Log it before you eat it!

Jon4189
Jon4189 Posts: 57 Member
in Health and Weight Loss

Hello to anyone new to MFP, I am new to the discussion boards but not the application. I have used it several times to lose weight. A rule that really helps me is:

LOG IT BEFORE YOU EAT IT!

I know this sounds simple, but it is important, if you wait to log it, you can forget to log it, you can log it and not like how it makes your daily goals look, and you can not change it.

If you log something, and you say, wait, what if I ate this instead, or I wait till dinner and eat something better for myself.

If I just log, I don't get the chance to change what I am eating, making better decisions.

If you are brand new just log before you eat it, in a few days to a week, you will start making better decisions.

Most of all be HONEST, you aren't cheating anyone but yourself if you don't log an item or cheat about what you are going to eat, or what you just ate.

Get a food scale, and yes weight it, I weight everything even items like an 8 oz bag of carrots, by the way, I was able to report to the grocery store they were under weight by 2 oz, and they gave me my money back, and they changed their process.

Yes! I do take my scale to restaurants I want to know what I am putting in my body. Go to a salad bar like Jason's Deli and you can see how much "dressing" you really put on, and then you can make better decisions on what to add, or add less of, or more of. BTW croutons are my downfall, and I am lover of starch. lol

LOG IT BEFORE YOU EAT IT!

This works for me, I thought it might help others!

Happy logging!

Replies

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 15,166 Member
    edited May 28

    +1 on that. Plus it offers sooooo many opportunities for better choices and behavior modification when you're first starting out!

    Logging before eating was the singular reason why I (re)discovered that my 1970's era pediatrician's advice truly was correct! Eat an apple about half an hour before your meal and you are very likely to cut down on your total Calories! Not to mention that I (re)discovered that if I ate TWO apples in a desperate bid to "survive" while trying to double check my entries with USDA sources and log everything carefully and to the micro-gram… then I could maybe even put off that meal for a few hours because when the edge was off there was no real problem waiting a bit longer for the main meal!

    Now delaying meals may not necessarily be useful if you're eating close to maintenance. But while I was implementing larger deficits the option to delay sure came in handy!

    You take your kitchen scale out to restaurants?

    I have dedicated car scales! The cheap ozeri kitchen and garden ones! Cheap(ish) and with an integrated platform which makes them easier to use on uncertain surfaces! I don't use them everywhere but they sure are handy for fish and chips! And even more so for drive throughs or random pizza slices or what have you when out and about! I still log. So why not log exactly?

    Anyway. Knowing that you are about to gulp down 350 Cal vs considering what else you could buy yourself with that budget… it sure is handy!

    **fully disclosure: I no longer pre-log. haven't done so for years. I don't even pre-plan other than by glancing at the log to see approximately how much room I have left for the day and whether I am too low on protein or any other nutrient! (I guess that does count as "pre-planning") BUT, pre-logging before eating even a single bite was transformational in helping me get a handle on my choices when I first started out on MFP. My first year on MFP I averaged an actual/effective -695Cal a day deficit. That's averaged over the year. So that included time periods of aiming for 1000Cal deficits as well as others where I was aiming for 750 and 500. These days I keep my adjustments in the sub 250 (effective) range.

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 15,166 Member
  • amy19355
    amy19355 Posts: 810 Member

    agree 100%

    It helps me with portion control; my eyes are always bigger than my calorie budget! 🤣

  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,309 Member

    i like to put my plan for dinner in early in the day then go ahead and log what i’m packing for snack and lunch. that way i know ahead of time what makes sense, how some choices will impact other choices, etc. then the goal for the day is to eat everything logged!

  • Jon4189
    Jon4189 Posts: 57 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48630102#Comment_48630102

    That solves the age old question of what's for dinner! If I don't know what I'm going to make for dinner I end up snacking more than I should that's a really good idea!

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