Does anyone input their food ahead of time?

elycestefani
elycestefani Posts: 15
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey!

I am at the end of my weightloss.. 2 more KGs to go. After a break, where I have been maintaining my weight, I am back to trying to lose these 2 KGs. The prospect of dieting again seems really draining, so I am starting to input the food i am going to eat the night before, to help myself realise I am not depriving myself and will have a few good meals in that day (as well remaining committed!) Does this work for anyone else?
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Replies

  • karenmiller81
    karenmiller81 Posts: 14 Member
    I do this sometimes. Not even sure why I do and I don't do it consistently. But I will say that I tend to stick to my calories more religiously when I do. Hmm. Maybe I should do it more often :-)
  • BarbBlue
    BarbBlue Posts: 251
    Congratulations!

    Yes, I find I do this a lot when I go to work. I always add my breakfast and lunch the day before because I know what I am eating and then my tracking is done. I think track my dinner after I eat and then start over again with the breakfast and lunch I will have for the following day.


    Good Luck!
  • Nadvicza
    Nadvicza Posts: 21 Member
    I do the same thing, I usually put my food in for the day, and then I know hopw much I have to burn in order to stay within my daily calorie intake.
  • Happy_Healthy_Babe
    Happy_Healthy_Babe Posts: 20
    I do, for the simple reason that if it's in there I'll eat it. I do the same with my workouts I just edit the mins and cals burned.
  • Big_Daddy6
    Big_Daddy6 Posts: 188
    I do it everyday. I make all my meals for the day in the morning. When I'm out of food I'm done eating.......keeps on track.
  • KarenAnnne
    KarenAnnne Posts: 190 Member
    I'm on summer break right now (teacher), but I plan on inputting ahead of time when I start to make my lunch to bring to work. I think if I already have it logged it will be harder to cave and order out or eat stuff from the teachers lounge.
  • Jgasmic
    Jgasmic Posts: 219 Member
    I usually put in my food for the day when I get to work. It keeps me from deciding to skip what I brought and grabbing junk instead. I mean, if it's on the internet it has to be true. :wink:
  • Larisonlj
    Larisonlj Posts: 426 Member
    Absolutely, let's me know exactly where I am and since my meals are planned (and prepped for work the next day) there are no excuses, no I'm running late I'll grab ....whatever, and no temptations to stop and get something. Planning and entering the night before is the only thing that works for me Monday-Friday, I'm more enter as I go on the weekend but I still think ahead to what we're doing/eating.
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    i never know what i will eat until i look in the fridge.

    if i take something out of the freezer to defrost (like chicken or pork chops) then i might log it if i know how i'm cooking it. but then i might have to change it after i weigh it, so i don't know.
  • Moretakitty
    Moretakitty Posts: 168 Member
    I don't do a whole day in advance, I just quickly throw my meals together before I eat them so I stay within my numbers. Takes a bit of though to plan ahead, but it works for me and I know I'm not going over.
  • araxiedyck
    araxiedyck Posts: 127 Member
    I frequently do--especially when I am working, then will make any changes at the end of the day
  • nickollette113
    nickollette113 Posts: 16 Member
    I do sometimes, over morning coffee. If I know, I'll more than likely have something, I'll put it in. I also like to play around with possible food options and see their nutritional values and go by that to figure out what I'll ultimately eat.
  • Sahri21
    Sahri21 Posts: 21 Member
    I track the morning of all the time. I almost always have dinner planned so why wait to track it? And I weigh and measure everything properly. That way, I don't have to worry about tracking during the day, and I have something to stick to! If I eat something unexpected, I track it of course, but I find tracking ahead is easier to stick to.
  • kkstill
    kkstill Posts: 14
    I put my food in the moring of. I put dinner in first because than I know what I have to work with for the rest of the day. If I didnt do this I would run out of calories by 10 am. I get up at 430 am. :wink:
  • tenunderfour
    tenunderfour Posts: 429 Member
    I put my food in ahead of time a lot. It really helps me especially if I am making a recipe or combining things... to see if I'm over on calories or if I can tweak it a little more. There are a lot of times when I see the food in black & white.... I will adjust accordingly.
  • AZDizzy
    AZDizzy Posts: 434 Member
    Congratulations!

