Plan it or wing it?

lalee115
lalee115 Posts: 185 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just curious who plans their day ahead of time (AKA logs the day's food in the morning/the night before and follows that) and who just goes with the flow? And why? Sometimes I start entering things in advance, but that's mostly figure out how many extra calories I'm going to have for the day if I plan to make something specific for dinner. I'm thinking it might be best (for me) to plan ahead lunch and dinner and then let snacks and such be whatever I want that fits within my remaining calories.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I pre-log each day -- in the afternoon or evening I will plan the meals for the next day. I log up to my calorie goal and then leave my extra activity calories as wiggle room for snacks or extras.

    I like doing this because it keeps me accountable and allows me to see in advance if I'm going to be low on protein or fat and make adjustments accordingly. It also keeps me from having meals that are way out of balance (spending too many calories on breakfast or lunch and not having enough for dinner).
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    I plan each day that morning and fill out my diary then. I'll change the weights of the food when I come to eat it.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,374 Member
    I wing it, have never planned a day in advance because I really don't know what I am going to eat until I have visited both the pantry and the fridge to see what looks good at the time that I am hungry
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I mostly wing it. On days I work in the office lunch is planned because I have to pack it. But it's 3:28 p.m. here and I have no idea what we're having for dinner tonight.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    Mostly wing it... mmmmm wings. It's National Fried Chicken day, so maybe wings.
  • Wolfena
    Wolfena Posts: 1,570 Member
    These days I am winging it....

    When I was fully on track I would plan everything and sometimes even log it ahead of time.

    I've come to a point in my life that I know that is an unreasonable expectation right now for me
  • MichelleLea122
    MichelleLea122 Posts: 332 Member
    I prelog my main meals, but leave a good portion of calories for random snacks throughout the day.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
    I'm a planner, so log ahead, based on what I have planned for the weeks menus, and what I have shopped for. that way I can see how many calories I have left over each day for an indulgence!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I plan ahead, because I like (need) the predictability, and I'm usually happy to eat what I have planned, in fact, I enjoy looking forward to the various meals. I need to have a certain level of structure to be able to cook/compose real/tasty meals, and I also want a variety of different meals every day, with a wide range flavors through the day, and this takes some planning. But I like it, because it means I can eat well for almost no money :D
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I don't log, but I generally have a plan going into the day...that's not to say things can't be flexible...all plans should be flexible and should have contingencies in place...but in my experience, it's generally best to have a plan in all things...proper planning is not a guarantee of success, but it certainly ups the odds...not just with diet...with everything in life.
  • rainingribbons
    rainingribbons Posts: 1,051 Member
    I plan ahead- mostly because I make my lunches and dinners for the week on Sunday's. I'm on a college budget so I usually have the same lunch/dinners all week so it's really easy.
  • _piaffe
    _piaffe Posts: 163 Member
    I don't always plan ahead - but I always do a better job of meeting my goals when I 've planned ahead of time. Planning ahead (for me) means that I've got my next meal or snack with, so it's easy to make that choice.
  • mathandcats
    mathandcats Posts: 786 Member
    I prelog, usually the night before. But sometimes I change my mind about a snack and adapt my plan during the day. If I don't log in advance, I tend to snack too much in the mid afternoon and run out of calories for an evening snack.
  • thenewkayla
    thenewkayla Posts: 313 Member
    I plan ahead. only days I may fail at that is the weekend If I go out with my friends or go to dinner with my boyfriend. That's why I make sure I get a good workout in.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,165 Member
    I mostly wing it. I do typically eat the same two or three meals for breakfast and lunch, but with dinner I never know. Between my husband and myself, we typically don't know what we want to eat until we get ready to prepare the meal. I usually have a snack after dinner, but other than that I don't snack during the day very often.
  • melodyesch
    melodyesch Posts: 49 Member
    I prelog to make sure that what I'm going to eat has as many calories in it that I think it does. I hate when I think something is less than it is and get a surprise at the end of the day when I log it.
  • shinycrazy
    shinycrazy Posts: 1,081 Member
    edited July 2016
    I prelog everything the night before. This gives me a basic outline of what I'm going to eat and gives me an idea what extras might be within my calories. I used to blow my calories on lunch and end up with a protein shake for dinner. Now, that doesn't happen and I find that planning out my food has made both my husband and I better about not just going out for fast food. My motto is Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance!
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
    Planning really helps me the most...
    Then I can play around w the numbers if I want to switch it up throughout the day
  • Annamarie3404
    Annamarie3404 Posts: 319 Member
    I don't pre-log, but I have a general idea of what I will eat during the day. For example, I have several choices to choose from for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is a different story. It depends on how much I've eaten during the day and what time I get home.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I wing it - which is why I am a complete mess. Really make the worst choices when I don't plan.
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,396 Member
    I can easily pre-log my work days up until dinner (we never know what's for dinner till probably around 2-3 pm the day of). Everything else I just wing it.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    This is my routine every single day:

    Get up
    Go to the loo
    Turn the kettle on
    Turn on computer
    Log in to MFP and pre log my day

    :lol::lol:
  • jenmar222
    jenmar222 Posts: 9,271 Member
    I need some spontaneity in life. So I don't pre-log my day, but I have an idea of what I might eat. And I divvy up my calorie allowance. I can only eat 750 cals. prior to dinner (the rest are for dinner). But what I eat within that can be somewhat spontaneous.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    edited July 2016
    I plan in the morning before breakfast, and adjust as I go. For instance, my plan this morning copied yesterday's dinner then changed the pork to salmon and added lemon. After I printed it I decided to change one vegetable in the plan for one I had in the fridge. Lunch depends upon what's available in the workplace kitchen so is subject to change occasionally. Snacks are pre-planned for fiber and I may choose to add a workplace candy to it. On some weekends I erase a planned meal and put the restaurant event in it's place. Saturday I purchased a bunch of different vegetables. My dinner is 6 different, and I have 8 different, so I have to change around every day to deplete them all at similar rates, keeping in mind that some spoil faster than others.
  • xxxTiaxxx
    xxxTiaxxx Posts: 310 Member
    I decided to pre-log my snack and lunch yesterday so I could just bring it to work. Turns out I forgot it so had to delete it. I'm planning my dinners though.
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    I do both, really.

    Part of my diet involves things I know I'll be doing ahead of time, such as protein shakes or meals that are family-sized recipes that I, because I'm single, spread out through the week. Those things I'll log ahead of time.

    But unless I've made breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks ahead of time for the whole week (which can be a bit annoying), I usually have some items that I log as I consume them.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    If I know, I plan, but it's rare, so I usually wing it, lol.
  • st476
    st476 Posts: 357 Member
    I pre log on Saturdays (after food shopping) for the entire week. Obviously I change small things (like changing my snack or flavor yogurt or something) but for the most part I stick to it. I feel like when I don't pre log that leaves too much choice in the moment and I might end up grabbing something that doesn't fit my calories then end up overeating. Having my entire day planned ahead of time helps me because I always have snacks logged so if I'm craving something I know what I can have. :smile:
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    Plan it, always. Makes it very easy to ensure I meet my goals, and I start each day knowing exactly how I will succeed. It also helps me run mainly on autopilot - apart from planning my meal the night before, I spend virtually no effort thinking about food, I just read my plan and follow it.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    I pre-log as much as I can. I only stick to it about half the time though so I'm not sure that it counts.

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