If everyday were like today you'd weigh....
jburk627
Posts: 2 Member
Has anyone's "if today were like today you'd weigh....", actually accurate? I'm new and have about 50lbs to loose. I like seeing that low # at the end of the day, but don't want to get my hopes up. Thanks in advance!
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Has anyone's "if today were like today you'd weigh....", actually accurate? I'm new and have about 50lbs to loose. I like seeing that low # at the end of the day, but don't want to get my hopes up. Thanks in advance!
If every day were exactly like today, and if weight loss were actually linear, then it would likely be accurate. Unfortunately, weight loss is not linear. You may lose more weight one week, gain weight one week, or maintain one week. You just want to look for a general downward trend. Just log consistently and remain patient - you will get there! Here is an awesome thread on the subject:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p10 -
Not for me because my exercise calories are inaccurate/inflated which makes the forecast inaccurate.0
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I marked my calander 5 weeks in advance 3 times for fun. The first mark, I was high by 3lbs. The second make I was below by 2lbs. The third mark, well I went camping and ate a lot of food and skewed everything thing for a few days. Alyssa's right though, look for a downward trend and don't sweat the spikes. I know I've done it, and it led to more stress than it is worth.0
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It's not accurate.
- It's interpolating from one day's data.
- Weight loss is not linear
- Every day between now and five weeks from today won't be exactly the same.
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It isn't accurate, but I generally try to get that message to be 10 pounds less than my current weight every day that I log. I find that I tend to lose about 2 lbs/week (my goal rate) fairly consistently. It's great as a tool/motivator, but it should be taken with a grain of salt.0
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It is a guide. If I do a crapload of exercise on one day "if everyday were like today you'd weigh..." is going to be a lot lower then my sundays where I laze around watching netflix like a sloth LOL...no two days are going to be exactly the same.0
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I always like it when I exercise a ton and I get a really low weight showing up for five weeks hence. When I have a rest day or lower exercise I don't even bother "closing out" my entry because I don't want to see the (totally inaccurate) prediction.0
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I find it to be a great motivator. It's kind of fun. But do I believe it? Not a chance.0
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The operative word is IF. Reality is not every day is like today. Don't get upset if it isn't accurate for you but you should be seeing a downward trend.
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I track this prediction on my own spreadsheet: I started MFP at the end of January, and whilst 5 weeks in the prediction was on the low side, by week 6 I had caught up. Due to holidays, planned 'cheat' days and the 'woosh' effect (see other threads for this), I generally 'match' the prediction ONCE every 3 or 4 weeks, give or take a few ounces. I use it as just another tool to check progress, but I don't put too much reliance on it either way (good prediction or bad), as it is the general trend which matters most.0
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jmichaelminton wrote: »It isn't accurate, but I generally try to get that message to be 10 pounds less than my current weight every day that I log. I find that I tend to lose about 2 lbs/week (my goal rate) fairly consistently. It's great as a tool/motivator, but it should be taken with a grain of salt.
I amuse myself by jotting down the numbers on my calendar. As the days go by, I've found that the numbers 'forcasted' by MFP are within a couple of pounds of what my scales are showing. (my goal is to lose 1 - 1.5 lbs/week)
Purely for amusement, not guaranteed results. I've found it a useful tool, keeps me motivated.0 -
It's not accurate.
- It's interpolating from one day's data.
- Weight loss is not linear
- Every day between now and five weeks from today won't be exactly the same.
QFT.
However. I'm an idiot. I log my exercise, but maybe eat back maybe a 1/3 of a calories? And I get a silly kick out of the number. Kind of that silly kick you get out of a fortune cookie. I put about as much stock in the MFP prediction as I'd put in a fortune cookie. It's just a bit of fun.
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The majority of people just don't eat the exact same thing every day for 5 weeks and exercise the exact same amount every day for 5 weeks, and then there are the inaccuracies that might exist in your logging that the app won't know about. There is no way that that number can be expected to be spot on. It does give you some idea though that you are on the right track and will see good results going forward. Or maybe the predicted number will show that you might need to do better tomorrow to get more in line with what you want to achieve in the time period.0
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When my "if every day were like today" gets higher, I get sad. VERY sad. :P
But I'll start tracking it, too, for fun!0 -
Nope0
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I like the fortune cookie analogy. That's about it.
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Unless your every day number for 5 weeks continues to track linearly, it will just be a reference. However the result doesn't deserve the beating up that it is getting on this thread. For me it has been a motivator to step up my programs, adding time or days to my exercise schedule and dropping a few calories that I don't really need. Results are that I have passed my original target weight loss and am now on the way toward the mid range of my target BMI. Have fun with the number.0
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