Your body actually doesn't know about mfp
bendyourkneekatie
Posts: 696 Member
At the end of the day, mfp is just a guide, a tool, a diary. Your body doesn't actually know what numbers you put into a computer.
So many people seem so focussed on the reality of the numbers, which is great as a starting point and as a way to stay on track, but realistically, there's no way to be 100% certain of the CI or CO parts of the equation (outside of controlled experiment type settings) for each person.
Your body, though, does know the CICO equation, and the real secret is learning to read your body's language. Losing weight at a sensible steady rate, and feeling well? Your body is telling you you're doing it right! Not losing, or losing too fast and/or feeling rubbish? Your body is telling you you're doing it wrong and something needs to be tweaked. Your body doesn't care if the numbers you've written down don't agree.
Long story short: no amount of arguing on the Internet is going to convince your body that you actually are eating at a deficit and it should start losing weight. Your body doesn't even know about the internet.
So many people seem so focussed on the reality of the numbers, which is great as a starting point and as a way to stay on track, but realistically, there's no way to be 100% certain of the CI or CO parts of the equation (outside of controlled experiment type settings) for each person.
Your body, though, does know the CICO equation, and the real secret is learning to read your body's language. Losing weight at a sensible steady rate, and feeling well? Your body is telling you you're doing it right! Not losing, or losing too fast and/or feeling rubbish? Your body is telling you you're doing it wrong and something needs to be tweaked. Your body doesn't care if the numbers you've written down don't agree.
Long story short: no amount of arguing on the Internet is going to convince your body that you actually are eating at a deficit and it should start losing weight. Your body doesn't even know about the internet.
0
Replies
-
But the elliptical tells me that I burned 1500 calories in 45 minutes!!0
-
Lies.
Not really.0 -
You make some good points, but my mind is part of my body.0
-
Does your brain have trouble losing weight?Need2Exerc1se wrote: »You make some good points, but my mind is part of my body.
0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »
Does your brain have trouble losing weight?Need2Exerc1se wrote: »You make some good points, but my mind is part of my body.
No, but it knows about the internet and MFP.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »You make some good points, but my mind is part of my body.
Depends which philosophy you subscribe to...0 -
Does it know about the metaphorical distinction between mind and body often used in discussion such as these?Need2Exerc1se wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »
Does your brain have trouble losing weight?Need2Exerc1se wrote: »You make some good points, but my mind is part of my body.
No, but it knows about the internet and MFP.
0 -
Weight loss and health isn't just about what you eat though. It's an important part, but variables like sleep, age, genetics, environment, risk behavior (like smoking), stress, etc. can all lead to someone feeling they are doing it wrong with the numbers.At the end of the day, mfp is just a guide, a tool, a diary. Your body doesn't actually know what numbers you put into a computer.
So many people seem so focussed on the reality of the numbers, which is great as a starting point and as a way to stay on track, but realistically, there's no way to be 100% certain of the CI or CO parts of the equation (outside of controlled experiment type settings) for each person.
Your body, though, does know the CICO equation, and the real secret is learning to read your body's language. Losing weight at a sensible steady rate, and feeling well? Your body is telling you you're doing it right! Not losing, or losing too fast and/or feeling rubbish? Your body is telling you you're doing it wrong and something needs to be tweaked. Your body doesn't care if the numbers you've written down don't agree.
Long story short: no amount of arguing on the Internet is going to convince your body that you actually are eating at a deficit and it should start losing weight. Your body doesn't even know about the internet.
I've had several clients who were right with food, right with exercise and wrong with everything else and had a hard time losing. It takes addressing all of those to see what might be deterring someone from losing weight or reaching goals.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
0 -
Very true and why the numbers should be used as a guideline. Like anything if you don't track it you cannot investigate and improve upon it. If you're seeing results - great! If not, then you have a log to review and identify potential root causes.0
-
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »
Does your brain have trouble losing weight?Need2Exerc1se wrote: »You make some good points, but my mind is part of my body.
No, but it knows about the internet and MFP.
The OP is basically saying wit this:
that trying to convince yourself you are eating at a deficit because of the MFP numbers is fruitless.no amount of arguing on the Internet is going to convince your body that you actually are eating at a deficit and it should start losing weight. Your body doesn't even know about the internet
Any calculation, no matter where you get it, is an estimation to start with, the rest is trial and error.
