Do I let MFP update my goals as my weight drops?

W_Stewart
W_Stewart Posts: 237 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I lost a few more pounds (yay!) and went to update MFP using my iPhone app. It asked me if I wanted to "update your goals based on your new weight?"

I assume I should answer yes, but am curious what it does if I do that? And what does it do if I say no?

My plan is to continue to use MFP to track calories and exercise to lose more weight.

Replies

  • soccerkon26
    soccerkon26 Posts: 596 Member
    Update your goals. Since you've lost some weight, it may decrease your calories slightly so it's more correct.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Yes you do.
  • W_Stewart
    W_Stewart Posts: 237 Member
    So why would it also offer me the opportunity to not change it?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    wahoowad wrote: »
    So why would it also offer me the opportunity to not change it?

    Some people don't want to decrease their calories.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    wahoowad wrote: »
    I lost a few more pounds (yay!) and went to update MFP using my iPhone app. It asked me if I wanted to "update your goals based on your new weight?"

    I assume I should answer yes, but am curious what it does if I do that? And what does it do if I say no?

    My plan is to continue to use MFP to track calories and exercise to lose more weight.

    Yes, you do. As we get smaller, we need less calories to function.

    If you say no, you will be eating the wrong amount of calories for your weight. :)

  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    The more you weigh, the more energy it takes to fuel your body. As you lose weight, your BMR will edge slightly lower since you aren't expending energy to lug around those extra pounds.

    Let's say you initially set MFP for a 1 pound per week weight loss. Since you've lost some of that weight, one of two things will happen:

    1. You can keep your goals the same. If you do that, the amount of calories you are eating won't be as much of a deficit so you'll just lose (for example) 0.9 pounds per week. Your amount of weight loss will keep slowing as you lose more weight because you aren't eating as much of a deficit compared to what you need to eat for maintenance.

    2. You can adjust your goals downward a little at a time to keep your weight loss rate the same. If you still want to lose 1 pound per week, all of your goals need to be slowly adjusted downward as you lose weight.

    I don't wait for the prompt from MFP. I go into my settings and recalculate after I lose some weight. Last time, my new goals were 10 calories lower per day and my macro goals adjusted down a bit.
  • W_Stewart
    W_Stewart Posts: 237 Member
    I went ahead and let it update my goals. I see where it changed my new calorie goals down a bit, but it also changed all my historic calorie goals too. I didn't want that. Now the reports make it look like my new calorie goals has been the goal all along, which it hasn't. :(
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited April 2015
    Hmm. I looked back through the calendar (using the website rather than the app) and my calorie goals were still the ones that were set for those days.

    Do you not Complete This Entry at the end of every day?

    ETA: Are you talking about the individual goal charts? That does show a single goal line set at your current goal. The days in the Food Diary still show your actual goal you were using for that day, for me at least.
  • W_Stewart
    W_Stewart Posts: 237 Member
    Yes, I am referring to the report. Looking back at it day by day isn't as helpful as the report (for me)
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    The report is always gonna show a line for your current goal, regardless of what it was in the past. MFP's charts and graphs just aren't all that sophisticated.

    I'm a geek, so I made my own graph in Excel showing the goal line that changed when my goal did.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    I don't use MFP that way. I set my targets based on my goal weight - that way maintenance happens automatically, and there's nothing to adjust.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    I dont think i have ever seen mfp update my goal for me. i always seem to go in every week or two and have it updated cause i changed my goal to maintenance for one reason or another.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    I don't use MFP that way. I set my targets based on my goal weight - that way maintenance happens automatically, and there's nothing to adjust.

    Ha, ha, cute avatar! You're part cat. :D

    That's another way of doing it. You must do the TDEE method?

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