    I put my food in in the morning or the night before. Sometimes changes need to be made (like tonight I had an unbearable craving for a sweet potato, so I had one), but I like doing it. It keeps me on track.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Yup, almost every day. That way it's easy to see how to plan my meals and snacks for the day so I'm not posting on here saying "help, I only have 5 calls left for dinner" or "help, I have 600 cals left to eat today)......
    It doesn't mean that I rigidly eat only what I've planned, but it's a good guide as to what I can swap in or out if my plans change.
  • SpydrMnky27
    SpydrMnky27 Posts: 381 Member
    I track as I eat until after lunch and then I'll start planning ahead for dinner so I can hit my macros.
  • petite_boleyn
    petite_boleyn Posts: 144
    I do it because it's kind of encouraging to see a low number, and it's motivational. I know that if I don't stray from what I put in in the morning I'll be much happier at night.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    If I know for sure what I'm having for dinner I enter it in the morning, if the total calories are on the high side I can keep my lunch calories low enough or it may prompt me to change the dinner menu.

    If I have a snack "treat" planned then I enter that early also,

    In addition I always put a cup of milk in for breakfast to cover the milk in tea and coffee during the day.
  • ajohn252
    ajohn252 Posts: 158
    I do it every night for the next day and it really
    helps me stay on track because I'm not making food
    decisions on the fly or out of desperation.
  • kacinace
    kacinace Posts: 70 Member
    I do the whole day in advance, but swap items as needed. It's the best way I've found for me to not be eating most of my calories in the am and being screwed for the rest of the day, or having to stuff my face in the evening because I didn't eat enough earlier.
  • Laces_0ut
    Laces_0ut Posts: 3,750 Member
    i pre log my last meal so i can target all my macros for the day.
  • kristi5224
    kristi5224 Posts: 98 Member
    I think this is very helpful especially when eating out. I look up the restaurant on line, and make my choices before I get there. Looking at a menu and making the right choices after a glass of wine or in a social situation can lead to poor decisions.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    Whenever possible!
  • TaintedVampyre
    TaintedVampyre Posts: 1,428 Member
    I do this as well. But more to remind me that I had a really good meal plan idea! lol And if it's something sweet or slightly unhealthy then it let's me know how many calories I have left to play with :P
  • eidnahenri
    eidnahenri Posts: 16
    I do sometimes, over morning coffee. If I know, I'll more than likely have something, I'll put it in. I also like to play around with possible food options and see their nutritional values and go by that to figure out what I'll ultimately eat.
    This is what I do.
  • mmarin81
    mmarin81 Posts: 241
    I log ever day the day before. I find it best so like you said you realize you arent really depriving yourself and also at the same time to make sure you don't deprive yourself. For me its also easier to stay to a plan then wing it as I go along.
  • roobe18
    roobe18 Posts: 45 Member
    I try to have an idea in my mind the day before, but I don't like inputting the calories until right before I eat them. For me, I feel like I'm setting myself up for failure if I pre-plan too much because inevitably SOMETHING will change. Either I won't be in the mood for what I picked, or someone will bring treats into the office that I just cant resist, or the restaurant I had planned to go to will be too full... it's always something. In the past, when I've planned ahead too much and I then deviate from that plan, it sets me into a spiral of thinking "oh well, I've failed, guess I'll just eat the entire box of donuts now".Or, on the flip side of that, if I've planned ahead and then refuse to allow myself to deviate, I end up cranky and mad that I'm having to deny myself something everyone else can have... which usually results in my eating an entire box of donuts later that night as retribution. So it works best for me to allow flexibility. I DO, however, insist that I enter my calories before I eat them... usually right at the dinner table. Sometimes my family thinks I'm crazy, but oh well.. it works for me.

    That said, do what works best for you! If it helps you to plan ahead, do what you've got to do! :) Good luck to you!
  • emileesgram
    emileesgram Posts: 141 Member
    I sometimes put in 100 miscellaneous calories at the beginning of the day to account for all the little calories I eat but don't record ( tea, dash of milk, piece of gum etc.) but if I know ahead of time my meals I often put them in before I eat them helps me with planning, I can always adjust if things change..good luck.

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