Pre-planning Meals?

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kookla33
kookla33 Posts: 234
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone pre-plan their meals so they can get a good idea of what they can eat for the day to stay in their calorie range/ Just curious. It seems like a good idea. I am going to try it today.

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  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
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    I do that all the time. Suring the week, my breakfast and lunch are fairly consistent in the calories. The weekend is another story but I figure out what I am having and then exercise like mad if I think I am going to go over
  • JenniferMann24
    JenniferMann24 Posts: 293
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    Best way to do it!:wink:
  • weaverc
    weaverc Posts: 158
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    I always preplan my dinner and then base my breakfast and lunch off of that!
  • lgolden
    lgolden Posts: 164
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    I have to pre-plan my meals. If I don't I won't stay on track. It takes a little time but it is so worth it! I also just plan for my meals without exercise. That way when I exercise I know how many calories I can enjoy and just add them to my pre-planned day.
  • BrenNew
    BrenNew Posts: 3,420 Member
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    Does anyone pre-plan their meals so they can get a good idea of what they can eat for the day to stay in their calorie range/ Just curious. It seems like a good idea. I am going to try it today.


    Oh YA! Just like Vicky, I definitely plan my meals for the whole week, including exercise too. And whenever I welcome the newbies, that's the first thing I tell them, to log everything BEFORE they have it, rather than after. It really IS the best way! :smile:
  • BR1986FB
    BR1986FB Posts: 1,515 Member
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    Every day. I even punch a full day's worth of eats into MFP the day before I'm going to eat it.
  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
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    I do that all the time. Suring the week, my breakfast and lunch are fairly consistent in the calories. The weekend is another story but I figure out what I am having and then exercise like mad if I think I am going to go over

    LOL I do the same thing with exercise.

    But really, you should always to some extent preplan, even if its just right before the meal. Just like with money, you shouldn't pre spend your money then know how much you have, right???
  • sydenham24
    sydenham24 Posts: 33
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    yes, great idea. The Beck Weight Loss book really insists on it. It helps because you can see what you ate that was unplanned and also (more importantly) look forward to food you know you have coming up.
    javascript:add_smiley('smokin','post_body'):smokin: :smokin:
  • novachaos
    novachaos Posts: 12
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    Definitely!! I mainly pre-plan what I'll be eating during the day while I'm at work (breakfast/lunch/snacks) and take it all with me. And I leave about 400-500 calories for dinner and depending on what I eat, I may have room for a treat like popcorn or sugar-free pudding (which is super yummy!).
  • Das_Modell
    Das_Modell Posts: 167
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    that's what i've been doing usually. Especially since most of the time i know whats for dinner or have an idea. I've been pre-planning most of the time since i've started :smile:
  • lisam829
    lisam829 Posts: 110 Member
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    Definitely. It really helps to know in advance how many cals you have that day. i actually plan out a whole months dinner schedule (just either chicken or fish, I don't plan sides) and it REALLY helps when I go grocery shopping.
  • pannellkat
    pannellkat Posts: 709 Member
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    Pre-planning is what helped me lose all the weight that I have since I joined this site about a month ago. I get to see how many calories I'm at for the day, what I can add, what I should remove or do without, how much exercise I should expect to get in, etc. Pre-planning is great!
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    I rarely know what I'm going to eat from one meal to the next, let alone one day to the next. I think, for me, pre-planning wouldn't work...it's too regimented...and anything regimented signals the word DIET in my head, and I can't risk that. :P

    Not to mention, I would probably feel bad or like I failed if I wasn't able to follow my pre-planned menu.
  • JoyousMaximus
    JoyousMaximus Posts: 9,285 Member
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    Definitely!! I mainly pre-plan what I'll be eating during the day while I'm at work (breakfast/lunch/snacks) and take it all with me. And I leave about 400-500 calories for dinner and depending on what I eat, I may have room for a treat like popcorn or sugar-free pudding (which is super yummy!).

    I do the same thing, because I take everything for the day with me, it's easier. On the weekends, it's a lot harder. I just input everything in before I eat it... or try to.:tongue:
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    My guy won't even look at this site. He says that's overthinking it. But between his workouts and his new diet regime, he's lost a TON of weight (he won't tell me how much, but he looks like a totally different person).

    I log everything. I plan it all out ahead of time, including eating out. I do all of the grocery shopping and know exactly what to buy for my next week's menus. I rotate my workouts and alternate types of cardio to maximize their effectiveness. I've read and read on what to eat, when to eat, etc. I go a little overboard on it :blushing:

    I say, whatever works for you.
  • Jennplus2
    Jennplus2 Posts: 984 Member
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    I plan breakfast and lunch and have lots of fruits and veggies at my work for snacking on all day. I let myself eat as much fresh fruit and veggies as I want and I usually have about 500-750 cal left over for dinner. Basically I stuff my face all day long with pepper slices, cucumber slices, baby carrots, anything that sounds yummy at the time. Then when it come to dinner I have lots of cals to play with. Because fruit and veggies don't have lots of cals! :)

    Lost 20 so far!

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