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Does anyone input their food ahead of time?

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Replies

  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Yes, to make sure I hit the macro targets I want and so that I know how much room I have left over.
  • babycakes1970
    babycakes1970 Posts: 111 Member
    I do. I do not currently have a smart phone so I have to do all my updating on an ipod touch or my computer. I input my breakfast and what I plan to eat for lunch before I leave for work in the morning and then update again for dinner and I try to plan my snacks and input them ahead of time too.
  • Lkoblara
    Lkoblara Posts: 137 Member
    I do! It helps me to figure out what fits into my parameters. I don't do it all the time but it's good for planning ahead.
  • kfitzpa
    kfitzpa Posts: 326
    Yep I always log my food the night before. I make sure Ill have enough protein to sustain me throughout the day and that I'm under my calorie limit of course. I find it helps me stress less about what I'm going to eat throughout the day. And it keeps me from binging when I don't feel so restricted and ball and chained to immediately logging into MFP.
  • kjannan
    kjannan Posts: 248 Member
    I used to do this & even logged the whole weeks dinners ahead of time. That way it was less hassle when I came home from work too, I knew what I was cooking & it was easier to stick to it.

    And thank you for reminding me, I really should be doing this now. I've slipped a bit & gained a bit!
  • coopersmom2006
    coopersmom2006 Posts: 839
    I'm a bit obsessive about it actually. I have my diary planned a few days in advance. I find it helps me make better choices instead of trying to figure it out as I go.
  • munkey418
    munkey418 Posts: 139
    I put it all in before i go to work each day since i have to figure out my best lunch/snack options (although ive almost got it figured out w/o MFP) I think its just easier to put it in all at once and not have to worry about it unless i find myself switching something up or eating something unplanned. Just easier for me I spose, its been working so far!

    Congrats on your weight loss and almost hitting your goal! GL!!
  • PirateLookingAt40
    PirateLookingAt40 Posts: 2
    I just started this on Tuesday and figured out right away if I enter my workouts and meals then I am more likely to stick to it since it is there in writing.
  • melissa_leah
    melissa_leah Posts: 107
    I've done that before, it definitely helps!
  • cms721
    cms721 Posts: 179 Member
    Yes I "pre-order" my calories just to save some time. I know what I have in my lunchbox and I add beers prior to a night out to guage my exercise time to keep me in "the good".
  • raebels
    raebels Posts: 45 Member
    I do it occasionally, mostly when I know I'm having leftovers. Every now and then I will plan my entire day but I'm not always the best at planning so it is usually plan as I go. Thankfully, I eat a lot of the same stuff at work so it helps me stay on track. =)

    Congrats too on being so close to your goal weight!! :wink:
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    I pre-log quite often and highly recommend it to people that are just starting out.
  • majones_orl
    majones_orl Posts: 195 Member
    I usually have the same thing for breakfast and eat it when I get to work, so I know, and add the night before if I remember.
    When fixing lunch the night before I usually load.
    When going out, I try to check in MFP for menu items from where I am going.
  • faborina
    faborina Posts: 2
    Logging ahead of time has been extremely helpful to me. In many cases it helps me to make different choices based on how it all looks together. WHen I was using another site It helped me to tweak my menu a bit to increase certain nutrients where I was lacking. I also find it helpful to look up and log potential choices when eating out. Once I see how it in the log I may decide to make a better choice in order to help reach my end goal.
  • Samstudent88
    Samstudent88 Posts: 135
    Yes, I usually try to do it the night before....pretty much eat the same stuff everyday...
  • mystinamarie
    mystinamarie Posts: 51 Member
    I work nights so it's helpful for me to plan out my day and put it all in before I head to work. It also keeps me on track to kind of plan ahead and pick healthy things, instead of just going "oh, I'll run through a drive thru, or I'll grab a slice of pizza from the place a few doors down."
    It's nice to know a general idea of the calories you'll consume too, for snacking purposes, or to see if you need to crank up the exercise that day, depending on your meals.
  • BrienJD
    BrienJD Posts: 541 Member
    I try and do up to a week in advance. I get the main stuff in, then all I have to worry about is snacks and how much exercise I need to do to make sure I don't go over goal.
  • Pimpmonkey
    Pimpmonkey Posts: 566
    I frequently do--especially when I am working, then will make any changes at the end of the day

    ^^This
  • Brittonloves
    Brittonloves Posts: 60
    I log the big three meals, an afternoon snack, and a nighttime snack, and try to leave myself some wiggle room so that if I am hungrier than that I don't have to stress it. It's funny, but I actually forget sometimes what I'm supposed to eat and pre-planning takes the guess work out of it. I'll hop on my app and see what I'm supposed to eat next and THERE YA GO.
  • Bookchick887
    Bookchick887 Posts: 119 Member
    YES the night before! Then I can play w/ the numbers and make sure I don't go over. It takes careful planning to stay w/in 1200 cals.
  • DangerJim71
    DangerJim71 Posts: 361 Member
    Yes, sort of... I usually put in lunch and two snacks while I sit and eat one of about 8- 300 calorie breakfast options I have worked out. Rarely put in dinner but save enough calories that I have a lot of options which is good because it is the one meal I usually share with my family.
  • Eveamlizya
    Eveamlizya Posts: 16
    I do sometimes. Especially when I know that a meal that day is going to be big (like a family cook out or something) that way I'll know what I can have for the other meals to stay within that 1200 cals...also, I'm less likely to grab the extra Dr. Pepper if I know I don't have the extra cals and carbs to spare.
  • duhblond
    duhblond Posts: 138 Member
    I do - It helps me plan my intake so I know if what I'm thinking of eating will work in my calorie range :)
    Otherwise I feel I had more "oops" days lol
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    Since I am in contest prep, I add my meals one week in advance. I print it out and post it on my fridge, this allows me to know what macro range I am working with per day.
  • fergie2812
    fergie2812 Posts: 155 Member
    pretty much i do every day
    I always put my cereal and drinks in first (I tend to have the same) then my lunch and then I know what I've got left for my tea. If I'm organised with tea then I do that first and work it backwards. Can work out my snacks too then!
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    My meals are usually planned in advance. I tend to eat the same stuff for the vast majority of the week so the MFP log is a bit redundant now, as long as I stick to the right foods for me and only eat when hungry then I'm good.
  • nevertoolate2
    nevertoolate2 Posts: 309 Member
    All the time. It means I know what calories I have to play with
  • Dawn3218
    Dawn3218 Posts: 80
    Yes I pre-log in the week and I usually stay within my calorie allowance as I work out what I can/can't have - I find it really helpful to plan my meals that way.

    However at the weekends I log after the event and more-often-than-not I have eaten more than I should and gone over my calories!!
  • SpazzyMal
    SpazzyMal Posts: 276 Member
    I did it every day when I first started out, to get used to eating less and figuring out how much I I needed to eat, but I'm doing it less and less now. I probably do it about half the time now. I should probably do it more, my diet was more balanced when I did it all the time.
  • tadpole242
    tadpole242 Posts: 507 Member
    I never log food that I‘ve not eaten, the whole reason to log food is to track it, not to plan it, but keep a track of the amount.
    Pre-logging is taking calorie counting to a more extreme level, a level I do not wish to go to.

    I eat roughly the same things when I am at work, so I know what kind of numbers I’ll be heading for, but the food tracker is my aid, not my parent, I don’t need its permission to eat an extra slice of ham or a doughnut. 14,000 kcal a week, not daily or by the hour, if I go over one day I either work harder, or eat less the next day. At the end of every week I’m normally left with a couple of thousand calories that I could eat back, but don’t.
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