My Technique For Keeping Track of Calories

Positivelylin
Positivelylin Posts: 2 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Wondering if anyone else uses this technique, as this works well for me. After joining this site, I found that if I plan ahead & record what I plan on eating for all of my meals that day, including snacks, I can stay with my maximum calorie intake for that day. As I record each food & all of the meals, I can see if I am too far over or under my goal, & tweak my food/meal plans accordingly. I found this to be much easier than just eating & then recording what I had, possibly not keeping the calorie goals in check. I figure it all out in the morning, as well as if I exercise or not; that way, I just have to check out at the end of the day. Just a suggestion to try if you find it difficult to keep on track.

Replies

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Preplanning and logging ahead really helps me, especially on a day where we might be going out to a restaurant - I'll log what I plan to order, and it tends to help me stick to it (only eating half, enjoying one piece of bread instead of four, or having enough cals to enjoy a margarita!). :smile:
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Yes, many people do that. They call it "prelogging" and swear by it.

    I cannot do that. I don't always know what I'll have a taste for later in the day, nor the amounts, to the gram, of what I'll make.

    But it works really well for many people!
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    A lot of people do that. I can't plan ahead like that because my life is too unscheduled. More than that, I don't like to do it that way. ;-)
  • BeTheChange352
    BeTheChange352 Posts: 253 Member
    yup! I feel very anxious if I don't know what I'm going to be eating and how much of it throughout the day. planning ahead just takes all the guess work out and makes everything so much easier.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Of course I do that. I tweak amounts as I go, and maybe switch around some items, and some times there is no access to data, but there is no point in continuolsly tracking "after the fact" when you can do it before and hit your goal.
  • fredgiblet
    fredgiblet Posts: 241 Member
    I do it as well sometimes, trying to get back into logging regularly. It helps a lot when you have things thought out, less likely to grab extra stuff on a whim.
  • prestigio
    prestigio Posts: 181 Member
    I do this as well, most of the time just the day before.
    Since some meals are quite standard on a daily basis I log them in beforehand and the rest I track as I go.
  • Zhost
    Zhost Posts: 97
    I do something similar in where I am the type of person who can eat the same thing everyday and not lose my taste for it so I almost always know what I'll end up tracking.

    It does make it easier.
  • joanthemom8
    joanthemom8 Posts: 375 Member
    Yep, I think that is a great way - perhaps the best way....unfortunately, I am not so organized to do that although I am trying to be a bit more organized going into the new year. The two "Ps" are most important....planning and preparing!
  • sugaraddict4321
    sugaraddict4321 Posts: 15,898 MFP Moderator
    I pre-log the items I eat regularly. For example my beverages and snacks don't vary a lot from one day to the next. If I know we're going to be eating one of the recipes in my list, I will pre-log a portion of that (say 200 grams of stuffed peppers). It really helps to make sure I don't go over for the day because then I've already accounted for most of the calories. :) But you have to find what works for you.
  • jpaulie
    jpaulie Posts: 917 Member
    i log the night before, take out any frozen portions that i have vacuum sealed, enter my expected exercise and that has worked great for me
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    I think pre planning or simply is what many people do when they want to organise what they are going to do in advance. Once you know your eating patterns and have severla recipes, then you get to know the rough calories and adjust accordingly.
  • jorda13456
    jorda13456 Posts: 62 Member
    I just memorize the numbers of calories then keep it in my head. You can get uset to that too.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    I do exactly this. Every evening after dinner i make the plan for the next day. Some times even longer ahead ( a dinner out or when my husband and me plan a nice party/date night etc)

    The next day when i wake up i have my open my daily menu and eat what i planned the day before...only have to tweak the weight a bit because i dont always have exactly the 2 or 4 oz i planned, but 1.9 or 3.5 etc. But the food is planned.
    My breakfast and lunches are a bit the same. Specially my lunch because i always make a fresh veggie soup. So it is easy

    And i like the system because it works and makes it cooking faster. And less surprises or going over my calorie allowance.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I do this also. It works well for me.
    I usually enter the whole next day right before I go to bed.
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    Positivelylin wrote: »
    Wondering if anyone else uses this technique, as this works well for me. After joining this site, I found that if I plan ahead & record what I plan on eating for all of my meals that day, including snacks, I can stay with my maximum calorie intake for that day. As I record each food & all of the meals, I can see if I am too far over or under my goal, & tweak my food/meal plans accordingly. I found this to be much easier than just eating & then recording what I had, possibly not keeping the calorie goals in check. I figure it all out in the morning, as well as if I exercise or not; that way, I just have to check out at the end of the day. Just a suggestion to try if you find it difficult to keep on track.
    i do this sometimes as well

  • Jagerin
    Jagerin Posts: 68 Member
    I do it as much as I can. Especially when my budget is tight. Sometimes I'll plan out a whole month of meals and snacks, but I only log a day or two in advance. I always leave a little room in case I get a craving. Sometimes I'll change the plan a few times, but by the time I go to bed, I'll have the whole next day planned out minus a few calories for random cravings. If by dinner time I haven't used those extra calories, then I'll just eat a little extra for dinner, unless I'm just not that hungry.
  • lorbie49
    lorbie49 Posts: 38 Member
    I preplan...especially on days I have to work. I work 12 hour night shifts so I plan out everything, including snacks so I can see where I am for the day. Then I don't go over so I wont have to go back in and change anything! Usually what happens is that I dont eat everything I plan, but I dont usually change that since it would put me under and not over for the day.
  • Laughter_Girl
    Laughter_Girl Posts: 2,226 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »
    Yes, many people do that. They call it "prelogging" and swear by it.

    I cannot do that. I don't always know what I'll have a taste for later in the day, nor the amounts, to the gram, of what I'll make.

    But it works really well for many people!

    ^^^^ +1
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    I usually log it as I prepare it, so no, not me.
  • vgnfarmer
    vgnfarmer Posts: 108 Member
    Yes, I prelog the day and then make adjustments right after each meal if I eat more or less of something. It helps that I am pretty boring and eat a lot of the same things each week....
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    I pre-log EVERYDAY.
This discussion has been closed.

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