MFP under calorie goal: not a positive announcement

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  • tidmutt
    tidmutt Posts: 317
    yeah i mainly hate when peoplele dont have like a proper dinner...they have a drink or coffee...and people are like 'WELL DONE' and i'm like 'UM NO!' this isnt good at all!

    they should look at how close they are to their goal and not assume they've done wel lbecause they're below their goal

    What is a proper dinner?
  • sjmitchner
    sjmitchner Posts: 121 Member
    I look at diaries before I comment on them. If they are under (not by much) and ate healthfully why shouldn't I applaud their efforts? We also watch each other's water consumption, and remind each other if needed. We support each other in healthy habits. I've pointed out to my friends when their numbers are low enough to be unhealthy. Without that notice, I might not check on them. Sure we're all supposed to be adults and know right from wrong, but sometimes a person gets into bad head-space. That's what friends are for, in my opinion.
  • proudtexan71
    proudtexan71 Posts: 203 Member
    I think your friends need to understand your goals as well. Sometimes that takes time, but if you want the right support & encouragement - it's time well spent.

    Just my two cents.
  • esphixiet
    esphixiet Posts: 214 Member
    What gets me is the "If every day was like today you'd weigh XXXlbs in 5 weeks"... Which isn't true and gives people the mentality that if they eat WAY less they'll lose even more... Dangerous tool if you ask me.

    I actually really like this feature. Because on days I exercise it shows a lower number, on days I don't, it shows a higher number. It helps me keep an idea in my head that works to motivate me. But we all do things differently, I can see why some may see this as a problem.
  • BobbieLee1959
    BobbieLee1959 Posts: 605 Member
    When I first started MFP, the "If Every Day" notification was very positive and kept me focused and on track. Now that I have been here for 3.5 months and have lost nearly 35 lbs., I do not pay much attention to that note when I complete my diary. It might be close, but is only a guideline and when I have day when I have trouble eating back my workout calories, I know that it will not be accurate, because there are days when I am successful at that.

    At any rate, getting hung up on a message like this probably does more harm than good, but it is all a mind-set and if you are making healthy choices most of the time, you will easily reach your goal.

    I love MFP and have told many friends just how much I love it! This great program helps me keep my goals in sight and you all help me stay motivated..so Thank You!
  • dakitten2
    dakitten2 Posts: 888 Member
    According to my dietician for ME (not saying everyone), she has advised it is ok to be within 10% of my goal either way. So she has my goal set at 1300, I usually shoot for 1170-1430. I admit I try to stay on the green numbers as the red makes me think I'm a failure. Since I weigh once a week, I keep a running count of my daily intake vs excess calories I didnt eat to try to keep me going too far off my course. It's also nice if I want a weekend dinner to have the extra calories if I dont have enough room for what I want to eat. Again just saying this is the course I've been set on for the 6 1/2 months I've been doing this.
  • rednecco
    rednecco Posts: 10
    Well, it IS a good thing if you've 'earned extra' via exercise.

    For example, if my daily goal is 1200, and I have eaten 1200, but MFP has added 350 to my daily goal for any exercise I have done, then I would, according to MFP, be 'under my calorie goal' for the day--even though I hit my daily goal exactly. I don't get to eat an extra 350 calories to meet my new MFP goal, otherwise I'd never lose any weight (can't wait until maintenance mode...)!

    Make sense?
  • noturshorte
    noturshorte Posts: 56 Member
    mine is set up to my BMI from a body analysis that I had done. It said to maintain my weight I could eat 1670...so that's what I have it set to but try to keep my daily intake atleast 200 under for a deficit.
  • noturshorte
    noturshorte Posts: 56 Member
    not BMI...it's been a long day and I can't think but hopefully you know what I mean haha
  • Cyndieann
    Cyndieann Posts: 152 Member
    What gets me is the "If every day was like today you'd weigh XXXlbs in 5 weeks"... Which isn't true and gives people the mentality that if they eat WAY less they'll lose even more... Dangerous tool if you ask me.


