Pre-logging meals

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dawnsnarks
dawnsnarks Posts: 101 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Whoever came up with this idea is a genius and I could just kiss you. That is all.

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  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I prelog everyday, the only time it doesn't work is if I feel like something sweet after dinner that I didn't feel like in the morning, and therefore will send me over. Does that make sense? Lol
  • lennonluvr
    lennonluvr Posts: 31 Member
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    Me too. It makes me stick to what I have there.
  • dawnsnarks
    dawnsnarks Posts: 101 Member
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    It makes total sense! And holy cow has it been a great way to hold myself accountable :)
  • Headtothemountains
    Headtothemountains Posts: 36 Member
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    It helps so much! Not just mindlessly eating, but recognizing what you're doing instead.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    Helps me so much to pre-log my food.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I ALWAYs pre-log..If it happens to be a spontaneous thing, I actually, have a rule: Log before anything goes in. Works wonders.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    I usually pre-log. Keeps me from "forgetting" what I ate!
  • Wiseandcurious
    Wiseandcurious Posts: 730 Member
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    Me too! It actually helps me to be flexible, if that makes any sense lol . Any change I want to make on the day itself is assessed in 10 seconds - how will it affect my calories? My macros? And then I just make that change confidently and never have to worry if it may screw up my day.
  • rocknrollfire
    rocknrollfire Posts: 30 Member
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    i do this all the time!! it super helps me to plan out my day if i know what's coming up, especially in these just-starting-out stages. at first i felt like i was being obsessive about it, so i'm glad someone else made this thread!!

    i think mentally it's also a really good exercise - before i started planning my day's meals, sometimes i wouldn't realise how many calories, say, my breakfast + morning snack had, and then i would feel really awful and stressed about what i was going to eat for the rest of the day. when i pre-log my meals, i actually feel like i think about food less. i already know what i'm going to eat and how it's going to fit into my calorie and macro needs. that way i can also plan for a sweet treat here and there! it's pretty much a win-win situation.
  • AntonioP23
    AntonioP23 Posts: 80 Member
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    I pray to the Pre-Log God.

    I love to plan ahead - I enjoy spending 10 minutes before I sleep planning my meals for the next day :)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    What do you all do when you prelog and hit your tdee, then you feel like ice cream or whatever that night. Do you eat it and go over, or not eat it?
  • Wiseandcurious
    Wiseandcurious Posts: 730 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    ?..If it happens to be a spontaneous thing, I actually, I have a rule: Log before anything goes in. Works wonders.

    Exactly what I was trying to explain above about pre-logging being the way to flexibility for me! This way I *never* have to worry if spontaneous food decisions will wreck my day (or week) so I can make any changes on the day with 0 guilt and concern.

  • Ataraxia81
    Ataraxia81 Posts: 63 Member
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    I pretty much eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch during the work week. I find that if I log it all first thing in the morning I am more likely to log my dinner and snacks at night too.
  • Wiseandcurious
    Wiseandcurious Posts: 730 Member
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    christinev297 wrote: »
    What do you all do when you prelog and hit your tdee, then you feel like ice cream or whatever that night. Do you eat it and go over, or not eat it?

    There is almost always room for small changes. Also most days I try to pre-log a (relatively) abunfant dinner so something can come off from there without sacrificing nutrition.

    But if push comes to shove, I would have the ice-cream, log it, and start anew the next day.
  • Kirstie155
    Kirstie155 Posts: 1,001 Member
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    christinev297 wrote: »
    What do you all do when you prelog and hit your tdee, then you feel like ice cream or whatever that night. Do you eat it and go over, or not eat it?

    If ice cream was going to send you over your calories/macros for the day, not prelogging it means that you would discover you were over AFTER you ate the ice cream, and when you sat down to log it. At that point you cant uneat it and may feel guilty. By prelogging, you make the choice before hand. I am much less likely to stray the course if I have prelogged.
  • daw0518
    daw0518 Posts: 459 Member
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    I wish I could pre-log entire days but it freaks me out to see that I have so few calories left, even though in reality I have a lot more since I haven't eaten them yet. It's totally just a mind thing - I like to see that I have 900 or whatever calories left for dinner, you know?

    I do, however, generally log things before I eat them, especially for dinner. That way I can decide if I want to splurge and have a larger potato, or if I want to have a smaller potato and save some calories for dessert or wine or whatever!
  • MamaRiss
    MamaRiss Posts: 481 Member
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    I usually eat the same breakfast every day, so thats easy. But I like to pre log dinner, so I know what I can have for lunch in order to leave room for dessert. I also do it if I am planning to eat out at a specific restaurant
  • Alligator423
    Alligator423 Posts: 87 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I actually generally don't like to pre-log. It helps to me feel less restricted and more "normal." Plus I think I get a little motivational boost with each healthy decision I make. Different strokes for different folks, I guess :)
  • DymonNdaRgh40
    DymonNdaRgh40 Posts: 661 Member
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    Pre-logging helps me save time.
  • Cc215
    Cc215 Posts: 228 Member
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    I'm a bit all over the place. I know what I'm planning to eat for lunch at work on Monday - because I've already bought it. That has been logged already.

    I have no idea what I will eating over the weekend yet! I'm meeting friends - there will be food - no idea where / what yet). So nothing logged there - so I'll be winging it.

    However with the app on my phone I'm able to log as I go, so I know where I'm at any any point in time.

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