Who plans their meals in advance and why?

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  • Beeteezie
    Beeteezie Posts: 35 Member
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    I do, because I still can't be trusted with the last minute choices

    SAME HERE... If I don't have a meal planned or prepared I might start snacking on stuff that's
    cheap + easy to find = mostly likely not healthy

    planning makes meals less stressful and fun
  • cweiler4
    cweiler4 Posts: 374 Member
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    I normally plan my meals the night before or use Sundays as a plan and prep day to get a view of what my week looks like. I typically eat the same thing for breakfast and snacks throughout the week. On weekends I just go with the flow and enter as I go. It definitely keeps my eating habits in check.
  • 2FattyXFatty4
    2FattyXFatty4 Posts: 215 Member
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    I premake food on Sunday for the week.

    This has been VERY helpful for me. I usually make a big batch of some kind of low fat soup in the crockpot on Sunday and then freeze individual portions to take for lunch through the week. It's a wonderful time and money saver!
  • laurabini
    laurabini Posts: 257 Member
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    I plan my meals whenever I can, it really helps me to stay within my calorie intake :)
  • SexyCook
    SexyCook Posts: 2,253 Member
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    I am Huge on Preplanning...Not as much on the weekend but definitely M-F...simply because it holds me accountable and I cook all my meals along with grab the snacks and bring them to work so it leave no room for excuses or errors... I had to find a system that worked for me...
  • fitphoenix
    fitphoenix Posts: 9,673 Member
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    I plan my entire week on Thursday or Friday of the week before--when I make my grocery list so that I can pick up everything that I need for the week on Saturday morning. This prevents wasted food and means that I'm not aimlessly searching the kitchen for food and might be more likely to make a bad choice.

    I normally cycle through 3-4 different meals for breakfast and work-week lunch, and I eat one of them for an entire week. Then I switch to the next one for the next week, and so on and so forth, so that I don't get bored, but it lets me eat through a whole set of something and not need to think too hard for that week. Dinners vary each day of the week, and weekend meals vary more.

    That being said, especially now that I'm in maintenance rather than weight loss, I'm much better about being flexible and willing to change things up as life happens. But the structure of having everything pre-planned and ensuring that I hit the right macros definitely helped me succeed. (That said, I'm a pretty organised, anal person in most aspects of my life, so I was going with one of my strengths, lol.) ^_^
  • RoanneSD
    RoanneSD Posts: 1 Member
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    I don't eat to live, I live to eat! I love knowing what I'll get to eat, so I do plan my meals for the day the night before. As a family, we plan our dinners for the week - based on the ingredients on hand and so we know what needs to be added to the grocery list.
    Added bonus: we can pre-prep so dinner is easier to make each day.
    Added bonus #2: if dinner is somewhat pre-prepped and easy to make, there's less chance we'll just decide to pick up fast food or order in....
    Better food/meal choices all around by planning ahead of time. :)
  • 600racer
    600racer Posts: 149 Member
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    My breakfasts vary a little and weekday lunches are similar just to make it easy so they are sorta planned. If not I wouldn't have what I wanted and would eat what I shouldn't. Weekend suppers are more planned since I'll cook something nice. As the day goes on I will really look at my last meal so I can have a nice protien smoothie evening snack. :smile:
  • lnguyen578
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    I try to but usually I tend to eat more than what I plan xD
  • mollydubs
    mollydubs Posts: 205 Member
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    I am a compulsive overeater so I plan my meals and stick to it. This is done on a daily basis, which works for me just fine.

    Yep. This has helped the overeating so very much for me too.
  • dcmat
    dcmat Posts: 1,723 Member
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    We plan for the full week ahead, but nothing to do with cals. Make a list of what you need, stick to it and save a fortune. We can easily keep a weekly shop for 5 to under £40. Bulk buying from cash 'n' carry, fruit & veg from local market.....
  • Bikini27
    Bikini27 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    I do my best to plan my entire day out in the morning and log it.
    I did not do that today and I am over cals by a good amount. (Workout will cover it but still, blah!)

    Everyone is different, we all think differently, but prelogging the day prevents fast food runs and insane calories.

