do you count calories before or after you eat

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  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    When I log my foods (which I'm not right now) I try to plan a day in advance. I'll even estimate my calorie burn from exercise so that I can spread those calories throughout the day.
  • sofitheteacup
    sofitheteacup Posts: 397 Member
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    I look at the cals in my options before I decide. I log what I consume afterward. On the rare occasion I don't have the opportunity to do so (restaurant picked on the fly, etc), I make careful choices and look it up afterward to log.
    I don't understand people who log what they "plan" to eat... though I guess it's just a more extreme form of what I do?
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    Before. How else will I know how much I am supposed to eat?

    Srsly, I go way the heck over "guesstimating" my calories.
  • maf66
    maf66 Posts: 211 Member
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    Before during and after. I have a dry erase board in my kitchen just for that reason. I write down both meals I eat often as well as individual foods for switching it up. In doing this, I've been able to memorize some of the cal/fat content I eat most. It's been really helpful for me. Since I live alone, I tend to eat several of the same foods until I run out and need to go to the store again. For instance on my last trip I bought chicken, fresh tuna steaks and chicken sausage, so it becomes easier for me to remember short term. I always eat the same brands of dairy, so those are easy to figure out. Always buying the same brand of anything has helped me.

    But the biggest tool has been this website. I can look at previous meals and incorporate something similar in my head quite quickly. And it shows me my mistakes, which has helped a lot.
  • inetgirl
    inetgirl Posts: 174 Member
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    I plan my grocery shopping list and meals out. But I don't enter them until I eat them. If I don't I go over.....Way over
  • y353
    y353 Posts: 50 Member
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    Normally I don't eat breakfeast (only ate till my later teens)

    At lunch I start eating eating veggies and logging all the stuff in the plate. Not really fun to be around at the first minutes but sometimes it's cumbersome translate my country's food to the diary (I'm from Brasil). If I ate too little (or something is just too good) I log and add the extra.

    And then I plan the dinner to not exceed the calories.

    Today I will try not to eat before bed to top til 1200 calories.
  • karlis1253
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    I plan out all my meals and snacks in the morning so I know what I need to eat more of or less then i adjust it.
  • fashionista954
    fashionista954 Posts: 98 Member
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    I prefer to plan out my meals ahead of time because it helps me stay within my range, but on occassion I do end up adding the calories afterwards if I don't have time to plan ahead or if i'm just not sure what's on the menu.
  • kanmuri
    kanmuri Posts: 112
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    After. That way I don't cheat.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    I count calories while I eat

    693, 694, 695, 696.......
  • Phrak
    Phrak Posts: 353 Member
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    I pre-log most of my food with a fudge factor, then go back and fine tune after everything has been weighed out.
  • thinmintme
    thinmintme Posts: 63 Member
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    Always after. Although, I mentally plan and count, then consume, then log. It seems to be working for me so far.
    If I try to plan and log before, I end up changing things. :/
  • brettjcohen
    brettjcohen Posts: 30 Member
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    I always enter the food before I start eating it. Unless I'm being bad
  • Justice96
    Justice96 Posts: 29
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    I count my calories before I eat them so I know how much Im taking in plus ill know how much calories to burn when I go to the gym. Also by counting them first i know what treats I can ahve without going overboard
  • boggsmeister
    boggsmeister Posts: 292 Member
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    BEFORE. then edit if something changes

    What she said.
  • Fani2003
    Fani2003 Posts: 195 Member
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    I do it right before I eat. If I am making something at home or heating a frozen dinner, while I am cooking. If I am at a restaurant, I do it while I am looking at the menu to play around with how many calories things are.
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
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    Never.

    I find not worrying about it keeps me young.

    That, and my orange crush.
  • Shortie78xxx
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    I'm only on day 3 and i've found that before is better for me because it's such a new concept. As time goes by, I may be able to count my calories after but fo rnow I need to learn I think.
  • JanineHarrison
    JanineHarrison Posts: 164 Member
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    For food I do both. If I know what I'm having for dinner one night or brought my lunch I go ahead and add it. I can always change it if plans change. I use the mobile app so it's not a burden to do it either way. Other times it is as I go or immediately after. I'd rather have to delete something I didn't eat then add something I did, because I don't want to go over, but it happens.

    For exercise, I try not to add any until it happens. When an exercise is added it goes on my wall and my awesome friends start commenting, I wouldn't want to have to go back and say, oops, didn't do it. :smile:
  • siobhano_
    siobhano_ Posts: 101
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    Usually I plan out a day's breakfast the evening before, and from there I know roughly what I can eat the next day. If I am exercising that day, though, I am a lot more relaxed about it