Slave to my food diary

TrotterHelen
TrotterHelen Posts: 10 Member
edited September 30 in Motivation and Support
As a newbie, I'm feeling like I need to log all my food in immediately after each meal so I don't forget. I don't have a smart phone which sounds easier/quicker. Anyone have any suggestions for this? Thanks!

Replies

  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    pad and paper? then enter them when you get home?
  • birdlover97111
    birdlover97111 Posts: 346 Member
    You could keep a small note pad with you to write your food down and then log it in later...Good luck on your journey... :flowerforyou:
  • moriaht
    moriaht Posts: 251 Member
    Carry a little notepad and write it down so you won't forget? Or get a smart phone! lol I know that sounds drastic but it really will change your life. I don't know what I would do with my iphone...
  • DietingMommy08
    DietingMommy08 Posts: 1,345 Member
    Write it all down on a lil notepad and log it before bed. :o)

    Or like I do...

    I plan my whole day out in the morning and log it all in wen i get to work.
  • Clew
    Clew Posts: 910 Member
    Taso beat me to it ... I keep a notepad in my purse and jot the stuff down if I cant enter it right away :)
  • biederwoman
    biederwoman Posts: 26 Member
    I don't have a smart phone either :( My suggestion is if you're not near your computer, keep a small notebook that you can jot down your calories/exercise in until you have time to sit and enter them into the computer. Hope this helps!
  • goldnanoparticle
    goldnanoparticle Posts: 37 Member
    Preplan your meals for the day our use a small notebook to jot down your calories throughout the day and then add them at you leisure!
  • hunterzmomma
    hunterzmomma Posts: 121
    I usually log all my food right away too
  • savethecat
    savethecat Posts: 290 Member
    You could always just keep a small notepad on you and jot in down as you go so later you can plug it all in at one sitting. It's sort of a bummer because you can't see your remaining calories, which is really helpful, but other than that I don't know how else you could avoid it. Good luck finding a solution!
  • Jade_Butterfly
    Jade_Butterfly Posts: 2,963 Member
    ^^^^^. . *I concur* Keeping a pad of paper is the best way and then just record it when you have time to log in. . Welcome to the fun!

    The other thing that you can purchase which is not very big that I used before they ever had websites like this is the CalorieKing calorie counting book. . . It is the most informative one out there. . . It has calories. . . carbs. . . fats. . . all that stuff. . It works really well. . It is also a good place to go online if there is a food that you don't find in MFP's database. .

    Hope this helps.. . . :bigsmile:
  • skinnyhappy
    skinnyhappy Posts: 152 Member
    Write it all down on a lil notepad and log it before bed. :o)

    Or like I do...

    I plan my whole day out in the morning and log it all in wen i get to work.

    I do the same basically, once I get to work I plan out my entire day's worth of exercise and food. If I eat anything I didn't log, I add it the next day. Also helps me see where I can cut back calorie-wise!
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    You can even go wireless...

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  • nilla128
    nilla128 Posts: 30 Member
    I find it helpful to put in first thing in the morning what I'm going to eat that day so it makes me focus more on what I'm going to eat and how many calories I'm going to consume.
  • TazzyDB
    TazzyDB Posts: 224
    Before I found MFP, I bought a cute little notebook at the bookstore (it even had carrots on the cover) and wrote down everything I ate and did.
  • watcherII
    watcherII Posts: 56 Member
    as in almost all things these days, "there's an app for that!" you can get mfp as an app on your smartphone, so you can log your meals wherever you are. or, like the above posters said, keep a little notebook with you and jot it down. or, make a memo on your smartphone for your food intake, and transfer it to your log at the end of the day.
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    As others have said, a notebook might help and then you can log it all later on. Personally, I find it easier if I log in advance and then change it as I go along. (I use it to help me plan my meals for the weak and for grocery shopping.)
  • BRANDYLYNETTE
    BRANDYLYNETTE Posts: 192 Member
    IF you arent home....log it on paper....ONLY to keep you focused! If you get away from the diary....sometimes it will allow you to slack and not succeed like you had hoped.

