how accurate is the "in 5 weeks" ?

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cvtga
cvtga Posts: 118
in Health and Weight Loss
I see this number fluctuate from time to time which is not discouraging, but I can't help but wonder how accurate it is? I didn't lose a single pound this week, which is one of those frustrating plateau's but I wonder if the number of what I would "weigh in 5 weeks" is reflecting that I have hit a plateau? It has slightly inched down this week but not dropping like it has the past 2 weeks. Any thoughts?

Replies

  • hayleyann
    hayleyann Posts: 3
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    I can't account for the accuracy of it because I'm pretty new to this, but I can tell you that mine fluctuates daily and has dropped quite a bit from what it said the first day I was on here.
  • stacyoct19
    stacyoct19 Posts: 187 Member
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    i've always heard the last 15 lbs is the hardest to lose. so as you get closer to your goal you will have to keep making minor changes. i've also read that some people recalculate how many calories they can have everytime they lose 10 lbs. it sounds strange, but the bigger you are the more calories you can have. maybe your at the point that you need to lower a bit. unless you're at 1200, i hear that's the minimum anyone should have.

    good luck! don't be discouraged. remember as you were gaining, there were weeks that you maintained. the same will happen as you lose. keep it up! you're doing something right!!!!!!!!!
  • sunigee
    sunigee Posts: 5
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    I have only been doing this for a bit over 2 weeks, but I was wondering the same thing. My weight loss, so far, is on track with the "5 week" estimate. I hope it stays that way!
  • Ezzie
    Ezzie Posts: 665 Member
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    IMHO...that's based on a mathematical formula....unfortunately our bodies don't do math the same way...or perhaps as accurately....our bodies love to play these games such as water weight, starvation mode, muscle building, and just plain old being stubborn. It's statistics....and while they may reflect the population in general, you and I are unique, not statistics.

    Sometimes it does act as a wake up call for me.....if I eat the way I did today I'm gonna weigh WHAT:noway: in 5 weeks!!! (Honest I didn't know 2 Coney dogs were my whole daily calorie count.....)
  • cvtga
    cvtga Posts: 118
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    I am at 1200 calories per day. I just checked from the day I started to today and the "5 week weight" has actually increased by 4lbs. So maybe it is accounting for the fact that I had lost 10lbs and notices that this week I have not lost anything. I'm trying not to be discouraged I know the weight will come off. Perhaps its time to change my workout routine. Maybe I will do something different on Monday. Besides I do believe I have continued to lose inches.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    It totally depends on you. If you were to eat EXACTLY the same way today for the next five weeks, and maintain the same exercise level and do all the things that aid weight loss - drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, keeping sodium levels down, eating a good balance of fat/protein/carbs, etc., then chances are this "What you would weight in 5 weeks" would be fairly accurate. However, I don't know anyone who is that precise, and most people find that even when they track calories in/out fairly accurately, it doesn't always equal what you actually lose. For me, sometimes I lose more than I "should" based on my calorie deficit for the week and sometimes I lose less. This kind of simple calories in vs calories out doesn't take into account the quality of the calories, which can impact your health and your weight loss efforts. There are so many things that impact your weight loss - bodies are very complicated!

    I think the "in 5 weeks" was meant to be a general guide to show you how quickly/slowly you would lose weight if you were to eat what you ate today for the next 5 weeks. If you went over your calorie goal, then it will show you losing weight more slowly than you picked as your target weekly weight loss. If you have calories left over for the day, then it will show you losing weight more quickly than your target weekly weight loss.
  • nolan_84
    nolan_84 Posts: 31
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    I asked the question about the 5 weeks thing too... the response I got was the the 5 weeks thing is based on what you ate THAT specific day. My guess is that it's fairly accurate, probably within 2 lbs i'd guess. At least it seems like it should be.
  • Mommabee
    Mommabee Posts: 103
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    Your BMR is the calories you burn by simply being alive (find yours in "tools"). If you eat 3500 less calories than your BMR you will loose a pound. As far as I can tell, this is what the "5 weeks" number is based on. So if the calories you have taken in today extrapolated over 5 weeks show that you will loose 10 pounds (if you eat the same number of calories each day) that is what you theoretically will loose. Your BMR will go down as you loose more and more weight, so you really need to exercise to obtain your goal.
    Hope this helps!
    Hugs!:flowerforyou:
  • SpectreCGR
    SpectreCGR Posts: 8
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    You might be comforted to know that scale weight is actually a poor way to measure results, especially in the beginning. This is due to several factors including but not limited to the way your body stores sugars, water, etc... In addition, if you are just beginning an exercise program your body is going through an adaptation phase and will actually start gaining lean muscle mass at about the same rate as fat loss which is a very good thing metabolically.

