Committing to prelogging?

Prelogging is what really works best for me. I don't plan all of my calories. I leave at least 100 available in case I do want something unplanned for. If what I'm wanting is over my allotted calories, then I have to want it bad enough to exchange it for something.

It works well for me to pre-log as I pack my lunch for the next day. I bring all my food with me to school and know what I'll be eating - that way I won't be as tempted to go get something bad or to hit up the vending machines. I also leave room for a snack or something later - it is super easy to change if I decide not to eat something or to add something.

Well, I mean, how many calories are you taking in every day? Are you sure you're eating enough? Sometimes it's okay to bump up the calories a little bit. If you're THAT hungry, you need to eat more usually. But I don't know what your diary looks like.

Pre-logging works for me and goes a long way toward keeping me on track. It sounds to me like you might want to focus on why you are so hungry all the time.

Evaluate what types of food you are eating and what helps hold you over throughout the day. It's a process! There are lots of different things you can try, too, as far as how many actual meals, the timing of your snacks, etc. I can tell you that I don't go through every day hungry all day long, feeling like I want to gnaw my own arm off lol

I'll prelog breakfast and lunch since I usually eat the same most days. Dinner I may prelog but most times I end up changing it because I decide I want to make something else.

A lot of my friends on here pre-log. I think it's awesome that some people can be so goal oriented and stick to it! I don't do it but only because I know I will fail miserably if I try to be that strict with myself. If I go over on any particular day then sobeit. It's life. I am in this for the lifestyle change so I have to keep it realistic and realistic for me is logging in what I DO eat after the fact.

cicichirinos wrote: »

Ok, this might seem crazy, but it is seriously my biggest problem right now.

Staying within my calorie limit is so hard for me. Social situations are tough, and so is being hungry all the time. I've read through the community and seen that prelogging is the most common advice. I've been following that, but I find it so hard to commit to what I've prelogged! It's like it's so hard for me to say no to being super hungry even though I know it won't fit in with what I've prelogged.

Do you guys have any advice as to how you say committed to your prelogging/calorie goal?

When I pre-log the evening before, I make sure to leave myself 400 calories to work with for snacks when the between meal hunger gets challenging.

On top of what others have said, for me it's just taken lots of practice. I never used to be able to stick to what I planned, but the longer I try, the better I get at it.

I almost never pre-log, because like you, I just don't stick with it. However, I like to pre-log my treats. If I know that piece of pie in the fridge is calling me, I'll pre-log just my treats/snacks. I find it easier stick with veggies and lean protein during meals but I struggle with making good snack choices when my calories are already limited.

I prelog and I manage my daily average over the course of a week. That way if I go over one day, I make up for it another day by not eating as much or exercising more. In the iPhone app, pick a day of the week and be consistent. I go with Sunday. Then go to Diary/Nutrition/Week View/Last 7 Days. Manage the net average for the last seven days to come in under your weekly goal, then do that each week until you hit goal weight. This strategy seems to work for me.

I pre-log the entire week Saturday-Sunday so that I can view my weekly average and make sure it's under my TDEE. I try to leave a 3,500 calorie deficit but if I feel like changing something I do it. The worst that will happen is I lose 1/2 lb that week instead of 0.8-1 pound. No big deal. I prefer to eat less 6 days a week and have 1 surplus day so the pre-logging really helps me to not erase my entire deficit.

I have to pre log. I feel like pre logging helps me stay committed. Honestly, you need to find what works for you. It takes trial and error to figure out what you need to stay satisfied. I've tried all the diets, but in the end it was 80% clean eating and 20% allowing myself treats, like my daily Dr. Pepper and cream and sugar laden coffee. Weight loss it tough, but I feel like finding the right way to do it for you body is half the battle.

Pre-logging the day before has helped me loads because I know if I don't have a plan and I get really hungry.. it'll get the best of me (especially if I'm out and about and take-out is an option).

When I first started cutting calories, I felt hungry and craved things like crazy, but after a week or two, my stomach got used to not being near bursting full, though I still do crave stuff sometimes. It's not the best solution by far, but I started having a diet soda after lunch most days because it helps hold me over til dinner. If the hunger doesn't subside (and it's real growling hunger, not cravings), eat more satiating snacks with fat/protein to hold you over between meals.

I pre-log a lot, especially if I make a couple lunches for the week. HOWEVER, once you've been doing this long enough to know what an average day looks like, you can be more flexible and cycle through options last minute without feeling stuck.

On a work day, I typically eat 1 slice of toast with a spread of some kind, a coffee (with 1 sweetener and 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk), and a banana for breakfast. Then a few hours before lunch I have a Kashi bar or a Special K Nourish bar and another 10 calorie coffee. Lunch is a lean meat sandwich, or a chicken and salsa wrap, or a chicken caesar salad, or a lean cuisine if I'm feeling lazy. Then a few 100 calorie snacks like Snappea Crisps, greek yogurt cups, a baggie of sliced apples mixed in with baby carrots. Dinner is usually free to be whatever I want it to be, because I always have room for 600 calories or more at the end of my day. Lately I like roasted veggies, 100g of salmon or chicken or pork loin, a few spoonfuls of rice... But I've succumbed and successfully worked McDonalds AND A&W into my calories a few times this month.

I always feel nice and full. Sometimes I even have a snack left over, that I can delete out of my diary to make room for ice cream! Or cookies.

My days off, I sleep in. So I get to enjoy a late brunch, with extra calories because I won't be eating two meals before dinner. Then a bigger dinner, or a treat. I don't feel deprived because I get PLENTY of the things I love .

The trick I guess is to prepare snacks and meals for work/school ahead of time and bring it all with you. I cook on my days off so there are always leftovers in my fridge, because I make the worst decisions when I've had a long day and cannot cope with the thought of going home to prepare an entire meal.

And I mean, pre-logging means you don't forget what you ate ever. And it also helps you fit tons of food into your day without accidentally going over your goal.