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    Advance logging....Help or hurt?

    Posts: 95 Member
    edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
    Anybody ever try to log their food in advance, in an effort to stay on track? I did this a couple of times last week and it seemed to help me stick to the plan. Just wondering what your thoughts are. :

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    Replies

    • Posts: 14 Member
      I do this as well, and it seems to help. I am just careful to add anything additional to the log as well...
    • Posts: 34,476 Member
      If it works for you, do it. Every time I've tried it, I end up changing everything later. Therefore for me it = 2X the work.
    • Posts: 328 Member
      I'm way better when I have my food planned out for the day. its when I don't know what I'm going to eat that cravings set in, I get too hungry and end up making back choices. So bottom line, totally helps me!
    • Posts: 31 Member
      Def helps me, espec when I've been naughty the day before!
    • Posts: 1,117 Member
      If I've pre-planned my meal for the day I will go ahead and pre-log it.
    • Posts: 2,685 Member
      I do this!

      It helps me. I know exactly how much food I can have in the day so I am sure to spread my meals thoughout the day and I tend to stick on track if I know exactly what I can eat to stay within the proper range. :)

      I highly reccomend advance logging... but be sure to go back and add anything that you may eat that wasn't on the plan.
    • Posts: 751 Member
      I do it everyday to give me an ideal of where I need to be. Especially if I want to add a "cheat". I suggest tracking it first. You will be suprised at what the outcome is!
    • Posts: 2,549 Member
      I almost always have my day planned in advance (and logged).That way I know how much leeway I have for snacks or unplanned items. It helps a great deal.
    • Posts: 282 Member
      I try and do the advanced logging when I can ... definitely helps me to stay on track (especially after I've been naughty).
    • Posts: 333 Member
      funny, I just posted on my news feed about how I like to log ahead for the day- especially my exercising so that I know how many calories I have for the day- it drives me nuts that the news feed makes it look like I have already done the exercising or the eating- i wish there was a "projected" button or something-

      But to answer your original question- yes, if I know what I am having for lunch/dinner or exercise, I will log ahead to know what I have to work with!
    • Posts: 15,228 Member
      I log in advance every day, but it is constantly subject to change.
    • Posts: 41
      it helps me big time because otherwise I wont eat enough of one of my macros.
    • Posts: 124
      It's the only way I can stay disciplined to this. I need a road map for the entire day so it certainly helps me.
    • Posts: 163
      I didn't even know you could. Ha! Learn something new every day.
    • Posts: 644 Member
      Yeah, sometimes. But I know what I can eat for the next day to the bite anyway and anything else just ain't food ;)
    • Posts: 389 Member
      For food that I know I am going to be using I try to pre log. I find it gives you an idea of whats left & really helps me to meet my macros & overall goal, if I need to I will add or delete & it seems to work really well :)

      Russ
    • Posts: 109 Member
      Advance logging works way better for me. I can adjust all my portions before I have ate them allowing me to really ensure that my macronutient ratios are right on!
    • Posts: 250 Member
      I don't log all my food in advance (I eat WAY too much and too varied to do that) however I DO enter items I'm contemplating for my next meal to decide if it's worth eating that particular food/combination. I often change my plans when I see how many calories and how little protein it is.
      I sometimes log my exercise ahead of time. I initially did that for the same reason - to see how many calories I would burn and would it be worth that particular exercise - but then a Friend congratulated me on my great workout and I was so embarrassed that I HAD to go do that exact workout!!! Now I use that as a motivator to make sure I go for my run (or whatever).
    • Posts: 251 Member
      I honestly have no idea ahead of time what I am going to eat.... I always have several options available at all times.
    • Posts: 1,283 Member
      I almost always log the next day after I eat supper. I don't have a lot of calories to work with so it takes some planning to eat "enough" for lunch and supper so I play around with what fits in my macros.

      If it changes a little bit I don't get too uptight about it. It is usually just one of the two meals I eat (breakfast doesn't count as I am lazy and have a protein shake).

      I have done this the entire 4+ months on MFP and it is working great for me.
    • Posts: 401 Member
      I do this as well. In the evenings I log what I plan to eat the next day. It helps me to stay on track because it forces me to plan my meals and snacks. If I don't have things planned then I am likely to eat something unhealthy on the fly. Plus, it helps me to figure out how many calories is in a meal since I have to find that out BEFORE making it (I make a lot of new recipes due to Pinterest!). If I waiting I would most likely be over my goals every day.
    • Posts: 42 Member
      In the morning I log for the day lots of times because i know what i'm having then add things in if i need to.
    • Posts: 651 Member
      I use a smart phone and log as I eat. But if I didn't, there's no way I would succeed if I was trying to remember to log later.
    • Posts: 161 Member
      I don't log all my food in advance (I eat WAY too much and too varied to do that) however I DO enter items I'm contemplating for my next meal to decide if it's worth eating that particular food/combination. I often change my plans when I see how many calories and how little protein it is.

      this is what i do if the mood strikes me. esp. on days like today when i went a little crazy with the snacks, i'll log a potential dinner and see where i'm at. so for me, like most things, it depends on the day
    • Posts: 780 Member
      I find logging in advance is a huge help at keeping me on track. I do it every morning for the day so I know how many calories I'm spending on my main meals and can fill in snacks around them as I go. The only day I'm not logging in advance now is Sunday. It's my spike day and I allow myself to indulge. I still log it and for the first few weeks I was logging in advance so I didn't go totally crazy but it takes some of the fun from the day so now I'm not.
    • Posts: 605 Member
      Pre-logging totally helps me stay on track and makes me think about what I will be eating BEFORE I am too hungry to think (just kidding about that part!) I enjoy knowing what I am going to be eating ahead of time, though, it keeps me on track!
    • Posts: 116 Member
      Its like mad helpful for me because I'm on this site all day during the week and I typically will eat the same things Mon-Fri bc I cook my meals on Sunday. I will always go back and alter but for the most part it stays..
    • Posts: 7
      I think it helps me to log my food before I actually eat it. If the calories seem too much I can change what I eat. If I don't remember to log after I eat I at least have a record of what I thought I was going to eat. Anything is better than nothing at all, right? Sometimes I plan my dinner and enter everything in the morning. Then after I've logged my breakfast I can see how many calories I have left for the day.
    • Posts: 1,017 Member
      Definitely helps. One time I even logged a whole day in advance and changed things as I made alterations to the original plan.
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