Replies

  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    Do you fill it out first thing in the morning and make it your daily plan?

    I fill mine out for the day as I'm eating my breakfast and it's my general plan, but subject to revision. I didn't fill out a couple of days when I started using MFP, but none since the first of the year... or maybe further. I'd have to go back and look.
  • xaintes
    xaintes Posts: 129
    I usually plan out my meals/exercise at least a day or two in advance. I find that planning ahead helps me stay on track! And allows me to better control my sodium, carbs, etc.
  • Steph_Marie29
    Steph_Marie29 Posts: 75
    Everyday after each meal
  • julwills
    julwills Posts: 286 Member
    I fill mine out completely just about every single day. If I don't it's because I was out of town or it's a holiday and I don't have time/ability to log (i.e. Easter!)
  • sshap21712
    sshap21712 Posts: 139
    I fill mine out starting with my weigh in the first thing in the morning. Then I just track things as I do them. I log each meal as I eat it and log my exercise as it's being done. At the end of the day I close it.
  • mikaa120
    mikaa120 Posts: 5
    I fill mine out as i go..Meal by Meal!
  • MomofTeens
    MomofTeens Posts: 42 Member
    The only way I can be successful with weight loss is if I fill it out everyday. Thanks to the mobile app it makes is much easier.
    If I can plan things out for the day I do fill it out in the morning. This way I am more likely to stick with my lo-cal choices rather than take the time to change it in my food diary. That is true laziness at its best!! :)
    Good Luck to you!
  • ZebraHead
    ZebraHead Posts: 15,207 Member
    I almost always fill it out in real-time.
  • up2me2lose20
    up2me2lose20 Posts: 360 Member
    I fill out my tracker M-Sat. I take Sundays off. It's not a cheat day, just a day of seeing if I can do this without recording everything. Once in a while we'll have a special function where I can't track everything, but I think that's happened only 3 or 4 times since I started here at MFP in Jan.
  • tvaye10
    tvaye10 Posts: 19
    I fill mine out frist thing in the morning. I find that doing it this way helps keeps me on track. If I do have to make any ajustments, I do it right away so I won't forget...even with my water intake.
  • shanolap
    shanolap Posts: 1,204 Member
    I plan a week in advance. Usually by Thursday I know what I am preparing for 4 of my 5 meals (dinner being the one not preplanned) on Sunday for the following week.
  • Tzavush
    Tzavush Posts: 389 Member
    I think I have become obsessive about it, I fill it out after each meal.
    I am not organized enough to plan everything out before hand.
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
    i fill it out every day...without fail.. and every bit of food eaten or liquid consumed gets entered...
    i figure i would be doing myself NO favours if i left anything out.

    edited to add:
    i do plan my menu for each day, the night before.. that way i risk no 'impulse' eating and making bad choices *S* makes it totally stress free for me *S*
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    I plan a week in advance. Usually by Thursday I know what I am preparing for 4 of my 5 meals (dinner being the one not preplanned) on Sunday for the following week.

    Heh... I'm the opposite in that dinner is planned for a week every Thursday (Friday - Thursday meal plan). It's the other 5 meals a day that have to be figured out daily. :bigsmile:
  • Angiebug1969
    Angiebug1969 Posts: 152
    I mostly use the app throughout the day... noting if I grab a bit of this or that (like chips & salsa last night while I was cooking dinner!!) I'm pretty good about keeping track Mon-Fri, but tend to fall of the wagon on the weekends. I'm human... it's okay. I'm still getting a GREAT idea of my nutrition and fitness habits!

    Thank God for MFP!! :bigsmile:
  • kkellam1
    kkellam1 Posts: 182 Member
    It's really interesting to see the different approaches people take. What a great question. Looks like everyone is in agreement that you need to be consistent and do it every day.

    What works best for me is track everything I eat right as it's happening. I always have my phone with me and I have a rule that I log before I eat. It may be already on my plate or I may log it as I am cooking, but nothing ever hits a fork until it's entered in the phone.