    I hope this doesnt feel like a "chore...." I cant wait to get back on and log on my food! I have been on this since April...and it has kept me soooooooooooooo focused! When we went camping...I wrote down things so I could log it in just to see what I was doing! I didnt do to bad!

    It will get easier....and hopefully more enjoyable! I love my friends that offer me so much support! THANK you MFP!
  • Bella3119
    Bella3119 Posts: 104
    Why not plan your meals ahead of time? That way you know exaclty what you're going to eat.
  • Stephanie08
    Stephanie08 Posts: 1,023 Member
    Sometimes I use a notebook, and then I also have a habit of using little Post Its. At the end of the day, I stick them all onto one piece of paper and use that to log.
  • akp780
    akp780 Posts: 3
    I plan ahead. In the morning, or the night before, I plan out the days meals. If I didn't have a smart phone, I would keep a small notepad with me, just as everyone else has suggested. I think journaling is the most effective aspect of myfitnesspal. It keeps me accountable if I know what I'm going to put in my mouth, and helps me make better decisions for spontaneous choices.

    Good luck!

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  • jbdowns35
    jbdowns35 Posts: 352
    I try to pre-plan my day's food & exercise & log it in in the morning, that way I can see if I'm over my calories & adjust. I know if I have left over room for a treat or if I need to exercise extra hard to make room for my calorie intake. If my day doesn't go as planned, I adjust it later, or the next day. It's much easier to stick to a plan if I have one!!
  • sundancer1966
    sundancer1966 Posts: 478 Member
    Hi,

    It is an adjustment and I felt like a slave at first also, but i try to log everything before i eat it, and planning the day helps. I know if I have any wiggle room, or more importantly if I am about to go over. The only times i have gone over on my calories was when i did not log it before i ate it. This way, if it is not logged, i will not eat it.
  • kfd1098
    kfd1098 Posts: 25
    A smartphone is worth the investment. I use mine all the time to decide what to eat when I'm at a restaurant. I put in multiple options until I find the one with the best calories. Although a pad of paper works for writing down what you ate, the phone allows me to make better informed decisions on the run.
  • starracer23
    starracer23 Posts: 1,011 Member
    I didn't read all the replies...but my thought is to get a pretty lil journal to write down all your foods and maybe thoughts for the day. Then you can just in-put that when you get home :)

    Good Luck! Being accountable is super important :D
  • BrandNewMia
    BrandNewMia Posts: 461
    Notepads are great, and planning your day in advance is an even better idea.

    But when I don't have something to write with or write on, and I haven't planned my food - I send a text message to myself. You don't have to have a smart phone (don't all phones text nowadays?). Just type in everything you ate, send to your own number (or save the message as a draft), and viola! Easy peasy.
  • TrotterHelen
    TrotterHelen Posts: 10 Member
    I like that texting idea! Sounds like a lot of you pre-plan. After having what I thought was a light lunch (which turned into 500 cal), pre-planning might be a good place to start. Thanks everyone!
  • LifeChanged1209
    LifeChanged1209 Posts: 88
    If it's at all possible, get a smart phone. That way you can just scan the barcode on the items you eat, and enter as you eat. It makes you really see what you're putting into your body, and calculates your calories and nutritional values right away, so you don't "slip up".

    Otherwise, yea, notepad.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I'll often enter my lunch as I'm packing it in the morning. I then know I'm eating a good amount of calories and I don't have to worry about doing it later.
  • rocky282
    rocky282 Posts: 47 Member
    Notepad is nice, I have a ITouch and it is a pretty old one but I love it. It is very nice to know when I eat and what. Something good about the ITouch is you don't have the extra expense of a smart phone, and I believe if you get one of the New ITouches it has cameras so you could use the barcode scanning and such. Was a good option for me. Good luck with the weight loss :)
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