do you count calories before or after you eat

2

Replies

  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    i always log my dinners a week in advance.. each night i sit and figure out what to eat to hit my macros for the next day.
    SOMEtimes if i know ill be overeating during the week (birthday party or some other get together) ill log everything for the week along with planned exercise to make sure i dont go over my weekly net goal
  • flyingwrite
    flyingwrite Posts: 264
    Always before. I do a weekly meal plan so I know what I'm eating each day in the morning. I log everything then and make adjustments (usually to add calories) based on what I come up with. Gotta have a plan.
  • mgmlap
    mgmlap Posts: 1,377 Member
    I do it the night before...
  • fieldsy4life
    fieldsy4life Posts: 155
    I plan my day in the morning, but make changes as needed.

    For example, if I say I'm going to eat 12 oz of salmon, but it really weighs 13 oz, I'll make the correction after dinner. Or if I'm hungry and eat some nuts or drink a protein shake that I didn't account for, I'll add via the iPhone app.

    I'm particular like that :)
  • FitLink
    FitLink Posts: 1,317 Member
    just wondering :)

    Both. I plan my day out with what I plan to eat, but I allow some calories as a cushion so I can add something just when I need it, and sometimes I don't eat something I planned because I'm not hungry. I feel like I should have some plan, but be flexible if I need to be. You only live once, so if someone brings a treat in at work, I might delete something I'd planned and have one, you know?
  • rower75
    rower75 Posts: 90 Member
    I do better if a plan my meals the night before.
  • giag09
    giag09 Posts: 203 Member
    Always before :) exercise after
  • dogmom325
    dogmom325 Posts: 1 Member
    I find that I eat better if I count before. Then I stick with the meal that I planned
  • rower75
    rower75 Posts: 90 Member
    Really this is no different that being diabetic and needing to keep your suger level even. My late husband was diabetic and it was always much better to plan the entire day in advance.
  • 10acity
    10acity Posts: 798 Member
    Usually before. Especially if I'm going out to eat-- that works for me, psychologically. If it's already logged into MFP, I'm more likely to stick to what I had planned. I'm kind of a planner in general though, so that's how my mind tends to work. And I like to know what I'm working with as early in the day as possible to stay within my limits.
  • greeneyedredneckangel
    greeneyedredneckangel Posts: 79 Member
    i do it first thing in the morning i plan my meals that way i have a way to hold my self accountable i do the same with my fitness
  • Queen_M
    Queen_M Posts: 70
    I log the night before. I'm not obsessive over it, I just like to get a rough idea, then when I actually eat it I adjust to be exact.
  • minit54
    minit54 Posts: 27
    i dont really have time to sit and log the whole day, but right before i go to lunch or dinner I log what it is I plan to eat. I've found that this helps me make better decisions when seeing how much i'm about to consume
  • SarahMorganP
    SarahMorganP Posts: 921 Member
    I do it as I eat. I eat mostly the same things over and over again though, so I always know the calories. I do not pre-log anything because so often I change my mind on what I want to eat. So I eat breakfast and then log, eat lunch and log, eat dinner and log. Same with snacks. I try to keep breakfast and lunch around 300-400 calories each every single day and the rest goes to snacks and dinner.
  • Stacyanne324
    Stacyanne324 Posts: 780 Member
    Mon- Sat I plan them ahead for the most part. I'll enter my main meals sometimes up to 3 days in advance. Sunday is my Spike day where I eat a much larger amount of calories than I do the other days of the week and although I planned that at first too I find I'm doing ok with leaving it a spontaneous thing and it's more fun. So that I enter breakfast and lunch as I go (dinner is usually planned so I already have that entered).
  • DataBased
    DataBased Posts: 513 Member
    I'm learning to plan in advance, but more importantly - so is my husband. He wanted honey walnut shrimp for tonight's meal. So I plugged it in this morning and told him what it would cost him in workout and meal portions for breakfast and lunch. He was good with the trade-off for a little mini-splurge, so that''s what we're having for supper tonight.

    I'm not organized enough to do a whole week in advance though. I'm far too spontaneous than that. I never know from one day to the next what I'm going to be hungry for.

    :happy:
  • vguynes
    vguynes Posts: 753 Member
    I plan my meals before (in the morning). I edit if I need to make changes, but I try to stick to my plan.
  • Sherbog
    Sherbog Posts: 1,072 Member
    Before....sometimes I change my mind.
  • 7funnygirl7
    7funnygirl7 Posts: 1,176
    I track first thing before anything goes in the mouth...LOL. This way there is always room for a treat for the day!
  • sculley
    sculley Posts: 2,012 Member
    Before I eat usually...Keeps me accountable :)
  • finchase
    finchase Posts: 174
    Partially before. It's usually after breakfast but before lunch. I tend to eat the same things for breakfast and lunch during the week at work, so that helps. I also long the snacks I'm going to have at work. That's easy because again, I'm taking the same things and I try not to eat extra things. If I know what I'm going to have for dinner (like tonight I know I already have grilled chicken breasts prepared), I log that, and I try to also decide on what veggies I'm going to have with it. Based on what's left over, I'll know if I have enough calories left to have a snack after dinner, or even two if I've been very good that day.
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
    Before! I try to figure out my food plan for the day so I know ahead of time what I can and shouldn't eat during the day. Works great me. But I'm weird that way...
  • gingermoon
    gingermoon Posts: 239 Member
    I'm a planner.
    Most of the time I have already figured out the next day or two in advance.
    Just easier for me that way.
  • Tori_356
    Tori_356 Posts: 510 Member
    Try to plan everything ahead of time. Doesn't always go according to plan or I'm not always sure of what i'll eat, so I can just edit it later if it changes!
  • Jamie2007
    Jamie2007 Posts: 169
    I use Sunday for meal prep and I track my entire weeks worth of food and exercise! Love it!!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I log after, usually the next day for anything eaten after I leave work. But I think about calories, balance and portions as prepare meals and snacks.
  • chiera88
    chiera88 Posts: 155
    BEFORE. then edit if something changes
  • citprof
    citprof Posts: 6
    Right before I eat it. My mantra is, it doesn't go in here (my mouth) until it goes in here! (myfitnesspal)--not as impressive w/o pointing!
  • MrsLong1980
    MrsLong1980 Posts: 181 Member
    Always after - I might change my mind! I make myself accountable by choosing healthily at the time :) I also log after each meal so I'm aware of how much I've eaten and how much I have left.
  • seebeachrun
    seebeachrun Posts: 221 Member
    Both. I somewhat plan my meals for the week to fit within my daily calories but I allow a little wiggle room here and there. I find it easier to count up breakfast and lunch and then try to make good decisions to stay within my remaining calories for dinner. I have been mostly successful so far. At some point I would love to be able to maintain a reasonable caloric intake without having to count.
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