    The increased lean muscle mass raises your base metabolic rate which will help you loose the fat weight and make you look and feel much better. The results you will see in the mirror and finally on the scale as well. Just calculate your BMI and the calorie deficit you must achieve daily with the tools on this site and rest assured that it will work. Just keep at it.

    A small note is that as your body weight changes, you will need to adjust your BMI settings to get an accurate caloric goal figure. Assuming you are shooting for the 1.5 to 2.0 pounds a week weight loss, you should probably adjust your BMI settings about once a month.

    Hope this helps.
  • lemonllama
    lemonllama Posts: 124 Member
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    I think its a general guide. Like when I have a cheat day and ate pizza it told me i'd GAIN like 6lbs in 5 weeks if i ate that way, and obviously I dont eat that way EVERYDAY, or if i didnt feel good and barely ate it'll say i'd lose like 15lbs, so i think if you basically eat the same everyday its a good estimate. Like if it says 1200 and you ate exactly 1200 and worked out exactly the same amount everyday it'd prob be closer to the truth. =) My GOAL says lose 1.5 lbs a week and i feel lucky if i lose 1/2 lb so i dont really believe what it says anymore
  • flbeachbuddy
    flbeachbuddy Posts: 77 Member
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    I have lost a little faster than the "in five weeks" has suggested. It is a great motivator for me, and especially when I had a bad day recently, it told me I would be back at my beginning weight in 5 weeks!!! AaaccKK!
  • hferriss
    hferriss Posts: 9
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    Hi. I am not "new" to this site, just hadn't been as dedicated as I am more recently and I was wondering how you don't get discouraged when you see that number increase just with adding more calories. For example, my first few days, I was way under my 1200 calories (not to mention adding on the exercise calories) and I was short by at least 500 calories the first few days and that "in 5 weeks" number would be exciting to me and give me hope. But then I started reading all the postings about making sure to consume all of your calories and now when I do that, the "in 5 weeks" number increases. I understand the chemistry behind how the calories work with our bodies, but it still makes me not want to eat all those calories just so I can see that low number. I know that number really doesn't mean anything in the whole scheme of things. It is purely psychological, but it is still frustrating.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    It totally depends on you. If you were to eat EXACTLY the same way today for the next five weeks, and maintain the same exercise level and do all the things that aid weight loss - drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, keeping sodium levels down, eating a good balance of fat/protein/carbs, etc., then chances are this "What you would weight in 5 weeks" would be fairly accurate. However, I don't know anyone who is that precise, and most people find that even when they track calories in/out fairly accurately, it doesn't always equal what you actually lose. For me, sometimes I lose more than I "should" based on my calorie deficit for the week and sometimes I lose less. This kind of simple calories in vs calories out doesn't take into account the quality of the calories, which can impact your health and your weight loss efforts. There are so many things that impact your weight loss - bodies are very complicated!

    I think the "in 5 weeks" was meant to be a general guide to show you how quickly/slowly you would lose weight if you were to eat what you ate today for the next 5 weeks. If you went over your calorie goal, then it will show you losing weight more slowly than you picked as your target weekly weight loss. If you have calories left over for the day, then it will show you losing weight more quickly than your target weekly weight loss.

    Yeah. What he said.

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