Log in the morning, at night or all day?

becknomad
becknomad Posts: 63 Member
edited December 1 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm curious when people log their foods. I'm logging throughout the day and it just struck me that this might contribute to counting calorie burn-out which I've experienced before...Do most people plan what they are eating every day in advance and only log once a day? I am making meals by the seat of my pants and when I'm tired and hungry at dinner time I'm not doing the best job measuring. Do most people know what they are having for dinner tonight? ;)
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Replies

  • simontossrwanda
    simontossrwanda Posts: 9 Member
    I log my food as I eat it, or as I am preparing it. I find that because I log my activity with my Garmin watch it is easier to see progress if I log when I either exercise or eat.
  • Wickedfaery73
    Wickedfaery73 Posts: 184 Member
    edited April 2016
    I log my breakfast, lunch and snacks in the morning because I take them to work with me and usually eat them. Dinner is usually up in the air for the most part. I see what calories/macros are left for the day and go from there. I usually write down and weigh what I make dinner with and log it while I eat and watch TV. Exercise isn't logged until after I do it because, LOL I may not do it.

    ETA I dont think I have ever experienced "burnout" from loggingf and weighing. Most of the time I like it because it gives me focus to stay on track. This is my second time doing it though, I gained everything back after my mother in law died because I pretty much stopped doing everything.
  • EddieP50
    EddieP50 Posts: 192 Member
    I will log my breakfast and what I will be taking for lunch first thing in the morning. For dinner I will log that after I have prepared it and before I start eating. If I have a snack, like fruit, I log it right then.
  • Abbie918
    Abbie918 Posts: 120 Member
    I log breakfast and lunch in the morning, because I pre-pack everything. I guess on what I'm having for dinner. At the end of the night, I make sure to edit and make everything accurate for the day.
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
    I prelog 2 weeks at a time.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    becknomad wrote: »
    I'm curious when people log their foods. I'm logging throughout the day and it just struck me that this might contribute to counting calorie burn-out which I've experienced before...Do most people plan what they are eating every day in advance and only log once a day? I am making meals by the seat of my pants and when I'm tired and hungry at dinner time I'm not doing the best job measuring. Do most people know what they are having for dinner tonight? ;)

    I log every morning for my whole day. I log dinner, then lunch, breakfast and finally snacks. It helps me stick to my calorie goal but also see if I'm hitting my other goals.
    I eat mostly food prepared at home. Once a week I eat lunch from a restaurant.
    I plan dinners for a month at a time. I select 7 dinners from that list each week and shop for ingredients. I know what food I have in my house and I have to eat it. I know the night before- or at the very minimum that morning- what I am going to cook for dinner. Most of my dinners have similar calorie counts per serving. Same with breakfasts, lunches and snacks. I still have to measure out correct portions when I go to eat.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    The diary is a tool. I'm not sure how helpful it would be if I only logged my food once a day. Even when I prelog, I have to adjust quantities (my potato might be bigger, my apple smaller etc). I base my snacks, and my dinner to some extent, according to the calories/macros I have left too, so I can't imagine how off my diary would be if I only logged at night.

    So yeah, I adjust my log every time I eat something.

    No burnout here and it's been over 3 years, but knowing exactly how much I am eating is worth it for my peace of mind.
  • cbihatt
    cbihatt Posts: 319 Member
    I typically log imediately before or after eating, but there are times when I let it go all day and don't log until I go to bed...usually weekends. I never pre log.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    I log during preparation of meals (if it is a cooked meal I use the recipe options here to build a recipe). I actually write down on paper the quantities and log them in here just before I eat the meal or sometimes during or after. If there is a cooked meal in the fridge which I already have in the recipes from a previous day then I will pre-log it.
  • becknomad
    becknomad Posts: 63 Member
    ForeverSunshine09 wrote: »
    I prelog 2 weeks at a time.

    Wow!
  • becknomad
    becknomad Posts: 63 Member
    Lounmoun wrote: »

    I log every morning for my whole day. I log dinner, then lunch, breakfast and finally snacks. It helps me stick to my calorie goal but also see if I'm hitting my other goals.
    I eat mostly food prepared at home. Once a week I eat lunch from a restaurant.
    I plan dinners for a month at a time. I select 7 dinners from that list each week and shop for ingredients. I know what food I have in my house and I have to eat it. I know the night before- or at the very minimum that morning- what I am going to cook for dinner. Most of my dinners have similar calorie counts per serving. Same with breakfasts, lunches and snacks. I still have to measure out correct portions when I go to eat.

    I am so impressed by this. I bet you have very little food waste as well!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    All of the above. I tend to pre-log and then true up my numbers along the way. Last night we had chicken for dinner. Afterwards, I weighed out a bit and logged it for today's lunch. This morning I logged my breakfast plus a 185g avocado that's going in my lunch. Tonight I'll weigh the avocado skin and pit and reduce the weight of the avocado in my log after work.
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
    I log breakfast, snack and lunch in the morning. At lunch I will adjust my snack logs, I log my fruit whole in ziploc bag (apples or bananas) then log it again when I get home to make it accurate to what I ate.
    Dinner I will log when I decide what I'm making (if I have a recipe already done) or as I'm cooking.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I pre-log in the mornings, then tweak throughout the day after I've weighed all my foods.
  • emmaprocopiou
    emmaprocopiou Posts: 246 Member
    I eat what I log , not log what I eat.

