pre meal planning. this the way to go?

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carlosdon
carlosdon Posts: 125
in Food and Nutrition
just printed off what i'm eating next two days is this the way to do it? or a no no? advice from you lovely people please and what you yourselves do.

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  • Nu_Mel
    Nu_Mel Posts: 48
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    I plan up to 3-4 days ahead. I have a paper based journal that I plan ahead in, then day to day enter all the details onto here. So I can't see a problem with printing a couple of days ahead off. I find this way for me, it's easier to plan day to day and have everything that I need for all of my meals. And stops the mindless snacking, as if it's not written down it doesn't get eaten ( well most of the time ;-) )

    Good luck with it.
  • TraceyDonna
    TraceyDonna Posts: 60
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    I have to plan really. I shop on a tight budget, so planning helps both weight-wise and wallet-wise!! Deffinitely works for me tho on both counts x
  • jillbeanschoop
    jillbeanschoop Posts: 61 Member
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    On the days that I don't plan, I usually eat something that I think is a certain amount of calories and then I plug it in and find that I estimated completely wrong. Usually it's way more calories than I thought. Planning helps me.
  • hosegirl
    hosegirl Posts: 157
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    I definetly plan a head and do my food diary ahead. I don't close them out in case something changes. Then I revise the food diary then close it out. Pre planning is the only way I can keep track. Good luck!
  • kblue2007
    kblue2007 Posts: 2,564 Member
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    Monday mornings I plan out my week, helps with food shopping (only buy what I need) and to keep my on track!
    Good luck!
  • mccarol1956
    mccarol1956 Posts: 422 Member
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    We plan our menu out ahead of time and I log what I am eating a day or two in advance, especially when I am working. It really helps he stay on track. If I don't eat what is there I change it right away.
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
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    I plan but I never end up following it 100% - tonight I might think that i'll want an egg white omelet tomorrow, but that doesnt meant that tomorrow I wont want a bowl of cereal instead.

    If youre good at sticking to a plan go for it. I plug in the stuff I know i'll eat (i usually have the same thing for breakfast, and we plan our dinners ahead) and then fill in my snacks from there.
  • CheleLynn44
    CheleLynn44 Posts: 339 Member
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    I have to plan ahead!! I plan out my dinners for the week and then I grocery shop on tuesdays. Makes it so much easier to stay on track. I usyslly enter in my breakfast and dinner into my food diary and then plan my lunch and snacks with what is left.
  • laurcampbell
    laurcampbell Posts: 54 Member
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    I also plan ahead - I am a creature of habit so I 3 go to breakfast meals I love and enjoy and switch it up between them based on how much time I have and the workout I did - I eat the same two things for lunch and snack just about every day and dinners I try to plan out for the week so that I can do all my grocery shopping once - so like many others I find planning ahead very helpful so that you are aware of your daily calories (especially when we have a weekend function and know I want to save some calories for that day or use it as a cheat day) as well as helping to make one trip and spend less money at the grocery shop.
    Happy planning!
  • garnet1483
    garnet1483 Posts: 249 Member
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    I plan ahead, like someone else said, so I can do my grocery shopping properly, and within budget. Sometimes, especially if I'm having trouble, or had a bad day, I'll log a couple of days ahead to plan everything out, and it works really well. The biggest help for me, though, is that I have three or four go to meals that I can pull out, and I know the serving size/calories for each of them, ballpark. That way, even if I don't have anything set in stone, I know what my safe options are. It's a different sort of planning ahead. To that end, I also have a rough idea of "good" meals at the local fast food places and chain restaurants. It really helps, even if I know that I'm going to go over my goals by eating it, to also know by how much I'll be going over. That way there are no big surprises.
  • teapot35
    teapot35 Posts: 28
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    I definetly plan a head and do my food diary ahead. I don't close them out in case something changes. Then I revise the food diary then close it out. Pre planning is the only way I can keep track. Good luck!

    This is exactly how I do it, trying to stay ahead by a few days. This way, I can plan my whole family's meals for the week, and I can build a grocery list from it. It always changes a little, but I adjust MFP as I go, and complete the entry for the day only after I have finished dinner.
  • carlosdon
    carlosdon Posts: 125
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    good stuff. well i've started today by printing off two days worth and it's going well still got loads left to eat and 500 cals saved. win!
  • Kara52217
    Kara52217 Posts: 353 Member
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    I plan out my day while watching TV the night before
    If I don't eat something I can always delete or add as needed
  • stacygayle
    stacygayle Posts: 349 Member
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    I plan for 2 weeks at a time. I HATE grocery shopping so I try to do it only once every 2 weeks. I spend less money and tend to eat better when I plan ahead. Failure to plan is failure to lose weight for me because if I don't have healthy stuff on hand I will stop at the quick and easy place and it will add up to lots of carbs and calories that I don't want or need.

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