Do you plan your meals ahead?

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  • hncary
    hncary Posts: 176 Member
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    I try to. I usually have trouble hitting my macros if I don't plan ahead. Of course sometimes I change little things here and there and I don't make myself eat those foods if they don't sound good, but it is easier for me usually. Also, it works out easier for me when I'm planning dinner for the next night. I typically am going to eat the most at dinner so I will at least plan my dinner out so that I know what all I have left for my breakfast and lunch.
  • ChaiTea2015
    ChaiTea2015 Posts: 15
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    Not really. I usually have breakfast and lunch planned but dinner and snacks depends on what day of the week it is. Weekends can be a wild card. As long as I stick with my exercise though I don't have a problem losing weight.
  • Leana088
    Leana088 Posts: 581 Member
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    Yes I do. Because if I don't my macros are always very unbalanced.
  • chloeelizabethm
    chloeelizabethm Posts: 184 Member
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    I can't be the only person that calls this plogging....
  • thenewkayla
    thenewkayla Posts: 313 Member
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    Yeah 90 percent of time I do...every now and then I don't know about dinner...cuz my boyfriend is a picky eater haha
  • kpkitten
    kpkitten Posts: 164 Member
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    Yep, breakfast and dinner are always pre-logged as much as possible. If I'm not cooking dinner, I will nag whoever is to provide me with the recipe as soon as possible!
    Lunch is whatever I feel like/have in that fits my macros, and I'll tend to log a couple of snacks in advance, then log the rest of my day as I eat it.

    I've persuaded my mum (also on MFP) around to pre-logging dinner and it makes my life so much easier! I used to end up having lots of calories left over having been hungry in the afternoon, because I didn't know how "bad" dinner was going to be. Now I have a good idea, and if I'm hungry but don't have the calories, it's not too late to do some exercise to get them!
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
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    I generally do as much I can, mainly to make sure I have calories for something tasty before I go to bed.
  • KayleighIsGoingFatToFit
    KayleighIsGoingFatToFit Posts: 203 Member
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    I plan about a week in advanced including all meals and snacks, I have stuck to it for 5 days without fail so far :smiley:
    I find it easier as I know what I will be eating instead of worrying what I will have to eat for the day.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    I bring my lunch to work, so that is planned the night before or in the morning before work. But I rarely think about dinner until after I'm off work. I've never been much of a planner.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
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    I plan my meals prior to going food shopping for the week. thats what my shopping list is.
  • btlinberg
    btlinberg Posts: 12 Member
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    One of the toughest things for me is planning meals for the entire week, but I find it really helps with budget when trying to eat clean and cook mostly at home. Also helps to stick to eating only foods in the house and avoid eating a lot of junk that I would be tempted to buy when I'm hungry. We usually plan out a dinner recipe for each night and put it in an ongoing spreadsheet, and then always make enough of each dinner recipe to have leftovers for lunch the next day. Works out pretty well.
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
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    I always do. I plan weekly meals on Sunday that way I don't eat mindlessly.
  • PiSquared
    PiSquared Posts: 148 Member
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    I plan meals a week at a time. It takes a bit of time for the planning, but I think it saves me time in the long run. Once I have my meal plan, I build my shopping list from that. Then, with list in hand (or technically cell phone in hand, because my grocery store has a useful mobile site) I head to the store.

    The pre-planning does a couple of things for me. I know what I'm planning on making for dinner throughout the week, so I can realistically do some prep work over the weekend. I can adjust my plan if I'm eating the same thing all week, like for some reason I'm eating nothing but chicken all week, I can sub in something with beef or seafood. This works well to make sure I'm getting a varied diet and so I won't get stuck in a food rut. I can also adjust to use up ingredients that I have left over.

    The huge added bonus, is that now that I have a plan, I can pre-log my meals into MFP. This is nice to do, because I will know ahead of time if I will have calories left over for treats or snacks. Can I have a piece of cake at the office birthday party? Can I stop at Starbucks for a latte after a particularly bad day? Can I have a glass of wine at the end of the week? If I enter my meals and exercise (and stick to the plan), I know how much leeway I have for all of those little surprises.

    I started a blog on here that is just a weekly list of my meal plans. If anyone is interested, you can check it out here.
  • csk0018
    csk0018 Posts: 219 Member
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    I plan next week's dinners on Sunday before we go grocery shopping and I'll prep 3 days worth of breakfast and lunch that night. That leaves me 2 days during the week to go out and eat with my coworkers. Having a plan helps me stay focused but the flexibility keeps me from feeling like I'm being too restricted. :)
  • cindyangotti
    cindyangotti Posts: 294 Member
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    If I fail to plan I plan to fail! Or... something like that. I find it a great help to plan for the week. This way I don't have to think about food all the time and I don't have to stop at the store everyday.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    If there are any particular perishable food in the fridge, or if I'd like to have something I don't normally eat, I plot those things first into the plan, maybe several days ahead. Then I fill it with other foods I like and have available. I can have some meals planned several days ahead, and rest of plan empty. I play around with dinner ideas, and decide the night before what I'm going to have, because it ususally involves some defrosting and maybe soaking.

    I'm flexible when grocery shopping; I may have decided that today is vegetable soup, but I let what is cheap and tempting then and there determine exactly what kind.

    I prelog the night before, and tweak to fit macro and calorie goals. Quite often I have to change diary entries too, because stuff happen, I forgot something, or I change my mind.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    During the week I definitely pre-log breakfast and lunch and snacks, as they are all brought with me to work. I don't know what we will be having for dinner, but by pre-logging I know what is available to me at night calorie-wise.

  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
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    I like a little spontaneity in my life, but I'm not a morning person so I usually have lunch for the next day planned out (breakfast is usually the same thing) even if it's just having a piece of chicken made.

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