Cal Counting: Wing it or Plan it?
 

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):censored:!!

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?

I plan, plan, plan!

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 tend to plan. Makes it easier for me.

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... :yikes:

Jay

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.

Breakfast - 200 calories
mid morning snack - 150 calories
Lunch - 400 calories
mid afternoon snack - 150 calories
Dinner - 400 calories
evening snack - 150 calories

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! :)

Originally Posted by kellygram:
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. :o

I have some idea what I am going to eat everyday. I keep a food scale on my kitchen counter and weight everything I eat and record the numbers in FitDay BEFORE I eat it. I need to know the result of my food choices before I put the food into my stomach. While I am not a health nut, I do try to make my calories count with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, fiber, low saturated fat, lower sodium and no caffeine. If I know I will be going out to eat, I search the INTERNET for the restaurant's nutrition information and decide on my food choices BEFORE I arrive at the restaurant and I don't deviate from my plan. When I purchase foods that I love and hate to totally give up (ie ice cream), I purchase selections that have single servings. For example, it's too easy to keep scooping out ice cream from a cartoon, I get ice cream sandwiches instead and allow myself only one/day. I plan my luxury foods in advance and save a few calories so they will fit in to my overall plan.

I want to add, I do weigh everything before it goes in my mouth. I may take out chicken in the morning and that way we can use it for dinner, but I never know what I am going to do with until I get to dinner time.. However before it goes in my mouth what ever it is, it gets weighed.

When I go out to eat I have 3 options planned out, I learned that because once I only had one option and they were out of it..NEVER AGAIN.. I was completely at a loss for what to eat and was at the mercy of just looking at a menu for ideas.

I eat the same thing for breakfast/lunch/snacks every day. However, I don't plan dinner ahead of time, but I do count the calories and figure out how much dinner I can eat based off what I make.
I do things a bit backward, I eat about half of my calories from breakfast through my 3pm meal and then eat a large dinner. I've always enjoyed a large dinner and being able to keep that isn't a problem for me so far and it makes me happy.

I'm a rebel. I wing it. However, I do plan a little bit by dinner. Sometimes I don't know what we are having until I cook it. So having my calories totaled before I go into it helps me stay on track.

Most people seem to plan. I just can't. I keep a weird schedule and when I eat is usually a negotiation with my husband. Plus if I plan every meal and snack invariably I just won't want what I have planned for.

I do plan on days I know I am going to have a high calorie meal, but that's it. Otherwise I just write stuff down as I go.

I also wing it. I tried planning and it just doesn't work for me. In some ways, I am highly organized and methodical in others, I totally fly by the seat of my pants. :dizzy:

I do weigh and measure everything I eat and I keep a written food journal and a running total of my caloric intake. That way I know where I am and how far to go for my next meal or snack. I know myself well enough to know that if I set out a menu that I have to stick to I will not want anything on it and I will rebel like a recalcitrant two year old. :D

I wing it, but my breakfasts and lunches are usually the same, so it's dinner that's the most "winged" part of the day, LOL. However, if we're going out to eat or there's a food-related function coming up (picnic, party, etc.) then I plan for that.

Love the interwebs for all the restaurant data out there! I can plan most restaurant meals before I go. One time I didn't do that (at Uno's) and ended up waaaaay underestimating calories. By half, I think.:fr:

I do a combination of planning and winging it. I have a couple of breakfasts that I rotate between, and my morning snack is usually the same thing. I like a big dinner, so I try to keep things light at lunch but if I go out, then I know dinner will be something light. First thing I do when I get home from work is log all the calories in the day thus far, then I know how many I have left for dinner and evening snack. If I've gone too big at lunch (a rare event), then I don't try to get through the evening on a ridiculous dinner (200 calories or something). I just accept that I will probably go over by a few, have a decent dinner, and skip the evening snack. The "planning" part that I do is making sure that I'm always stocked up on the basics--bananas, watermelon, 1% milk, healthy breakfast cereal, string cheese, etc.

I admire the people who can plan it all out ahead, but I don't get it. I don't want to get to Thursday night and realize that I really do not WANT a turkey burger but that's what's on the menu so I'm locked into that. I think it's easier for me because I live alone, so if it's cheerios and bananas for dinner, I don't have to worry about how someone else feels about that.