    :flowerforyou:
  • geri1geraldinesuzanne
    geri1geraldinesuzanne Posts: 125 Member
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    i usually log before hand that way i know exactly what i am allowed to eat without going over and stick to it.
    i also find that i don't feel so hungry planning in advance and never have to add any suprise foods....works for me
  • Fay84Vegan
    Fay84Vegan Posts: 225 Member
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    WOW - You guys are so organised!

    I worry that i'd not fancy eating what i have 'planned' to eat...

    I'm going to give it a go and plan my food for the next day the night before, i'll do it for a week and see how i go.

    I do tend to stay in the kitchen and think to myself 'what do i feel like eating?' which probably isn't the best approach...

    Planning is probably the way to go.

    Thanks so much guys!! :happy:
  • Stephaniebingletastic
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    I plan my meals normally for a week or min 5 days. It means less time in supermarket in teh week and more time for the gym, I do not go into the supermarket starving and end up making the wrong food choices either.
    Planning is also good to start leafing through recipe books, varying your diet, but most importantly, you can use leftover veg/meat etc agian in other meals before it goes off and you throw it away. I have cut my food bills in half doing this, which covers my gym membership easily over the month.
    The less times you go to the supermarket a week, the less temptation you have.
    I also try to get all my meat and veg from the local fresh produce market where it is better quality, cheaper, and is fresher.
    The greengrocers in a market can also tell you what is in season so you can experiment with more seasonal dishes adding more variation.

    Good Luck!
  • MrsGoHard
    MrsGoHard Posts: 150 Member
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    sometimes the worst part about eating is trying to remember what to eat. planning in advance takes the anxiety out of food.
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
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    I plan ahead for the week because then I can make sure I have the groceries that I need for the week and that I fit my meals into my macros. Before I did, we'd end up stopping for a burger because I didn't feel like cooking. This way, I can do all the food prep over the weekend so after work when I get home, all I have to do is assemble and pop in the oven.
  • BruteSquad
    BruteSquad Posts: 373 Member
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    I DO NOT.

    It limits choices and makes shopping more expensive. If I go into the store, I know what is healthy and I look at that stuff and buy what is on sale. It makes me be creative in the kitchen and it saves me tons of money.

    Get a little crazy, live a little dangerously, buy healthy stuff, a little calculation when you are ready to cook and off you go.
  • gracieabem
    gracieabem Posts: 211
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    Not planning my meals has reaped not so good results in the past. By planning I ensure that I eat a variety of foods and nutrients, that I have planned for when I am extra busy (ie I'll make something easy when I have to go out that evening, or take some leftovers out of the freezer). I can prepare snacks to take to work the night before. Lunch needs to be bought from home because there are not many very healthy choices at/near work, so this all requires planning. (Occasionally I'll treat myself to a delicious chicken and salad roll on a white bun from work, but it's not something I want to eat all the time.) I like to plan my treat meals that are a little more indulgent than usual. I like to see over the week how 'balanced' nutritionally my food is and planning helps with this.

    I want to take this a step further and do some freezer cooking to make sure I have a few meals on hand ready-to-go for when I get busy later in the semester.

    I do tend to log before I eat because I'm still getting a feel for values having never calorie counted or worried about macros before. It helps me keep on track, but I do wonder if I will become dependent on this. I still have trouble reaching my target calories on most days (I think this week I had a little blow out), but usually with the food I am choosing I feel really, really full so it's hard to keep eating. Once upon a time I couldn't stop eating because I always felt hungry. Food choice had a lot to do with this for me.

    Oh and because I really love food and really enjoy preparing and eating it... it makes me happy to think of what I've got happening for brekky, lunch and dinner. I really look forward to meal times. This new lifestyle has not taken away my enjoyment of food, in fact it has enhanced it.
  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
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    I only plan my meals day of. I usually plan what I'll cook every week, but I don't hash out my meals too far in advance. I don't want to be too rigid because then I'll feel trapped and probably fall off the wagon. Besides, sometimes things come up like going to eat with a friend or some work celebration. I like to be fairly flexible.