I'm relatively new to calorie counting... a few days or weeks here & there. But now I'm committed to counting every day (after a few 4-5 week plateaus)!!
Before when I counted, I would eat then write down the calories afterward (and sometimes feel frustrated by the higher than expected #'s). Now I'm realizing that I can be more proactive about how to "spend" my calories and can plan my day better.
My question is... do you plan your day out in advance, or do you wing it like I tend to do?
The night before, I go into FitDay. I map out my day for the next day, and can adjust on the fly if it ends up a little high or too low. That means I always have a plan to follow that is right on target with my goals. If I need to adjust something the next day, I do the adjustment in FitDay before I eat it!
Without having a plan, I don't know what I'd do...it wouldn't be good!
I plan. Just like I check the balance in my bank account before I spend money, I make a plan for the day before I prepare my meals. After a while, you'll have some "go to" meals or foods who calorie counts you know off the top of your head, which makes planning easier, but eating first and counting later without having a handle on things would be like spending first and checking your accounts later and then realizing you were going to get hit with overdraft fees (or extra pounds.)
I definitely plan. I'll put in rough numbers for some things that I have to measure (ie. fruit) and adjust them later. However, I either plan the whole day before I go to sleep, or in the morning after breakfast. I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast every day until I'm sick of it and then switch to something else (so it's always the same).
I kind of wing it and kind of plan it. I like to decide what to eat the day of. I usually eat about the same thing for breakfast everyday. It usually later in the day when I lose track. After breakfast, I start putting the rest of my day into thedailyplate.
I wing it. I am not the type of person that can figure out what I want to eat before its actually time to eat. You will find out what works for you. I have never personally gone over my calorie goal, but thats just me. One of the best things about calorie counting is that you can figure out your own way, your own plan that works for you.
Oh, definitely you should plan it--especially in the early part of your weight loss. Later on, you'll be better at having some things down to a routine, so planning ahead won't be so critical.
But you'll still need to plan ahead for special events, dinners out, and so on, not only during weight loss but also once you get to maintenance. It is really upsetting to eat something and THEN find out how much you ate... talk about ruin your day...
I plan plan plan, too. I will estimate a few things here and there, particularly things I eat often, but I never just go cold into an entire day. Like Jay said, I don't want to find out after the fact how terrible something was for me!
I plan but allow room for flexibility. Some people can tell you now what they will have for dinner on Friday night, but something in me rebels at that level of planning. So when planning a week's menus, I have everything that I need to stay op but have not detailed exactly what I will eat when. Of course, some of my food, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, will drive my choices.
One thing that I learned from someone here at 3fc (probably Robin?) has been a huge help to me. I have a plan for dividing my calories throughout the day.
I have two breakfasts that I switch between. I have always tended to eat the same breakfast, so that does not bother me. I have several 400 calorie meals that I juggle around and always keep the ingredients for those. These are the core of my plan and I must keep these things in stock at all times! I have a standard shopping list that includes these items. I think of it as planning not to plan because I can switch the meals around depending on my mood. It also helps at home to be able to offer DH meal x or meal y for dinner. (He has lost 10 pounds with no effort.)
Then I have the meals that are a little different and require more planning. This is typically when I am trying something new. For these, I have to plan time for cooking as well as having all the ingredients on hand. Some of these meals move into my standard list, some do not.
My eating/cooking, even thinking, now is so drastically different from my last 54 years that I have to be organized and plan or I just can not succeed.
*Just read what was posted while I was writing. Many posters can say in a few words what takes me several paragraphs. *
I plan but I plan as I go. So for instance I'll make breakfast knowing that this toast is 50 calories a slice or 1 egg is 70 and then I'll count it us as I add things. For dinner I might weight my meat or what ever my high calorie item is and then say "Okay now I can have 100 calories of vegetables" and go on from there. I don't tend to plan my meals even so far as a day in advance but I always calculate them before I actually eat them.
I tend to wing it, because like Cebsme said, I don't like the idea of planning what I eat and then when it's time just not feeling that "into" what I'm eating. Some meals I just feel like something spicy, or slightly sweet, or salty, or crunchy, or whatever.
I don't doubt that planning is probably the way to go, but I don't seem to do too bad not planning either. The only time I've really planned is if I have some type of food-event coming up, like a birthday, then I kinda have to really pay attention to my other meals are that day besides the dinner-out or whatever it may be.
I plan every bite. The evening before I plan my menu. This takes about five minutes. I make adjustments if necessary but stay within my calorie allowance. It was becuse I didn't plan that I was over 204 pounds.
Thanks everyone, it's pretty clear that planning is the way to go.
With this in mind I'll shift gears. But, like sakurasky i have to be in the right mood for something. What happens if you eat a pre-planned meal and don't feel satisfied afterward? I'm funny about food that way. Ah well, I will try the planning and see what happens. Thanks!
What happens if you eat a pre-planned meal and don't feel satisfied afterward?
Honestly, I usually just suck it up and wait for the next meal and/or snack. If I don't think it was just a fluke they I'll adjust that meal the next time I make it (ie. add more protein, or change something up). For me, eating because I wasn't satisfied was primarily the thing that got me to the weight I was.
Cal Counting: Wing it or Plan it?
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