Yeah, I can't see doing a week's worth of planning. We keep a variety of things in the freezer (some just to be reheated, some just raw meat). So planning the next day isn't a big deal as I'll have to take something out of the freezer anyway. Although we have a couple of set meals (hamburgers on Friday, steak on Sunday) but most is chosen the day before, with a couple two days before (as they need to thaw, then marinate).

I'm a huge planner if I don't have a plan I just start putting things in my mouth thinking "I'll write this down later" BWAHAH! right.

Not feeling satisfied only really happens in the beginning. After you do it for a while you know what combo of foods work best together to stay within your calorie range. Like I love bananas but they are 110 cals a pop. So I can either have a banana and a glass of milk for breakfast, or half a banana and cereal like a real person.

But yes, if I do try a new meal and it isn't enough I will either steal from my snacks if one is a little more then usual or I will tough it out. Sometimes I just go to bed. Or drink a glass of fibre

RE: Filling up

There are many suggestions and ideas in the calorie counters section at 3fatchicks. You might scroll around. I'm a fanatic fan about volumetrics (a book by Barbara Rolls started me off last winter). I used to fill-up on processed grains and cheeses.

So, for my plan two things were important to me: 1) eat as much food as possible and 2) feel full.

I totally didn't believe that VEGETABLES could be so bold as to be able to fill me, but Barbara Rolls said it was true. So, for my first month I ate tons of veges, reduced my beloved cheese intake (but did NOT eliminate), and carefully had small portions of whole grains.

Shockingly, tons of veges worked great and when paired with a yummy sauce filled me up. I'm also a vegetarian so I'm lucky to be able to add tofu as my calcium/protein source to the veges for a low-fat/low-cal addition, too.

I plan my meals by the day but never feel locked in. I can make alterations as I feel necessary remembering to stay in my calorie allowance. This is not nearly as difficult as it would be to start wearing extra large clothing again.

I plan as I go. Before making my meal I check what I want and go. The couple of times that I did wing it, were huge mistakes. They were fast food and I figures "this can't be too much." well when I went to find out how much, HELLO! Never again.

Oh gosh...I HAVE to plan. I really can't be trusted without one. I have ZERO self-control and if I don't know what I'm having, I almost panic - this is when I usually end up eating family-sized bags of chips!

In reviewing other postings, I think I may be on the extreme side of planning. I'm currently on two lifestyle journeys right now, becoming healthier/losing weight and getting out of debt. Each pay date (I'm paid biweekly) I take my shopping budget of $150 and PLAN. This money has to cover groceries, household items such as laundry detergent, lawn and pet care items, personal hygiene items, EVERYTHING. So, planning a two week menu of snacks and meals is my key to being successful in both areas.

I feel lucky that I can eat the same meals for a really long time before I tire of them, so planning my calories is pretty easy for me. I do try to enter my calories the night before in TDP, but sometimes end up not being able to until mid-day. When I enter before-hand, I'm usually able to save enough calories for the occasional, never nutritious but always delicious, klondike bar.

Originally Posted by :
When I enter before-hand, I'm usually able to save enough calories for the occasional, never nutritious but always delicious, klondike bar.

Haha, I do this too. My ice cream love has killed me every time I've tried to lose weight... so this time I decided to embrace it. There are these mini ice cream cones put out by drumstick that are 140 calories.... man, I work those in more than I should... I don't even feel guilty since I'm not eating far more fruits/veggies than ever before... AND it keeps me SANE.

I'm like Misora. I plan only RIGHT before I eat it. I simply cannot plan out an entire day's food itinerary the day before. Basically, I get up, find what I want for breakfast (oatmeal, cereal, etc.) then I record the number of calories in my phone and THEN eat it. I don't eat and then write later. I have calorie counts for most foods I eat now memorized, and if I don't, if it's earlier in the day and I have a lot of calories left, I'll "wing it" and eat it and then later when I have time look it up on DailyPlate (and hopefully memorize it for next time), because I don't have to worry about going over since I still have many calories left. When it gets near the end of the day I base my dinner on "Okay this is how many calories I have left I can eat today" and then I choose what to put on my plate based on that and will take NO MORE. If there is an item at dinner I'm unsure of the calorie count on, I'll either take very little or won't have any at all, so I don't risk going over. So basically I just plan right when I'm about to eat, basing what I can eat on how many calories I have left to "spend" that day.

