Pre-planning

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munny_p
munny_p Posts: 73 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Anyone else pre-plan their meal for the next day by putting it MFP the night before? I have found this helps me out a lot. I have been here only a week, so still feeling things out- but I am loving it. This is the most dedicated and motivated I have been in the last 5 yrs about losing weight. I am 24 and happy to be friends with anyone on here- need the support. Just curious if I am the only one who finds pleasure and success in pre-scheduling my meals in MFP. ;)

Replies

  • tehzephyrsong
    tehzephyrsong Posts: 435 Member
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    I do that sometimes, but it's usually when I know we're going out to eat somewhere later that day. I look up the restaurant in MFP's database, decide what fits into my calorie budget, and go in knowing what I'm going to get so I don't even have to look at the menu and be tempted by the glossy pictures of delicious-looking food. Also, so I can avoid pulling out my phone and looking stuff up at the table - that's just rude. I don't like when I'm out with my friends and all they're doing is fiddling with their phones the whole time, so I try not to do that to them. Golden Rule, you know?
  • SweetxCatastrophe
    SweetxCatastrophe Posts: 593 Member
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    I do and I was kinda thinking I was the only one lol. It really does help keep me on track by entering it before hand. Plus, then I know if I can have that piece of dark chocolate or whatever I'm craving instead of just shoving it in my mouth and hoping it doesn't kill my day
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
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    I plan a week in advance.
  • myfriendamy
    myfriendamy Posts: 131 Member
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    I plan the next days meals the night before, so I know what my day will look like. I also have to pack my lunch/snacks for work, and it's easier to do that the night before.

    it works for me :) I plan out all but around 100 calories so I have some wiggle room :)
  • livsmum11
    livsmum11 Posts: 5 Member
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    I try as much as i can. I usually start with dinner as that can sometimes take up a lot more calories. It's a great habit to get into if you can.
  • jenkidney
    jenkidney Posts: 149 Member
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    I plan a week's worth of meals in advance, but I don't put them into MFP until I actually sit down to eat. Just in case I decide to change things up in some fashion.
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Yes I plan in advance and it helps me so much. There's always a meal ready in the refrigerator or ingredients at hand to make a meal. Less stress at the dinner table and I don't have to worry about straying or grocery shopping on an empty stomach.

    I think it's best to be structured with shopping, cooking, pre-planning until this way of living becomes a habit.
  • MumMumOfMany
    MumMumOfMany Posts: 79 Member
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    Yay! i feel normal now! i always plan at least a day in advance but never admitted it til now lol. Helps me stay on track x
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 4,994 Member
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    I do that sometimes, but it's usually when I know we're going out to eat somewhere later that day. I look up the restaurant in MFP's database, decide what fits into my calorie budget, and go in knowing what I'm going to get so I don't even have to look at the menu and be tempted by the glossy pictures of delicious-looking food. Also, so I can avoid pulling out my phone and looking stuff up at the table - that's just rude. I don't like when I'm out with my friends and all they're doing is fiddling with their phones the whole time, so I try not to do that to them. Golden Rule, you know?

    I also do this it really helps with eating out or special occasions
  • MIchelleH2027
    MIchelleH2027 Posts: 1,239 Member
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    I do this all the time. I even go as far as a week at a time and cook/prepare my meals on Sunday. Then it is a grab and go lunch and easy done deal meals at night.
  • Punktorian
    Punktorian Posts: 224 Member
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    I tried it for awhile but it didn't stick. I still plan the core of it the night before and prepare food ahead of time when possible but I enter it as I go.
  • loztredders
    loztredders Posts: 142
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    Yea, I pretty much always plan the night before as I get my lunch ready to take to work the next day, then I can plan my dinner to fit within my calories.
  • Natashaa1991
    Natashaa1991 Posts: 866 Member
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    i love pre-planning! :)
  • PinkTreacle
    PinkTreacle Posts: 14 Member
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    LOVE LOVE LOVE pre planning and usually do it for a couple of days ahead :)
  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 637 Member
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    Yes I just started doing this, also I tend to eat the same thing for lunch for a week at work, cook on Sunday. Pre-entering helps me figure how much room I have left for snacks and thus which snacks I can take.
  • jcmartin0313
    jcmartin0313 Posts: 574 Member
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    I plan a week in advance.

    How far out do you cook? Any recommendations on things which last all week?
  • kfitzpa
    kfitzpa Posts: 326
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    Yes, I like to plan a few days in advance sometimes. It definitely helps me stay on track when I don't wake up and think "holy **** what am i gonna eat today"
  • FatStoatLondon
    FatStoatLondon Posts: 197 Member
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    Yup, I do it. When I was SCUBA diving, we used to say, "plan the dive and dive the plan". That seems to work pretty well for dieting too :). You are not alone!
  • amuhlou
    amuhlou Posts: 693 Member
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    Offline we plan our meals a week at a time and shop accordingly.

    Lunch is 99% of the time leftovers from last night's dinner. We try to organize the dinner schedule so we have a good balance, like if we have a high-ish calorie dinner one night, the next night it will be much lighter to account for the fact that the high cal dinner leftovers will be lunch the following day. I add most everything in as recipes if I'm going to make it again in the future.

    When that's all laid out, all that's really left to add to the diary is snacks, which are fairly predictable. I log as much as I can in advance so I can have an idea of what my leftover calories for the day will be.
  • Susan2BHealthier
    Susan2BHealthier Posts: 130 Member
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    Tonight i pre-planned a big salad for dinner and had to meet protein and fiber goals for the day ....so I just kept adding things in until i got to the goals...then I made the salad.

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