Also, setting your mind aside, your body really does not know about the internet.
0 -
This reminds me of a really nice post I read a few years ago on another site. The title was :"It's just a tool," which is also a pretty good thesis statement.
MFP is a tool which gives you a set of guidelines. It is a powerful tool, no question, but it's just a computer program. It doesn't know how hard you exercised, how much you really ate, whether you're retaining water, or any of innumerable other variables and life circumstances.
It's a great starting point, but in the end it's what happens with your body - not whether you stayed within your budget or hit your macros - that matters.0 -
So my body knows about an equation, but not the internet. It needs to get out more.0
-
It is all estimates.
I've been at this for a long time, now, and do believe that everyone has to do it differently and that if they pay some attention, they'll learn a little something about their body and what helps them lose weight.
Logging the calories only helps if people do it forever (unlikely) or use it to learn about how to eat to remain healthy and strong.0 -
My body is losing weight, but feels pretty "meh". It wants to eat food to not feel "meh". Does this mean my body wants to be morbidly obese again?
My body knows about MFP or it wouldn't snicker at the gifs.
0 -
This post inspires me to just keep going. There are a lot of know-it-alls on this board, and this is yet another one who wants to sit here and mince words for three days about what gets you at a deficit and what doesn't.
I will not let it frustrate me. MFP works for a lot of people because it's based on the only real way to lose weight: burning more than you eat.
Also, how does it not know my exercise? It knows at least an approximate figure of calorie burn because my Apple Watch estimates burn based on my heart rate and what kind of exercise I'm doing and then feeds that into my MFP equation for the day. It can't be too far off, because I've lost 53 lbs. So it did know my exercise and it must have been a pretty close estimate because a lot of days I eat back my calories from exercise and still lose at almost exactly the rate MFP says I should.
I apologize for sounding combative, but I'm tired of people being discouraging all the time.0 -
Domicinator wrote: »This post inspires me to just keep going. There are a lot of know-it-alls on this board, and this is yet another one who wants to sit here and mince words for three days about what gets you at a deficit and what doesn't.
I will not let it frustrate me. MFP works for a lot of people because it's based on the only real way to lose weight: burning more than you eat.
Also, how does it not know my exercise? It knows at least an approximate figure of calorie burn because my Apple Watch estimates burn based on my heart rate and what kind of exercise I'm doing and then feeds that into my MFP equation for the day. It can't be too far off, because I've lost 53 lbs. So it did know my exercise and it must have been a pretty close estimate because a lot of days I eat back my calories from exercise and still lose at almost exactly the rate MFP says I should.
I apologize for sounding combative, but I'm tired of people being discouraging all the time.
I must have missed the discouraging part of the OP. I read it as a different way of saying "Start with the numbers from MFP and adjust according to your results." That's not wrong or discouraging.0 -
You can trust your body... It's got your back0
-
PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »Domicinator wrote: »This post inspires me to just keep going. There are a lot of know-it-alls on this board, and this is yet another one who wants to sit here and mince words for three days about what gets you at a deficit and what doesn't.
I will not let it frustrate me. MFP works for a lot of people because it's based on the only real way to lose weight: burning more than you eat.
Also, how does it not know my exercise? It knows at least an approximate figure of calorie burn because my Apple Watch estimates burn based on my heart rate and what kind of exercise I'm doing and then feeds that into my MFP equation for the day. It can't be too far off, because I've lost 53 lbs. So it did know my exercise and it must have been a pretty close estimate because a lot of days I eat back my calories from exercise and still lose at almost exactly the rate MFP says I should.
I apologize for sounding combative, but I'm tired of people being discouraging all the time.
I must have missed the discouraging part of the OP. I read it as a different way of saying "Start with the numbers from MFP and adjust according to your results." That's not wrong or discouraging.
That's exactly what I was saying. People get so caught up in what the numbers say when what actually matters is the results you get, which means paying attention to your body and tracking your weight long term.0 -
OP well said. Those who want to understand, will. Those who want to argue, will.0
-
The thing about CICO is that it's as much art as it is science. No, you're probably never going to know EXACTLY how many calories you're eating, or burning. But the best evidence is that if you apply the formula, it works. It's entirely too easy to get caught up in the inprecisoon of the system and convince yourself that it doesn't work, when it really does. It's not perfect, but it does work.0
-
DeguelloTex wrote: »But the elliptical tells me that I burned 1500 calories in 45 minutes!!
