if ... then weight statements at the end of each day

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4leighbee
4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
in Getting Started
These are silly and arbitrary, right? I'll never weigh 131 pounds again, lol (that one makes me laugh) ... and because I'm lifting and generally pretty solid, I can't imagine I'll lose weight as rapidly as they suggest I will, only due to my caloric intake and daily exercise. Should I just ignore these statements altogether?
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  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    Yep, ignore, it's a lie I tell ya!!!
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    lol! okay ... it's motivating for about a half a second, until my brain says, Leigh ... get real. ;)
  • keeptehpeace
    keeptehpeace Posts: 189 Member
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    Yup!
  • awasko1218
    awasko1218 Posts: 15 Member
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    I just use mine as a guide that I'm on the right track. So, as long as my if...then statement says the same thing or less than it did yesterday, I consider the day a success (I must have stayed within my calorie budget, for example) If my if...then statement tells me that in 5 weeks I will be 2 pounds heavier than it did yesterday, then I probably had an over-indulgent day... which happens, but that statement helps motivate me to stay on track for some reason. I'd rather see that than a "good job" at the end of the day, even if it is a ridiculous number. lol. Whatever games I need to play with my brain, I guess.
  • lsorci919
    lsorci919 Posts: 772 Member
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    LOL I tested it, to see how accurate it is..... WAY off. "In 5 weeks you will weigh 154....." Those 5 weeks were up before Christmas and I'm just now closing in on 156. I think it's purely for motivational purposes.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    Not necessarily silly: they can forecast a decreased or increase trend on your weight depending on what you're eating. But to expect in five weeks to be exactly where the app predicts, with all things tracked accurately and consistently, is definitely silly. Weight-loss is not perfectly linear. Nor is weight loss the only indicator of progress (as, like you said OP, lifting will throw this number off).
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    These are silly and arbitrary, right? I'll never weigh 131 pounds again, lol (that one makes me laugh) ... and because I'm lifting and generally pretty solid, I can't imagine I'll lose weight as rapidly as they suggest I will, only due to my caloric intake and daily exercise. Should I just ignore these statements altogether?

    Unless you're running some ridiculous calorie deficit, the projection should only be a couple of pounds away from where you are now. Why would you never be 131 pounds again?
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    You don't have to press the close diary button.

    It's not a crystal ball, its a computer algorithm.
  • tesha_chandler
    tesha_chandler Posts: 378 Member
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    Truthfully, I take it as more of a suggestion and somewhat of a motivation, but I have a little more weight to lose than you do so it may be more accurate with me.
  • sarahmichel101
    sarahmichel101 Posts: 158 Member
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    I just use mine as a guide that I'm on the right track. So, as long as my if...then statement says the same thing or less than it did yesterday, I consider the day a success (I must have stayed within my calorie budget, for example) If my if...then statement tells me that in 5 weeks I will be 2 pounds heavier than it did yesterday, then I probably had an over-indulgent day... which happens, but that statement helps motivate me to stay on track for some reason. I'd rather see that than a "good job" at the end of the day, even if it is a ridiculous number. lol. Whatever games I need to play with my brain, I guess.
    I am not even sure this is true. If it says that you will weight 2 lbs more the next day, it just means that you ate 200 more calories than the day before (200 calories times 35 days = 2 lbs). If it goes down each day then each day you would have to be eating at least 100 calories less than the day before. This could get dangerous pretty fast, eh?
  • sarahmichel101
    sarahmichel101 Posts: 158 Member
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    All that it is good for is to see if you will weigh less in 5 weeks than now. What this means is that you burned more calories than you took in. In reality you might even weigh more in 5 weeks of burning more calories than what you take in, but it would be weight from muscle. Keep up the good work! Don't let the scale rule the roost, let your body!
  • rockmama72
    rockmama72 Posts: 815 Member
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    One day I logged a particularly high amount of calories. Like REALLY high. When it said my weight in five weeks would be higher than my start weight, it gave me a good hard slap in the face!
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    It's good to get a 'general' idea of where you will be in 5 weeks if you keep eating at your deficit. Mine is usually within 2 lbs... depending on water retention and ToM and such. Today for example, even though I'm retaining water from Monday's exercise, was spot on, lol. I like to keep track of it, just so I have an idea of where I'll be. :)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    LOL I tested it, to see how accurate it is..... WAY off. "In 5 weeks you will weigh 154....." Those 5 weeks were up before Christmas and I'm just now closing in on 156. I think it's purely for motivational purposes.

    Then you probably didn't eat that way everyday, or you ate more than you logged (thought you did) or you would be within a lb or so of the amount.
  • Shuuma
    Shuuma Posts: 465 Member
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    I kind of like seeing if I'm heading in a downward trend by that statement, but ultimately, I generally end up yelling "You can't tell me what to do!!"
  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
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    I've found it to be pretty accourate. Most my weekdays look the same though. The weekend days are the ones that are off because I eat more on the weekends. If anything, I've noticed the predictions to be on the cautious side. I've met some of my predictions in just 2 weeks. I think it varies for everyone. If your days are not all nearly identical, it's going to be a little off.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    These are silly and arbitrary, right? I'll never weigh 131 pounds again, lol (that one makes me laugh) ... and because I'm lifting and generally pretty solid, I can't imagine I'll lose weight as rapidly as they suggest I will, only due to my caloric intake and daily exercise. Should I just ignore these statements altogether?

    If MFP estimated your maintenance correctly based on your selection of activity level, and you ate with as much deficit to that everyday for the next 5 weeks like you did today - yes the math would be correct.

    Obviously several assumptions in there - you picked correct activity level, maintenance ended up correct, you eat the same amount daily with same logged exercise to create the same amount of deficit daily.

    Does it make you wonder why it was so big though - like did you log exercise but don't understand how MFP works?
  • SerenaKitty
    SerenaKitty Posts: 142
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    LOL I tested it, to see how accurate it is..... WAY off. "In 5 weeks you will weigh 154....." Those 5 weeks were up before Christmas and I'm just now closing in on 156. I think it's purely for motivational purposes.

    Then you probably didn't eat that way everyday, or you ate more than you logged (thought you did) or you would be within a lb or so of the amount.

    Exactly. That is the whole point of "if you ate this way everyday". It's not "if you ate this way today and a different way tomorrow..." ;)
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    LOL I tested it, to see how accurate it is..... WAY off. "In 5 weeks you will weigh 154....." Those 5 weeks were up before Christmas and I'm just now closing in on 156. I think it's purely for motivational purposes.

    It says "If every day were like today, you would weigh ___ in 5 weeks." I'm assuming every day wasn't like that day, or did you eat the exact same thing for 5 weeks?
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    double post

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