Projected Weight Loss - Accurate?

PuppyFat4
PuppyFat4 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys, just wondering if anyone could share their experience with their actual weight loss compared to the Fitness Pal projected weight loss - "if every day were like today, you would weigh" I know its just a guide and it's hard to say, because not every day IS the same.. Just wondered with roughly similar calories and activity day to day, did your progress match the estimate? was it slower, faster? don't want to get my hopes up that i'll really lose the weight by then. :)

Replies

  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    It's totally wrong for me. Whenever I track my food it tells me I'll gain 2-3 lb in 5 weeks. Well, my weight has been stable for a long time in spite of this prediction.
  • cactuswren55
    cactuswren55 Posts: 6 Member
    I have lost weight. I'm new at this too. Don't really know how accurate the projected weight loss is yet. Good luck with your gowal:happy:
  • yuliyax
    yuliyax Posts: 288
    I don't think so, it doesn't take into account that your muscles retain water after exercise, your body retains water if you overdo sodium or go crazy with carbs. It depends on how long you've been cutting calories and how much weight you've got to lose. Also, people tend to lose more at the beginning. As you can see there is too many variables.
    Losing weight is not a race :)
  • FezzesRCool
    FezzesRCool Posts: 36
    I don't put much stock in it because, as it's been stated, there are too many variables. What it CAN do is give you a rough idea as to how healthy your day was. In my case, given that I am trying to lose weight, a lower number empowers me to know I am on the right track. A higher number means I may need to pick up my pace more (unless it's a rest day).
  • sardonicsmith
    sardonicsmith Posts: 2
    True. I guess what the site tells you is just a rough estimate of your 'projected weight loss' since each person responds differently to fitness regimens/diets. :-]
  • Alexandra289
    Alexandra289 Posts: 330 Member
    At first I lost weight quicker than it said I would at first - now it's hard to tell because my weight is fluctuating within a couple of pounds but still feel like I've been getting smaller.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    it seems to extrapolate beyond the bounds of reasonableness based on one point.
  • peachfigs
    peachfigs Posts: 831 Member
    Wrong for me - tells me I will lose weight that I don't lose :smile:
  • murdie
    murdie Posts: 85 Member
    Not at all! To much projection on to little info.
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    It's totally wrong for me. Whenever I track my food it tells me I'll gain 2-3 lb in 5 weeks. Well, my weight has been stable for a long time in spite of this prediction.
    Mine is usually off too. And I usually immediately gain the weight that it predicts I would in 5 days, too much sodium or food and I'll easily go up 2-3 in a day (water weight of course, but 5 weeks would definitely have me gaining more)!

    As for the losses, I lose at a slower rate too. Although it's hard to tell for sure because I don't eat the same amount everyday, lately it's been telling me that I'd be anywhere from 5-10 pounds lighter in 5 weeks, which will probably end up being accurate (closer to 5 pounds though most likely).

    It's a motivating part of completing my diary, I like seeing it...but I don't really go by it or anything. Weight can be affected by so many factors that you can't always accurately predict what you'll lose, especially because mfp is just going by estimates as far as your TDEE and all that!
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Not accurate for me. I marked a few of the 5 week projections on a calender. June 1st happened to be one of them.

    June 1st MFP Projected weight - 197.3lbs

    Weight on June 1st - 194.4lbs
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
    Too many assumptions... I ignore it completely.
  • tryskinni
    tryskinni Posts: 50 Member
    It's fairly accurate for me but I'm fast tracking my first 20lbs. I just like it - tells me how my day was overall. I don't put much stock in it.
  • JessiBelleW
    JessiBelleW Posts: 836 Member
    I find it really hard to tell because I don't weigh weekly. Also It predicts several weeks out, and by the time you hit that week it will have given you 3 weeks worth of new numbers.

    I would imagine for those who are maybe losing a pound a week it could be roughly accurate.
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    Not accurate for me. I marked a few of the 5 week projections on a calender. June 1st happened to be one of them.

    June 1st MFP Projected weight - 197.3lbs

    Weight on June 1st - 194.4lbs
    that's actually not too far off! good job losing more though! I bet that was nice :)
  • inky409
    inky409 Posts: 26 Member
    not even close for me. since i do most of my logging thru my iphone, i disabled that feature because it made me feel like i was always doing something wrong.
  • jimshine
    jimshine Posts: 199 Member
    It isn't that far off for me. I hit the goals about a week ahead of its prediction.
  • egrusy
    egrusy Posts: 196 Member
    I never really pay much attention to the "5 weeks from today" predictions as there are too many other factors in play. I can tell you that sticking to the suggested MFP calories for one-pound-a-week loss was very accurate for me.
  • bobf279
    bobf279 Posts: 342 Member
    not even close for me
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    Mine changes every single day. I think the only way I could test it would be to take one day and just redo it for five weeks to find out for sure. I have a calorie range I'm comfortable with. I think to lose 2 lbs a week it's around 1750 or so and 1 lb a week it's 2250. I try to get over 1900 a day as often as possible though. I'm just not consistent enough to prove the prediction right or wrong.
  • meldel49
    meldel49 Posts: 30 Member
    I do not even look at it. I have been on this for 5 months tomorrow and I have lost 20.5 lbs. If you average it out it comes 4 lbs a month. Some weeks I have had no weight loss at all but when I see it now I have lost and I always measure every week since the scale is not the only thing that tells you if you lost. I believe slow but steady wins the race. I feel if you take your time you will probably be able to keep it off. Exercise and eating healthy is what you should aim for.
  • LabMonkeySteph85
    LabMonkeySteph85 Posts: 64
    Not for me. I haven't lost any weight in 6 weeks despite being at a calorie deficit. I should be at my goal by now, but I am still 10 pounds away.
  • fattygaurav
    fattygaurav Posts: 1
    Hi, I thought it was pretty accurate at first however 4 months in its way of the mark. Either I am doing something wrong or I am not loosing the weight I should be.
  • jmayerovitch
    jmayerovitch Posts: 71 Member
    It's definitely overestimated for me. Just looking back at an average day from five weeks ago, it tells me I should be at 160, when right now I'm at 165.
  • sherigambino
    sherigambino Posts: 26 Member
    It's wrong on the weight loss forecast. I've found it to be correct in counting calories and how many calories I've been burning.
  • Bella0531
    Bella0531 Posts: 309 Member
    Wrong for me - tells me I will lose weight that I don't lose :smile:

    Ditto. :(
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
    I tried to track it a couple of times and it is never where it is suppose to be. Which is why at the end of the day, I no longer click the tab that says complete this entry, so I don't have to see it anymore. I just log and move on to the next day!!!!

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