Please don't "like" my being under calorie goal...

I like and congratulate my friends when it says "stayed under their calorie goal" or when it just says they completed their diary. Because:

1) Nobody is going to get it spot on. If they're 3 or 10 or 50 calories under it will say they are under. I think this is acceptable. I always check the diary first.
2) I am saying well done for logging on every day and keeping your diary. It is an acknowledgment of the work they are putting in, even if they haven't gotten it perfected yet. I certainly wasn't doing that great when I first started logging. I was awful, actually.
3) Most people I see are under because they exercise and didn't eat back ALL of their calories. This is perfectly acceptable to me too.

It is NOT that I don't understand how weight loss works or I think people have to starve themselves. I do not like the diary status of someone who only ate 400 calories that day. But I do like the person who ate 1345/1400 etc...

LOL I do it so I can incorporate my cheat "meals or days" on the weekends

Ok, so most of you are looking at this differently than I did - I like when my friends complete a day; and unless there is a question I don't look at their diarys at all. I figure I am liking that they were accountable to themselves for another day; they logged and exercised and were present enough to write it down. I guess I am at a much more " kis" (keep it simple) level. So if any of your friends are like me - we meant no harm.

I just hit the "like" button for sh!ts and giggles.

Can someone explain to me why people are so determined to eat below their calorie goal? I see a lot of my fellow MFPers congratulating each other for being under. MFP, IIFYM, and Scooby already apply a deficit for us. Food is fuel.

I honestly don't panic if I'm SLIGHTLY (200 calories or less) under goal because I do NOT do the food scale thing. So I'm assuming that chances are, I've actually eaten more than I think...it might be a quick handful of shredded cheddar or some pepperoni I eat while making dinner...handful of pretzels before bed, etc.

I also don't have problems "liking" someone being under by around that amount. If it seems excessive (400 or more) then I (and others) will usually call someone out on it.

I realize some people here probably know EXACTLY how many calories they consume (and burn) but I don't...and I don't assume everyone else does either. Good for you if you're diligent with your logging...

The same people that 'like' my being under calorie goal, also 'like' on the days I just log in general & am not under. I'm pretty sure it's just a form of showing support and there's no need to take it as outrageously out of context as you are. I know at least most of the people on my page who like my updates regularly know my habits pretty well. They know that I eat normally 99% of the time, so they're not uninformed on what that looks like for me. If I have a day where it doesn't look like I eat a lot, there's usually a pretty good explanation - like I didn't finish logging because I went on a binge and didn't want to figure it out, or when I had an abscess tooth & couldn't eat [I normally write about these things in the notes box, but some people don't]. Obviously if someone is consistently 500+ under calorie goal or something, someone should say something and from my experience, they probably will. But if it's just one day out of a month, it's not really that big of a deal. People are just trying to show support - don't get mad about it! That's what this site is FOR.

This lady has the right idea here!

I slept so much I completely lapped my eating day and had an empty page.. people still liked it. I don't think most people read the food logs. At least not every day.

I don't usually. Sometimes I (randomly) do to see what people are eating but for every 25 "likes", I'm probably only looking at maybe 2 diaries.

I'm more likely to check diary on a "I'm doing it all but still not losing weight. Help?!?" threads.

So the like button should only ever be used when someone hits their calorie and macro goals dead on with absolutely no margin of error. Got it. Thanks for clearing that up!

I give comments of encouragement to anyone under cal for the day. I know how difficult it can be to diet. People need all the praise they can get.

I can see it coming all the way from over here...someone is going to get butthurt on this one.

Solution:

Settings > Automatic News Feed Update Settings > I have completed my diary for the day - untick the box to your left.

You will never have this 'problem' again.

Solution:

Settings > Automatic News Feed Update Settings > I have completed my diary for the day - untick the box to your left.

You will never have this 'problem' again.

This.

I'm under my calorie goal almost every day, and often a few hundred calories under for two reasons:

1. I cook for a family and have toddler. This means I do not measure every little thing like the oil to coat the pan, the small bit of butter I mix in with the entire bowl of vegetables, etc. The calories in my portion would be annoying to calculate and it's simply easier to leave some calories to account for the error. The toddler also loves to feed people and I'm not going to log 1 teddy graham, 4 grapes, or 3 cheerios.

2. I use a HRM to calculate my exercise calories, but my workouts are weight lifting or interval training. The formula my HRM uses to calculate calorie burn is most effective for steady state cardio, so I already know the numbers aren't going to be very reliable. Plus the number is already inflated because it doesn't distinguish between the calories burned from exercise and the calories that were burned merely by existing. So I do not eat back all my exercise calories to account for the errors.

Sorry if my methodology offends someone. No, wait, I'm not. You always have the option not to look at my diary.

On the contrary, I "like" the notification on my home page because I know my MFP friends TRIED AND LOGGED that day. I sometimes miss my goals for the day, I try to do IIFYM but have been struggling lately. For me, I see it as a support thing, a "one day at a time, we are all still trying" thing. I try not to judge too much on what's eaten or how much. It's consistancy and information that helps each one of us see what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong.

I like you! You're awesome!

<-- Drive-by liker

I ain't yer mama. I don't look at your diary to see if it meets my standards before I click a little button. I like people who are trying their best and don't take it upon myself to judge them.