If every day were like today. You'd weigh X lbs in 5 weeks

Project9
Project9 Posts: 135
in Food and Nutrition
When you finish your food intake for the day, you push the "complete this entry" button at the bottom of your food list and then you get:

"If every day were like today... You'd weigh ___ lbs in 5 weeks".....From your experience, how close is this prediction?





Extra credit bonus points for answering this question: why 5 weeks? :huh:
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Replies

  • jjay23
    jjay23 Posts: 160 Member
    never close with me, I am baffled as to how they predict it as we are all different. interested to know the five week question though!
  • ami5000psu
    ami5000psu Posts: 391 Member
    Hah I've found that it's rarely ever correct.
  • Cazzyxo
    Cazzyxo Posts: 104 Member
    I wish.
  • ced1389
    ced1389 Posts: 96 Member
    that's one reason i stopped completing my entries. i found that unsettling.
  • Lynn_babcock
    Lynn_babcock Posts: 220 Member
    Not so correct.. but I don't know that its the applications fault. I then eat more calories. It's incentive though, or discipline, and it works for me. It inspires me to keep doing good "that wasn't so hard and I'm doing great".. or I get to think "oh my gosh I cannot eat like that or I will be fat again in no time." I LOVE that they have it everyday.. if you are diligent about doing your diary.
  • soldier4242
    soldier4242 Posts: 1,368 Member
    It has been pretty much always correct so long as I am honest with my entries.

    The reason it gives 5 weeks as the time is because that is a reasonable amount of time to see an actual weight loss.
  • NadineSabbagh
    NadineSabbagh Posts: 142 Member
    Surprisingly, it's been spot on for me - but only when I've been spot on with my calorie intake for those 5 week periods. If I happen to go over or under my calories one day it amuses me how drastically the predicted weight loss changes :P I don't really pay much attention to it, but it is quite motivating to see the numbers gradually going down as time goes by :)
  • MercedesV
    MercedesV Posts: 70 Member
    I agree, though it's not accurate, it's my own fault because i'm regularly inconsistent.

    It does motivate me though. When I eat good and work out, I get excited at the prospect of being so close to my goal in about a month. When I eat past my calorie goal, I look at how much weight I could gain and it motivates me to eat better
  • babyj0
    babyj0 Posts: 531 Member
    Don't think it's completely accurate, but it motivates me, that's for sure.
  • katherinedelamater
    katherinedelamater Posts: 10
    I assume it is fairly correct (calculating your weight and intake) but many people don't see those exact results because within those 5 weeks... each day varies. If you were to average each days presumed 5 weeks results, I'd think it would be close. I've never had the discipline to actually do this myself, so this is just my guessing. :)
  • Project9
    Project9 Posts: 135
    It has been pretty much always correct so long as I am honest with my entries.

    The reason it gives 5 weeks as the time is because that is a reasonable amount of time to see an actual weight loss.

    This is good to hear, because I am waiting a month to weigh in. Sometimes more frequent weight checks can be disappointing and I don't need any disappointments hurting my motivavation right off.
  • QueenofScott
    QueenofScott Posts: 305 Member
    The problem I see is the condition, "if every day were like today". I don't know about anyone else, but I don't have five weeks worth of days that are exactly the same. I notice what it says when I close my diary for the day, but I don't keep track of it.
  • Project9
    Project9 Posts: 135
    I assume it is fairly correct (calculating your weight and intake) but many people don't see those exact results because within those 5 weeks... each day varies. If you were to average each days presumed 5 weeks results, I'd think it would be close. I've never had the discipline to actually do this myself, so this is just my guessing. :)

    Even when i jack-up for the day, the 5 weeks predictor has me down a few pounds, that what made me wonder if it wasn't correct.
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
    never been right , wish it were though...
  • Lochlyn_D
    Lochlyn_D Posts: 492 Member
    Well it will be off for everyone because how many of us eat the exact same thing every day for five weeks?
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
    I assume it is fairly correct (calculating your weight and intake) but many people don't see those exact results because within those 5 weeks... each day varies. If you were to average each days presumed 5 weeks results, I'd think it would be close. I've never had the discipline to actually do this myself, so this is just my guessing. :)

    Even when i jack-up for the day, the 5 weeks predictor has me down a few pounds, that what made me wonder if it wasn't correct.