    I usually have the same breakfast ( some coffee only)
    And similar lunch ( wrap with salad protein of some sort and dairy) but I tend to log this just before lunch then adjust values as I measure out , no two tomatoes are the same lol
    Dinner is planned when I decide what I'm making and /or if I fancy takeout.
    Sometimes if I know what I'm having eg salmon and courgettes I can pretty much pre log.
    I don't feel burn out from any if this in fact I think it provides me more control and allows me to fit in the treats first that I know I can look forward to and fit the rest of the meals around these.
  • Amym26
    Amym26 Posts: 83 Member
    I pre-log. I may tweak things later as I go, but this ensures I am going to hit my goals. I've tried as I go, but that tends to not work for me.
  • quiarga
    quiarga Posts: 408 Member
    I log throughout the day when I eat. Sometimes I keep a notepad on the counter and write down measurements as I'm preparing so I can log after we've sat down to eat. Sometimes I just grab my phone and log everything as I fix my plate (and usually everyone else is done eating before I even sit down!) Weighing everything doesn't take as long as I used to imagine it would, and I don't mind that at all. It's when we get takeout from someplace that has no nutritional information that I find frustrating. I hate just guessing and trying to pick something that may or may not be close. But those hole-in-the-wall places have so much better food than the chains with their websites and information online!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I log as I prepare. It's really no extra burden to measure, since that's part of the preparation process for me. It's only a burden if I have to estimate things from a restaurant or meal at someone else's house, but oh well.

    I don't like prelogging, but part of that is it just makes more work for me, as I tend to keep a plan in my head pretty well and prefer to add just once when I have the specific measurements (and I like to keep some flexibility too -- I'll basically use the vegetables I have in my refrigerator for meals, to make sure I end up using them all).
  • misskaren72
    misskaren72 Posts: 1 Member
    i log each meal or snack right before i eat it...keeps me on track and accountable...works for me. =)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    I log while I prepare foods or as I eat them if they don't involve any preparation. Sometimes I pre log a recipe I'm planning to make then tweak the amounts when I prepare it. Logging once a day is not accurate for me, as I suffer from "calorie amnesia" and would forget many of the foods and snacks I eat.
  • therealklane
    therealklane Posts: 2,172 Member
    I log my breakfast and lunch in the mornings and log snacks and dinner as I go. I feel like if I have my breakfast and lunch prepared and logged, I'm good for the rest of the day. If not, I feel like I'm off all day. Maybe I'm weird..lol..but it works. o:)
  • kepoor
    kepoor Posts: 5 Member
    For me it depends, but I usually log the day before or morning of. Or this week, I know what I have planned out for my breakfast, lunch and snacks at work, so I pre-log almost the whole work week. The thing I like about pre-logging is I know exactly where I stand, so if I want a little treat in the evening or midday, I know I can "afford" it because I already have my whole day planned out.
  • shrcpr
    shrcpr Posts: 885 Member
    edited April 2016
    Throughout the day, when I eat. I don't get how people pre-log. I would forget which meal I was on! LOL. I eat ~300 calories 4-5 times per day (preference), and the same things a lot of the time, so maybe I could pre-log if I ate the more traditional breakfast/lunch/dinner.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited April 2016
    becknomad wrote: »
    I'm curious when people log their foods. I'm logging throughout the day and it just struck me that this might contribute to counting calorie burn-out which I've experienced before...Do most people plan what they are eating every day in advance and only log once a day? I am making meals by the seat of my pants and when I'm tired and hungry at dinner time I'm not doing the best job measuring. Do most people know what they are having for dinner tonight? ;)

    I just consider writing down food weights as part of food prep and don't get counting burnout.

    Most of the time I log as I eat. I usually have the same breakfasts and lunches. I cook dinner four nights a week when my fiance is here, and those nights I note what I'm going to eat and log it after he leaves. I have leftovers the other three nights. I'm having chicken, potato, and broccoli tonight.

    I currently work from home. When I worked in an office, I batch-cooked on Sundays so food was already prepared for Monday-Thursday.
  • Lauren5280
    Lauren5280 Posts: 67 Member
    I plan my day in the morning and log everything I anticipate eating. As I go through out the day I will make adjustments to quantity or if I make a meal change.
  • knittogetfit
    knittogetfit Posts: 91 Member
    I log as soon as I know what I'm going to be eating for the day. That usually means prelogging each morning (sometimes the night before) and then making adjustments as necessary if plans change. Prelogging helps me make good choices when I do change up a meal because I can see what fits in with the rest of the day's plan.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    At maintenance, I don't log consistently.

    When I did log consistently, I emphatically did not pre-log. I made entries throughout the day, then closed out every evening.
  • Trinique34
    Trinique34 Posts: 53 Member
    First thing in the morning or sometimes the night before works best for me. Planning is one of the keys to weight loss IMO.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I log the morning or day or week before as I'm planning it, then edit throughout the day as I change it.
  • Officially_Rosey
    Officially_Rosey Posts: 73 Member
    edited April 2016
    I pre-log on the night before, then as the day goes by I correct the measurements when I'm making whatever meal I'm having.
    Pre-logging definitely helps me stay within my calorie limit.
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