Thoughts on Food Diary Tracker?

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ElectricDragon
ElectricDragon Posts: 60 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I'm new to FMP. I lost about 60 lbs before joining FMP with just kind of eyeballing portion sizes, making healthier choices, and eating less.

The food diary tracker is something I'm kind of intrigued by (addicted to) at the moment. My question is are the estimates/predictions for weight loss it gives off accurate? If I stick to the suggested amount of calories with the right portions/ratios of carbs, fats, and proteins it recommends will I lose weight at the rate it says? I'd like to hear some of your own personal thoughts and experiences with using this tool.

Best,
Sam :bigsmile:

Replies

  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
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    I'm prone to stalls and whooshes, so I don't even pay attention to the weight predictor. Sometimes I get to the predicted weight faster, sometimes slower.
  • leebesstoad
    leebesstoad Posts: 1,186 Member
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    Do you mean the "If every day was like today, you'd weigh XXX in 5 weeks"? I think most of us sort of shrug that one off. But as far as using the food diary to track what I eat, I can't do without it. It holds me acountable to myself. I wouldn't have had the results I've had without the food diary.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    weight loss isn't linear, but more or less the projections were fairly accurate for me over the course of a longer period of time so long as I was consistent in logging and precise with my weights and measures and as close as humanly possible to my calorie burns for eating back my exercise calories. On average I lost at a rate of about 1.2 Lbs per week...but there were weeks that were smaller losses...weeks with no losses...weeks where I was up a Lb or so with water, etc...but over the course of time and as a general trend I lost about 1.2 lbs per week.

    I'd suggest that you get yourself a food scale though and some measuring spoons/cups...eyeballing portions and ingredients will ultimately bite you in the *kitten*...numerous studies out there indicate that guestimating results in about 30-50% underestimation of intake. Calorie counting is a game of precision.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    It's all estimates and averages. Individual results vary widely. Congratulations on your weight loss so far and welcome to MFP.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,224 Member
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    Assuming all the measurements you made were accurate, and every day was exactly like that day, it would likely be pretty close. The reality is that our measuring is usually not as accurate as it should be, and calorie burns from exercise are usually not estimated that accurately either. Taking that into consideration, the number is usually not that close.
  • LyndaMRou
    LyndaMRou Posts: 54 Member
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    The only thing I use that for is to gauge how I'm doing. If it's less than I am today, then I'm on track. If it's more (and I'm not perfect, so it happens), then I have to pull my **** together and get back on track. I think there's too many variables for this to be completely accurate, but it's an indicator.
  • ElectricDragon
    ElectricDragon Posts: 60 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies! I think I have a much better understanding now of what to expect now from this tool on my journey.

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