When do you journal your food?

shedoos
shedoos Posts: 446 Member
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
I do the entire day either the day before or first thing in the morning. I then add/remove as each meal passes based on what I did, but I find this helps me to stay on track somehow. Maybe the planning?

I'm wondering when everyone else journals and why (if there is a reason)...
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Replies

  • mssgirl11
    mssgirl11 Posts: 99 Member
    i journal as i eat it...no real reason behind it but it helps me see what i need to do :smile:
  • karalmeier
    karalmeier Posts: 12
    Sometimes I track it all in the morning, so I am held accountable to what I eat through out the day... or sometimes I just track as I go. I find that I eat better when I track BEFORE hand :) But either way, as long as you track what you eat, you'll see how what you put into your body is a big part of weight loss!
  • sarahi2009
    sarahi2009 Posts: 285 Member
    I usually do mine at the time of the meal and it's easier because I also have it on my phone so I don't have to have the computer. Sometimes I do find that doing it the day before or in the morning for the whole day helps because I find myself sticking to it more because I don't want to edit my entries...lol...
  • boehle
    boehle Posts: 5,062 Member
    I journal as I eat to track everything.
    I have issues sometimes planning out the whole week due to money restraints.
  • dcgonz
    dcgonz Posts: 174 Member
    I do the entire day either the day before or first thing in the morning. I then add/remove as each meal passes based on what I did, but I find this helps me to stay on track somehow. Maybe the planning?

    I'm wondering when everyone else journals and why (if there is a reason)...

    I do the same thing. I also plan my meals out a week in advance since I only go grocery shopping once a week. This way I have what I need on hand and nothing else.
  • chinadoll725
    chinadoll725 Posts: 36 Member
    I do mine throughout the day- I have the app on my phone, so it's pretty easy. I usually eat mostly the same things every day, so my meal planning isn't too complicated. I've logged some meals beforehand, but I've always ended up changing stuff, so I just wait until Ive eaten.
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
    Sometimes before if it's planned, but often after I actually eat or exercise. Keeps me 100% honest and accountable. Anyway whatever works is what matters.
  • shanolap
    shanolap Posts: 1,204 Member
    I plan in advance, usually for the whole week.
  • AmyJo54915
    AmyJo54915 Posts: 103
    I journal as I eat to track everything.
    I have issues sometimes planning out the whole week due to money restraints.

    Yup.
  • LJ102011
    LJ102011 Posts: 110
    I journal in the morning for the whole day too. I think it holds me accountable and I know if I have enough calories available for an extra snack throughout the day!
  • KMSForLife
    KMSForLife Posts: 577 Member
    I try to have everything journaled by noon each day - helps me stick to the plan for the day.
  • chyloet
    chyloet Posts: 196 Member
    When I'm at work I journal everything except my dinner first thing in the morning, since I know what I've brought to eat, and then my dinner either that night (if I have time) or first thing the next day. On my days off I journal as I go ... the Android app has helped with that.
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    Sounds like I do the exact same as you! Planning first thing in the morning definitely keeps me on track and I know i won't be heading into any surprises later in the day! It helps me feel more in conrtol. I usually already know what I'll be making for dinner for my family, so I log that and then whatever I happen to be in the mood for at breakfast. Then I can fill in my lunch/snacks however the calories fit!
  • lottycat
    lottycat Posts: 333 Member
    I do it all in advance, but frequently change it. If I know I'm going out for dinner I usually plan what I'm going to have ahead of time so that I know how much I can eat during the rest of the day. I enjoy planning meals, and it makes grocery shopping easier.
  • JamesonsMommy
    JamesonsMommy Posts: 771 Member
    I usually log mine in the morning unless i'm on the go for the day
  • Shanna_Inc86
    Shanna_Inc86 Posts: 781 Member
    Sounds like I do the exact same as you! Planning first thing in the morning definitely keeps me on track and I know i won't be heading into any surprises later in the day! It helps me feel more in conrtol. I usually already know what I'll be making for dinner for my family, so I log that and then whatever I happen to be in the mood for at breakfast. Then I can fill in my lunch/snacks however the calories fit!

