I like to pack my food in the morning for the day until I get home from work at 4:00. I count the calories as I pack making sure I don't go over 1000. I then have the number of calories I can eat for the rest of the day....right now that number is 600. I do this because I can control everything until I get home. Then dinner involves my family and their plans and sometimes that might mean pizza being ordered or me cooking something or whatever. I still make sure I count my calories. I try to have some left over to have at least a little snack in the evening.

I plan my meals Monday through Friday ahead of time. That way I know what grocery shopping to do and I don't have to THINK about it during the week. Stressing about food makes me crazy right now, and I just can't put effort into thinking about every meal as it comes up.

Sunday night, I plug my meals for the week into my calorie counter. Then, as the week goes on, I modify and adjust as necessary. Oops, didn't have time for breakfast on Tuesday? Delete it. Oops, went out to eat on Thursday? Delete what I'd planned and add the restaurant meal. Etc. Etc. Etc.

I also menu planned WAAAY before I started calorie counting, so the change wasn't a huge adjustment for me, but on weekends, I just track as I eat (or at the end of the day). Even obsessive planners like me need freedom sometimes.

I have found that I like to plan ahead. I plan what I am going to eat for each meal by estimating the points (I'm a former WW'r) When I prepare the food now, I am also checking out the carb count and the sugar grams. I actually write it down after each meal in a small notebook I carry with me always. This helps me to see what I have left for the day, and if I have to adjust to get through the rest.

I don't have much trouble while I'm at work, When I get home from work, it is so hard to control myself. Especially when I have to prepare meals for the family, and it seems like everyone is in a hurry to get done, and go somewhere.

smiles,
Zinger