    Using the recipe function is great if you are cooking and dividing into batches for later. You can track as you add each ingredient and work towards a final calorie goal per serving. Or the meal function is fantastic if you consistently eat the same things together.

    Whatever system you end up with, the key is to do it every time, every day, without fail. That way you are consious of what you are eating at all times and where that is going to put you towards your daily goals.
  • kyodi
    kyodi Posts: 376 Member
    I fill it out on my phone during/after every meal. Most days I have the same breakfast so it's a fast copy. I'll fill out lunch when I make my lunch either in the morning or the night before. Dinner is always filled out on the fly as my wife and I don't plan our meals. I track everything that goes in my mouth. If I can't find it in the app; like a meal at a restaurant I'll use whatever comes up in the search that matches close... a guess is better than nothing.
  • wisawofgren
    wisawofgren Posts: 17 Member
    I fill mine out, breakfast, lunch and snacks, in the morning. I generally know what I am going to have for dinner ahead of time, but like to complete the dinner entries after dinner. I add my exercise right after I do it.... Love seeing the extra calories, not that I eat them all back, but it is nice to see them....
  • Jellyphant
    Jellyphant Posts: 1,400 Member
    I usually fill it out as I consume meals, on either the pc or the MFP app for android.
    But I do notice that if I fill it all out at the beginning of the day, I always stick to it because I like how well it shows I do. :)
  • ldeveau13
    ldeveau13 Posts: 5
    Some days I fill mine out first thing in the morning and plan out my entire days meals. That way I'm less likely to go over on my calories and stick to "clean eating".
  • JellyPrz619
    JellyPrz619 Posts: 172
    IF possible i fill it out before i eat my meal .. just to see if ill be satisfied with how many calories ill be consuming. ill also be able to make any changes if necessary
  • capricorn144
    capricorn144 Posts: 335 Member
    Thanks for the input

    I just found if this was all about changing habits and trying to stick with something (for me) I would do the same routine if possible every day.

    Write a short blog with some good intentions and then as I have one cup of coffee to wake up (new habit, I cut to one cup) ...fill out the tracker for the day (make adjustments as they happen if I need to as the day goes on ...I also have the app) and pretty much just stick to the plan the whole day.

    It is very easy to not have to think much about it once I fill it out in the morning. I like the calories remaining part for the snacks, too. Helps me plan them.

    anyway...thanks for giving some voice to it :smile: ...wondered how others were using the tools.
  • angp7711
    angp7711 Posts: 324 Member
    I fill it out every day even if its not pretty. I am just now starting to journal ahead a bit. I think this approach will help me balance me day a little better.
  • fitnessjch
    fitnessjch Posts: 449 Member
    I fill mine out after I have eaten, sometimes at the end of the day.

    Always fill it out accurately though, if I've gone over, I've gone over - gonna log it anyways! Luckily not too many of those days!

    Sometimes if it gets to the end of the day, i'll put in a cookie or something, and if it takes me over, I'll either exercise to make it up, or just not eat it!
  • cherrieruns
    cherrieruns Posts: 342 Member
    I usually fill it out in the morning when I plan out my meals then I make adjustments if needed. I find it even more helpful to fill it out on those days that I did not do as well because then I have a visual.
  • stefraab
    stefraab Posts: 402 Member
    I try to fill it all out ahead of time. Then I know how many calories I have to play with.
  • MyNameIsNotBob
    MyNameIsNotBob Posts: 565 Member
    I use the app. on my phone and fill it out as I go along. Some days, if I know I'm having a big meal later, or already had one, I'll enter in the rest of the day's food and play with it to see what combination will work best to help me still meet my goals.
  • HowardRose
    HowardRose Posts: 138 Member
    I'm obsessed with the tracker. I enter into it after every food I eat, and exercise I do. It the best way to know where i'm at with my daily targets and whether I can have that snack or not.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    I fill it out as I go. I eat something, I log it.
  • khrys1
    khrys1 Posts: 444 Member
    I fill it out everyday, usually after I eat. However, I have tried planning out the NEXT day a few times, and it has really helped me stay on track for that day- I kind of feel like if it's already down, I must eat it and not add anything else, which works for me!
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