But if you sweated a lot you probably burned closer to 2000.
I read that some where on the internet.
0 -
I wish I had learned this sooner. I spent several fruitless months saying, "but I should be able to eat x number of calories and lose/maintain".
In the end, if you are losing, you are in deficit. If you gain, you're in surplus, and maintaining means you are eating what your body currently uses. I spent those months being angry that I couldn't eat as much as someone else (sometimes my size, sometimes not.). What I should have been asking myself is "do I feel satisfied while eating this number of calories to maintain?" Head games.
Of course, logging accuracy can play with your brain on this one too!
Start with the estimates. Keep good records and adjust as needed.0 -
Domicinator wrote: »This post inspires me to just keep going. There are a lot of know-it-alls on this board, and this is yet another one who wants to sit here and mince words for three days about what gets you at a deficit and what doesn't.
I will not let it frustrate me. MFP works for a lot of people because it's based on the only real way to lose weight: burning more than you eat.
Also, how does it not know my exercise? It knows at least an approximate figure of calorie burn because my Apple Watch estimates burn based on my heart rate and what kind of exercise I'm doing and then feeds that into my MFP equation for the day. It can't be too far off, because I've lost 53 lbs. So it did know my exercise and it must have been a pretty close estimate because a lot of days I eat back my calories from exercise and still lose at almost exactly the rate MFP says I should.
I apologize for sounding combative, but I'm tired of people being discouraging all the time.
I don't feel any discouragement in this conversation. I'm having quite a bit of fun here. 0 -
HappyCampr1 wrote: »I read this as an example of why it's pointless to lie in your own diary/log. Your body knows what you ate whether you want to admit it or not, so you might as well keep track properly.
Yeah, it's partly that, and partly for people who on paper seem to be doing everything right, and aren't intentionally fudging the numbers, but still aren't seeing results. Getting it right on paper means nothing, really. You seem to be doing everything right, the numbers indicate you should be losing, but you're not? Chances are, you need to eat less.
This is coming from my own journey. due to personal variables I've had to manually set my own calorie goal, and finding it was a process of trial and error. But it worked and I've reached and passed my goal, using mfp as a tool but not a gospel.0 -
Yes! Thank you OP! This needs to be said more.
Not to mention food labels are allowed to have up to a 20% discrepancy to the product inside the package.
0 -
jennifer_417 wrote: »The thing about CICO is that it's as much art as it is science. No, you're probably never going to know EXACTLY how many calories you're eating, or burning. But the best evidence is that if you apply the formula, it works. It's entirely too easy to get caught up in the inprecisoon of the system and convince yourself that it doesn't work, when it really does. It's not perfect, but it does work.
You're 100% right there is no way to know CI exactly or CO exactly.
I find that focusing on the difference - CI - CO = my deficit - is way more useful for two reasons:
1- it is easily calculated
2- it is a much smaller number than my calorie budget, so little choices suddenly are more significant and easier to make correctly
And in that way I also kind of agree with the OP - working on calculating the components is not necessarily that accurate - looking at the results and adjusting our eating and exercise based on them is the key.
There's no point asking "Why am I not losing (gaining) weight?" The answer is always "Because you're not in the deficit (surplus) that you think you are!". Just adjust behaviour until the results are coming in...
Osric0 -
tannibal_lecter wrote: »<<snip>>Not to mention food labels are allowed to have up to a 20% discrepancy to the product inside the package.
For items packaged for sale in the United States, companies are not allowed to "have up to a 20% discrepancy" with regard to nutritional information per serving size; however, the weight of the contents may vary per package depending on the quality control of the manufacturing process.
Manufacturers are required to comply with the US FDA guidelines for rounding on Nutrition Facts labels, which can be found online at the below link. Hypothetically for Calories, the largest discrepancy permitted by the rounding guidelines would be rounding 54.99 Calories to 50 Calories, which would be just under 10%. As the Calories per serving size increases, the rounding error decreases.
fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064932.htm
0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.5K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 430 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions