Question: Planning Your Daily Intake VS Not Planning?

On weekdays I tend to plan out my main meals so that I know how many calories are left for snacks, and eat those as I want throughout the day. Though this is quite easy as on weekdays I tend to eat the same thing everyday.

On weekends I log as I go along. I usually have no idea what I'm doing for each meal on weekends until I'm actually eating it.

The only thing I'm not sure about is the flavor of ice cream I'll be having.

I plan ahead so as not to get to the end of the day with too many or too few calories and to help prevent temptation.

I plan breakfast, lunch and snacks ahead of time. I pre-log them when eating breakfast.

I think about breakfast the night before. As I'm eating/making my breakfast, I pack my snacks that I'll eat for the day, and log them. Then I pack my lunch. I leave myself with about 800-1000 calories for my afternoon snack and my dinner. When I'm at home I have more control of what I will eat rather than when I am at work. So at home, I have more dinner options and sometimes choose to have a dessert.
But yes, plan ahead!
I hope to get into meal planning soon.

I pre-log every thing during the week and stick to it. If I have calories left over, I'll bank them for my Saturday (where I'm likely to eat more!). I don't pre-log at the weekends because things tend to just 'happen' and plans just get 'made' so it isn't realistic for me. Most of the time, I eat out at the weekend so it can be a quick 'log onto MFP to find calories' dash on the way there!

I pre-log my week every Sunday. Then I use my pre-logging as my grocery list to go buy groceries.

Pre-logging keeps me honest. It helps me use delayed gratification to anticipate my planned treats and stay within my calorie goals. It also saves me money, 'cause I only buy what I know I'm going to eat.

Sure, sometimes things change. Life happens. I adjust on the fly if I need to.

But for the most part, this method works for me. I lost 50 pounds this past year, and pre-logging was a big reason why.

I like to pre-log - mostly to see how big or small my next meals/can be for the day, or if I know I have something going on during the weekend (family in town, events, etc). For example, if my breakfast had higher numbers, I know that I need to watch what I am eating for lunch, dinner, and snacks.

Winging it makes it harder to get in the proper amount of calories and macros. I do not recommend it in the beginning. Pre-logging is always good especially if you are going to eat out. I like to stick to the same foods daily, but my foods I choose is a very good variety. I believe having a solid plan is key to success.

Usually, it's something of a combination. I have been doing this long enough that I can pretty much know that the calories will work out (or not) in my head before I log, and how to hit my macros close enough for what I care about (basically getting my protein goal).

I normally have one of two breakfasts (similar calories) with certain rotating parts that don't affect the calories (like vegetable omelet, but the vegetables vary) with smoked salmon or cottage cheese or greek yogurt, etc.

Lunch I either am lazy and buy from one of three places with food that fits my preferences/goals near my office or bring lunch from leftovers or something I prepared in advance.

So I generally know what breakfast and lunch I will have when the day starts, although I sometimes vary it based on mood/workout plans changing.

Dinner I usually decide on during the day, but it's generally based on what (especially meat and vegetables) I have in the refrigerator or otherwise on hand and what sounds good to do with them, and if there's anything I need to use up before it goes bad.

Dessert tends to be based on how many calories I have left, if I had a snack earlier, that kind of thing.

Oh, why? I tend to plan thing out in my head in general, and this is the pattern I fell into. I prefer not prelogging, because I like to think about what I might want for dinner later in the day and to be flexible, and also because I find it annoying to log in advance and then have to change the numbers. It's less burdensome feeling for me just to do it once, and for me I haven't found prelogging to be necessary for motivation.

ebouchie wrote: »

I plan breakfast, lunch and snacks ahead of time. I pre-log them when eating breakfast.

+1

I usually have similar breakfasts/lunches and know, calorie-wise, a range I want to stay within. I like to keep the bulk of my calories for dinner, so I can include an adult beverage.