Do you plan your meals in advance?

jillvent
jillvent Posts: 18
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I've realized that I do better if I plan out all my meals and log everything in the morning.. it really helps keep me on track! Just curious - does anyone else do this?
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Replies

  • MrsSullivan08
    MrsSullivan08 Posts: 274 Member
    I don't simply because I am not one to plan out all meals for the week in one day. :) I don't like planning at all. I am currently in the process of planning my wedding and I'm ready for it to be over already!!!!!! :)
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    Yes, I have my whole days eating planned and cooked in advance bar rice and carbs. They are cooked just before being eaten. I use a six pack fitness bag to store them all in :D
  • gerirojas
    gerirojas Posts: 101 Member
    I plan each meal and log it as I make it it slows me down and makes me think about every meal I eat
  • slimbyjune18
    slimbyjune18 Posts: 101 Member
    yes, partly so we buy the right stuff in the supermarket (feeding a family of 4), and partly so I can track my calories and increase or decrease as necessary
  • maryjay51
    maryjay51 Posts: 742
    i cook a bulk of my food for the week at the beginning of the week ..like 3 or 4 servings of brown/red rice, sometimes a few servings of superpasta and always about 3-5lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast.. then i plan my meals one or two days in advance. i have a busy life and so thats what works for me . but definitely i do plan it ahead of time . if i dont then im more likely to sway off the beaten path
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    On the times I go out with friends to go dining, drinking beer, etc etc. I'll plan ahead. Visit websites, research calories and all that jazz. Then I bust my *kitten* off burning off the excess calories the day before and after. I rarely burn calories the day of actually going out to eat.
  • hosnowjo
    hosnowjo Posts: 145 Member
    I plan and log for the day, then I know how much I can eat. Sometimes I change it around and swap food about. It's good to know what the food boundaries are. It helps me to stay within my target.
  • BSummers321
    BSummers321 Posts: 94 Member
    Well I do a bit both, I plan some meals (for example if I've made enough for a few nights) and I usually have porridge in the morning, so I'll add that to my diary. But I tend to log for the day, just in case I feel like eating something else or I have to eat out etc.

    Works best for me :)
  • darkling_glory
    darkling_glory Posts: 239 Member
    I do!

    I meal plan when I do my grocery shopping for the week. I do leave some room for flexibility though. And I always pack my breakfast and lunch the night before so that I can just grab and go in the morning. So it's easy for me to enter it in before bed.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    I've realized that I do better if I plan out all my meals and log everything in the morning.. it really helps keep me on track! Just curious - does anyone else do this?

    I do. :smile:
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    yes, especially in the beginning. not too far in advance, mostly just the next day. perfect way to start. now, not as much. mostly on days that i go to work. i still log everything BEFORE i eat it. it makes no sense to log it after.
  • PercivalHackworth
    PercivalHackworth Posts: 1,437 Member
    I've a base of meals that I add into the application, which fits into my goals.
    When non-planned things come (hang, restaurant with colleagues) I simply update, so the total per day fits ^^
  • Sepa
    Sepa Posts: 243 Member
    Yes. I plan all my weekly meals out on a Sunday and log them in my diary 1-2 days before in case of any changes. I usually cook Sunday Monday and Tuesday's meals on Sunday too depending on what I have planned for those nights. I have started loosing more weight as I know what I can eat and stick to it instead of logging as I go because I used to eat all my cals before dinner then would go over by 400ish cals a day
  • crazycat80
    crazycat80 Posts: 121 Member
    I do two levels of planning. I have a high level of "what's for dinner" that has about 4-5 days worth of meals on it. Sometimes I swap them around depending on how busy my day is. Then, each morning after breakfast, I plan out my entire day on MFP to ensure I'm not going over calories. I usually bring lunch to work so I already know what snacks and meals are available for that, then I work in dinner and maybe dessert. I find if I don't do this (like on the weekends) I almost always go over my limit. It really keep me on track and focused.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    I plan ahead and prepare some of it in advance.
  • Bjfavara
    Bjfavara Posts: 22 Member
    Yes, yes and yes! Most definitely helps keep me on track most of the time.
  • llamalauren
    llamalauren Posts: 20 Member
    sometimes i do, sometimes i don't. If I have access to MFP I try to do it before I eat so I can make adjustments. It helps me make a decision when I eat out, which happens too often because I'm pretty busy. It helps me find healthy options.
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
    I plan ahead and check my food diary often to see where I'm at. Now getting to the point where I can approximate but still rely heavily on planning and implementing :)
  • aaleigha1
    aaleigha1 Posts: 408 Member
    I try to do mine the day before
    after my last meal today I will log the planned food for tomorrow
    I find it much easier to keep to my planned foods if its already on 'paper'
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    I've realized that I do better if I plan out all my meals and log everything in the morning.. it really helps keep me on track! Just curious - does anyone else do this?