    I love this statement at the end of my day. I feel strong and successful if it says any number under my current weight, even if its only a couple of pounds. It's this that keeps me logging in...every single day!
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
    Some on my list regularly log up to 1000 below their goal, and that I disapprove of intensely. It is not healthy, and we are not talking people with their daily goal set to maintenance either.
  • sneph650
    sneph650 Posts: 8 Member
    Try not to be too critical folks. Mike and his team have put together a super site here! And it's FREE! I see some of you with just a few dozen posts. Why bother posting if it's all going to be negative on how this program works? This is a very adult web site for weight loss/gain. By that I mean, there is no prescribed diet. You set your own goals.

    I find it curious that starting a discussion about how the site works and how it might work better in the future seems against the norms of the forum. Is this really the case? It's true that I'm brand new around here and it's also true that I have found the site really useful thus far....but does that mean that my constructively critical user feedback is not valued? After having lived in Silicon Valley for many years, having known startup founders and site administrators, user feedback has always been discussed as really important for improving site functionality and design. Not that my particular suggestion is how things should be, but I'd like to share my opinion in the spirit of community. Perhaps it is the case that the reaction to these so-called "negative" posts about "under his/her calorie goal" is an attempt to (over)correct for some of the truly discourteous remarks made at others' expense in other threads?
  • soulynyc
    soulynyc Posts: 302 Member
    under you calorie goal can be 1 calorie.. or right to the last one.. it doesn't mean that you are way under. i like it. it keeps me motivated. and i like that my friends respond to it.. and when i'm over.. they respond positive as well. doesn't annoy me one bit.
  • GasMasterFlash
    GasMasterFlash Posts: 2,206 Member
    Try not to be too critical folks. Mike and his team have put together a super site here! And it's FREE! I see some of you with just a few dozen posts. Why bother posting if it's all going to be negative on how this program works? This is a very adult web site for weight loss/gain. By that I mean, there is no prescribed diet. You set your own goals.
    There's nothing wrong with suggestions for improvement, though.
    Many of us have had great success with MFP. Will it work for everyone? I'm not sure. But you've got to give it a fair shake. Turn off your feeds and just work the program for YOU. We all know that 1,200 calories is minimum. This has been discussed on these boards over and over again.
    Or, one could leave it in his/her feed, and choose their friends more carefully.
  • GasMasterFlash
    GasMasterFlash Posts: 2,206 Member
    I just love the name poopsnacker123!!!
    Everybody loves a poopsnacker!
  • GasMasterFlash
    GasMasterFlash Posts: 2,206 Member
    yeah i mainly hate when peoplele dont have like a proper dinner...they have a drink or coffee...and people are like 'WELL DONE' and i'm like 'UM NO!' this isnt good at all!

    they should look at how close they are to their goal and not assume they've done wel lbecause they're below their goal
    What is a proper dinner?
    Good point. One's total caloric count is more important than when or how they consumed it.
  • sapalee
    sapalee Posts: 409 Member
    MFP is an amazing tool and has helped me tremendously, I'm not dissing the program. I was merely making a commentary about the implied meaning and how they may influence people to go to unhealthy extremes. And if the program could be improved... isn't that a good thing to share user opinions?

    I get that the statement is neutral, but if that is really the case shouldn't it also make the announcement when someone is over their goal? If it's simply a comment on the facts it seems like it should include both sides.

    I really like someone's suggestion about a comment when they are within a % or a few hundred calories of the goal.

    And thank you for the folks who set theirs to maintenance and then do a deficit for sharing how you set it up.
  • ladyace2078
    ladyace2078 Posts: 460 Member
    It really depends on how the person has their MFP goal set up too. I don't use net calories. I target to eat 2400 calories per day every day. MFP has an arbitrary 2040 NET calories as my goal and I'm too lazy to change it because I don't worry about net calories, just calories. I suppose I could change by goal to be 2400 and then never log exercise, but I like logging my exercise because it keeps a record for me of how often, how many minutes and my average burn that I can go back and check my progress.

    As a result I am under every day and it doesn't really mean anything. I eat 2400 calories, burn 600-800 and therefore I am under my calorie goal by that amount. I only allow the (factual) annoucement to go on my newsfeed because most of my friends like the reminder to see my diary. The comments I get have to do with what I ate and how many calories I ate (not netted) so I don't mind.
  • johnstegeman
    johnstegeman Posts: 37 Member
    I love the feature. For the very large like myself, it's all about the weight loss, and staying under leads to weight loss.

    If you're too under for a day, it warns you about that. So I don't see the problem.

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