    Are you sure you're eating at a surplus? You could be over your calorie limit, but still at a deficit, depending on how big your deficit was to begin with. Example: you're trying to lose 2pounds/week- you're at a 1000 calorie deficit... so even if you go above your calorie limit by 500... you are still at a 500 calorie deficit and will still lose weight...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I assume it is fairly correct (calculating your weight and intake) but many people don't see those exact results because within those 5 weeks... each day varies. If you were to average each days presumed 5 weeks results, I'd think it would be close. I've never had the discipline to actually do this myself, so this is just my guessing. :)

    Even when i jack-up for the day, the 5 weeks predictor has me down a few pounds, that what made me wonder if it wasn't correct.

    Because you're still at a deficit of calories from maintenance. Your MFP calorie goal isn't maintenance...it has a substantial deficit built in already. This is why it is absolutely absurd when people cry about going over by 100 calories or whatever. Whaaaa...boohoo...instead of being at 1,000 (2 Lb per wk) or 500 (1 Lb per week) deficit they're at 900 or 400 or whatever.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    MFP thinks I should eat way fewer calories than I actually need, so it's always wrong for me. I don't even click the button.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    all it does is take your calorie defecit, assume you will eat at that deficet everyday for 5 weeks. 3500 calorie is a pound, so if you eat at a 500 caloire defiecent every 7 days you will lose a pound.. viola.. you will weigh 5 pounds less in 5 weeks. Easy caculation.

    They probably say 5 weeks because it's give us an idea of where we will be next month if we continue to eat the way we did on this day. the effects our food choices wil have on weight.

    Of course it's only right if you are eating the correct number of caloreis to start with.
  • stephiemo
    stephiemo Posts: 4 Member
    Well considering they said I'd lose 9 lbs in the 5 weeks and I'm already down 3.2 in less than 3 days I'm not sure how accurate it is. lol
  • EricJonrosh
    EricJonrosh Posts: 823 Member
    It's just a form of encouragement based on mathematics. No idea why 5 weeks tho.
  • cleotherio
    cleotherio Posts: 712 Member
    MFP thinks I should eat way fewer calories than I actually need, so it's always wrong for me. I don't even click the button.

    Me too. I have mine set to TDEE -15%, plus I don't count or eat back exercise calories. According to MFP, I'd be gaining 2 lbs a month at that rate. In addition, I don't go by the scale to measure my progress.
  • katinachaos
    katinachaos Posts: 90 Member
    Simple math. A pound is 3,500 calories. If your TDEE is, say, 2,000 and you are eating consistently 1,500 cal/day, math says you lose a pound a week. If you eat 1,250 cal/day, math says you lose 1.5 pounds per week. Obviously it doesn't factor in stuff like eating 1,200 calories of salty food that might make you retain water, and chances are your TDEE isn't 100% accurate, so it's really just stating your potential.
  • allylbrown
    allylbrown Posts: 71
    I do not eat or work out the same way everyday, so thats y it prob doesn't work...but I wish it were the case
  • jcdynan
    jcdynan Posts: 11 Member
    I end my day and think.....Wow that could be possible and keeps me going. Maybe someday the novelty will wear off but for now I like to see the numbers going down.
  • BrieLP
    BrieLP Posts: 300 Member
    in my experiance it won't be anywhere close because for 5 weeks straight my days aren't the same. I would go insane if it were the same everyday. ugh!

    Good question i always wondered why 5 weeks too.
  • JenniTheVeggie
    JenniTheVeggie Posts: 2,474 Member
    Lies...all lies. I don't even look at it anymore. :smile:
  • BL_Mark
    BL_Mark Posts: 183 Member
    I do the math and it comes out to be about 2-3lbs per week and depending how my weeks go, it's pretty accurate. However, my days vary so one day it'll be substantially less and then other days it's more... so it pretty much averages out.
  • hottamolly00
    hottamolly00 Posts: 334 Member
    When you finish your food intake for the day, you push the "complete this entry" button at the bottom of your food list and then you get:

    "If every day were like today... You'd weigh ___ lbs in 5 weeks".....From your experience, how close is this prediction?





    Extra credit bonus points for answering this question: why 5 weeks? :huh:


    It's pretty accurate...if EVERY.SINGLE.DAY was like that day. BUT, this is the real world, and I'm sure you, and everyone else, myself included, are subject to real life and going over (or under) our calories every once in a while.
  • kevinjb1
    kevinjb1 Posts: 233 Member
    It seems to stay a little ahead of the curve for me.

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