    Yes I often do this, especially if I am on late shift, because late shift will often mean I don't get back home until past midnight, meaning I won't have completed for the day.

    So far, it has worked out quite well actually.
  • waanju
    waanju Posts: 27 Member
    I usually do mine in the morning, mostly because I pack lunch and dinner ahead (I'm at school until 8) and I'd forget to log them later. It also tells me if I can snack.
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
    i cook a bulk of my food for the week at the beginning of the week ..like 3 or 4 servings of brown/red rice, sometimes a few servings of superpasta and always about 3-5lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast.. then i plan my meals one or two days in advance. i have a busy life and so thats what works for me . but definitely i do plan it ahead of time . if i dont then im more likely to sway off the beaten path

    I do this too, then it's easy to throw together something quickly - no excuses!
  • michelby09
    michelby09 Posts: 38 Member
    I try to! During the week I usually plan better than on the weekends...I'll make a big pot of chili and separate it into 5 containers for lunch every day, and then the night before each workday I'll put everything together. It's so much easier to see where I need to add/take away calories when I have it all laid out beforehand.
  • Lotte34
    Lotte34 Posts: 429 Member
    I plan my meals at least a day in advance, although those i know who are on a diet and have children tend to do a weekly rota, and have about 21 meal ideas and rotate them week on week
  • jared767
    jared767 Posts: 76
    I should. But sometimes, I'm just too caught up with anything else.
  • MyFeistyEvolution
    MyFeistyEvolution Posts: 1,014 Member
    Generally speaking, I know what I'm eating for the next day every day. I try to finish my log early in the day as well to see where I will be and go from there.

    I've actually had much better results doing it this way than when I would wing it before and log as I went.

    For me....failing to plan is planning to fail.
  • LPS1986
    LPS1986 Posts: 104
    If you check out my diary, you can see that I carefully plan and adjust all meals and snacks throughout the day. I have trouble with certain macros but really try to stay on top of my carbs and proteins.
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    i usually add my tea first as thats the highest calorie meal, then choose breakfast / lunch / snacks to suit what cals i have left.
    if i just logged as i ate, i would get to teatime and only have enough cals left for a lettuce leaf lol!
  • hdlb123
    hdlb123 Posts: 112 Member
    I plan our dinners two weeks at a time, and shop for everything two weeks at a time. I decide what we are having for dinner off our two week list every morning, depending on whats going on that day. I have 3 kids, 2 of which have allergies. There is no waiting to the last minute and throwing things together or ordering out, or just grabbing something from the grocery store. And it helps keep our grocery budget a bit lower, since we almost always have what we need for dinner in the freezer/cupboard.

    Usually in the mornings I log what we are having for dinner, and work the rest of the day around that, calorie wise.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    In the game of losing weight, diet is king. You barely lose weight thro exercise, that just knocks a few hundred calories more off the top of you deficit without you having to use less food.

    As the old adage goes, abs are made in the kitchen. Even if you don't want abs, the principle is exactly the same.

    Rule of thumb when dieting. If it looks like it did when it came from the animal or was taken from the ground, eat it. If its looks processed or you aren't sure, don't it. Simples!
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