    Same here
  • angelapolite
    angelapolite Posts: 249
    I usually journal before I eat. I typically eat about the same things during the week, and buy my food for the week on Mondays, so I have everything there and I can choose what to eat at mealtime.
    In the mornings, on my train ride to work, I enter in breakfast, I choose my lunch first at lunchtime, then enter that, as well as my snacks. Then I decide what to make for dinner during lunchtime, then track that.
    I have to journal as I go, since I will never remember what I've eaten if I wait until the end of the day to track my meals.
    It's important to me, in order to plan and not stray, to have everything at home or at work first. So I know exactly what I'm eating. And it works! I don't freak out when I have my plan.
  • angelapolite
    angelapolite Posts: 249
    I usually journal before I eat. I typically eat about the same things during the week, and buy my food for the week on Mondays, so I have everything there and I can choose what to eat at mealtime.
    In the mornings, on my train ride to work, I enter in breakfast, I choose my lunch first at lunchtime, then enter that, as well as my snacks. Then I decide what to make for dinner during lunchtime, then track that.
    I have to journal as I go, since I will never remember what I've eaten if I wait until the end of the day to track my meals.
    It's important to me, in order to plan and not stray, to have everything at home or at work first. So I know exactly what I'm eating. And it works! I don't freak out when I have my plan.
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
    I pre plan
  • amiet2003
    amiet2003 Posts: 11
    I do it the night before for breakfast and snacks as i do plan what to eat in the morning and what munchies to bring in the office, then add lunch and dinner either before or after eating. This way, i get to see if i'm exceeding my desired calories intake. i'm on my 4th week and it works for me!
  • allie1904
    allie1904 Posts: 248
    I do a bit the night before but then usually end up playing around with it the next day. Everything else I track as I eat.
  • jwhit31
    jwhit31 Posts: 450 Member
    I grocery shop for the entire month on the first, minus some of the fresh produce so I have to make a menu for the entire month ahead of time. With already knowing what I'm cooking for dinner I log breakfast, lunch and dinner in the morning before I put anything (besides water) in my mouth. Dinner doesn't change because I don't eat out. If I want to change breakfast or lunch I just make sure I stay within the calories I allotted myself for that meal. Snacks are added as I want them. This is how I keep within my daily calories each day.
  • missy5277
    missy5277 Posts: 88 Member
    I log it right before i eat it, for me if i see what calories i have left i tend to stay away from something i shouldnt eat!
  • wilson1972
    wilson1972 Posts: 8
    I always journal mine the night before. If I did it as I went dinner time would come and I'd find I only had 10 calories available!!! Or, that I would have to eat 700 calories... I modify my day as I go if I don't eat exactly what I had planned though.
  • jlc1243
    jlc1243 Posts: 272 Member
    I'm more of a hybrid. I usually don't pre-plan a day ahead but I always know what I am making for dinner so I plug that in as I have my breakfast, that way I know what I have left for Lunch and snacks. And if there is extra left over I'll plan for a little more at dinner or evening snack. Everything else I log as a go. I have pre-planned days and it makes is super easy, but then I feel like I have to check and re-check that I ate what I said I would.
  • SPheonix22
    SPheonix22 Posts: 90 Member
    I usually journal first thing in the morning. Everything. I will upadate the previous day if there are any changes. But jounaling before hand has helped me understand how many calories I have left and keeps me from overeating.
  • TubbsMcGee
    TubbsMcGee Posts: 1,058 Member
    I usually am not able to fully plan my day out to a T, so I pick what I want for breakfast and lunch, log it before I eat it, then try to budget what I can eat for dinner.

    I always log either before I eat, or during the meal so that I know if I go over, I'll have to stop myself. Rarely to I log after everything has been consumed.
  • KokomoJoe
    KokomoJoe Posts: 435
    I preplan most things at least a day before. If I am doing dinner tomorrow night I will most likely enter the leftovers for lunch the next day or day after. As a 1 person household you learn to plan so you don't waste food. I now need to empty my freezer of all the leftovers frozen in there now.
  • Tammylyn117
    Tammylyn117 Posts: 44
    I was journaling it as I ate it, or as I got a chance to sit at the computer, but the problem in that for me was I didn't have a clear plan for what I was going to eat, and sometimes ate too much for breakfast and/or lunch and left myself with too few calories for dinner, which then meant I had to add in a workout, or go over on my daily calories. Now I try to enter the day as I plan what I will eat, then go back in before I finalize and make any changes that I need to. Just started that method in the last couple of days, so let's hope it works a little better for me. Anyway, thanks for the question.
  • docHelen
    docHelen Posts: 198
    I try to have everything journaled by noon each day - helps me stick to the plan for the day.
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