A method of operating a memory system including a nonvolatile memory, having a meta data region and a user data region, and a memory controller having a meta data manager. The method includes programming data to a memory block of the user data region and, by operation of the meta data manager, generating a meta log based on the programming. The meta log is stored to the memory controller. Upon a power-off operation, selectively storing the meta log to the meta data region of the nonvolatile memory based on status information of the nonvolatile memory.