A little of both here! Most days I wing it but I have a general idea of what I intend to eat all week and shop for certain things.

You have to figure out what works for you and go for it!

I generally wing it.. but also have a basic plan in mind. I eat 5 smaller meals a day. Each has a lean protein and I think of the protein in my meal more as a side dish than the main course (helps me to keep it in perspective regarding quantities). The first meal of the day is always protein and a starchy complex carb (whole grain bagel or whole grain wheat toast, for example). Second meal the same. Third is protein, starchy carb (smaller portion this time), fibrous carb (mainly green veggies but really any veggie that isn't starchy). Fourth and fifth are protein and loads of fibrous veggies. Completely not hungry on this plan and it always seems to work out to about the same # of cals. So, I eat & track the cals online during the day as I go and don't worry about it.

I have to plan, otherwise it's too darn easy to run through the White Spot drive through on the way home after a stressful day (aka every day...mm... bacon cheeseburger, best fries in the world, and a coke... 1200 calories later...) :o
I have 3 "regular" breakfasts that I choose from, salad for lunch every day, and switch up dinners + dessert every week.

Meal planning can be a challenge since DH is a vegetarian + most soy/bean/lentil/etc products and my tummy tend to disagree violently. So, our meals tend to be based on elements that are share-able/veggie but we do our own proteins. It's kind of a pain, but prepping two meals is just not gonna happen at the end of the day, and it would be so wasteful - it's hard for us to use up groceries to begin with, without careful planning it would be a nightmare.

I used to be anti-planning for food and just relied on whatever I was craving at the time. Then I realized that this led to snarfing down fast food on the fly because it was "too much time and trouble" to go to the grocery store when I was hungry, and meanwhile the bits and pieces of meals in the fridge would go to waste because none of them would add up to a proper meal - but they seemed like a good idea when I was browsing the grocery store without a plan. Ack. Vicious cycle!

Originally Posted by Cebsme:
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.

Same here plus if I tried to plan to the T I would get stressed out. I'd freak out about deviating from plan... Feel Guilty... So on. It works best for me to eat what I want when I want it just keeping to a calorie goal for the day (usually 1500) Sometimes I'm over or under it's not a big deal and I don't feel deprived or like I'm on a "diet". I try and make overall healthy choices so I have lots of wiggle room. I weigh and measure everything and enter it in my bodybugg food log immediately so I know EXACTLY how many calories I have left for the remaining meals and because I work on a specific calorie deficit I know that on high exercise days I can eat a little bit extra if I need to.

I totally wing it. My house is stocked with fantastic, healthy choices and I eat most meals at home. It would take a major fall-out for me to go over my calories for the day. I would feel terribly deprived if I had to let go of the rumination process of asking myself what I feel like eating right now.

But I don't wait until the end of the day to do my tally -- that would lead to a real "cross my fingers and hope" at the end of every day. Instead, as I'm preparing a meal, I write down all the food counts, and then go do my tally when I'm done eating. That way I also know whether I am trending too low for the day and need to eat more (which happened yesterday) or whether I am trending too high for the day and need to pare back with my next meal (which has happened today).

I plan, but my plan is flexible. I put my next day's menu into Calorie King in the evening, but when it comes to the next day, if I don't feel like what I have planned I substitute it for something else.

But what I ALWAYS do is input the food before I eat it. I can't keep track as I go, and I need to know before hand how much of a calorie impact what I'm about to eat will have.

I have Calorie King Mobile saved on my phone, and I do it on the fly if I need to. So I always have the resources I need available to me (as long as I have reception!)

I plan in the morning, then adjust accordingly when something changes. Atleast I know the gist of the day's menu. :)

How nice to find you ladies on here.

I weigh and measure everything (except when I am being bad/binging, that is another story) and my friends/family think I'm nuts!

:)

Originally Posted by Misora:
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 do this too.. I generally know what I'm consuming so it's ok.. I also aim for my 1500 a day but some days it's less and some days more. I don't sweat it.