MFP weightloss predictions unrealistic?

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StrongHealthyPowerful
StrongHealthyPowerful Posts: 98 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone else found that the "if you eat like this every day you'll weigh ____ in five weeks" predictions tend to be a bit... optimistic? I know I may not be the most hyper accurate logger (ie I don't own a food scale), but it usually seems a bit unrealistic. Has anyone else found this to be true. MFP is working fine for me, in fact I reached my weightloss goal today (yeah!) though I may reset it five pounds lighter. We'll see. I just wanted to know if others had a similar feeling...
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  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    I pay them no attention. They don't seem realistic to me.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    When I first started I logged religiously and ate exactly up to the calories allotted for the day. I lost weight pretty much in line with the "if every day..." predictions. Now that I have less to lose (plus a diet bet that I'm a part of), has me eating way fewer calories. And eating back smaller percentages of my exercise calories.

    Honestly, I turned off the "notify my news feed that I've completed my diary for the day" about 4 months ago. I no longer bother hitting "complete diary." It's complete when I'm done logging everything.
  • Fishshtick
    Fishshtick Posts: 120 Member
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    They are very approximate and are sometimes over or under estimates early on. They become overestimates for most people as their weight loss proceeds.
  • sakuya3834
    sakuya3834 Posts: 116 Member
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    Honestly, I turned off the "notify my news feed that I've completed my diary for the day" about 4 months ago.

    Wow, I never knew you could do this.
  • chelseascounter
    chelseascounter Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I think they're there to just motivate some people. I don't think the prediction is true at all.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    If I listened to that I would have melted away by now. Does't even come close to being correct in my case.
  • MysteriousDreamer
    MysteriousDreamer Posts: 96 Member
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    Honestly, I turned off the "notify my news feed that I've completed my diary for the day" about 4 months ago.

    Wow, I never knew you could do this.

    How do you do that?!?
  • SparrowGal2014
    SparrowGal2014 Posts: 33 Member
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    Totally OPTIMISTIC! It's a mathematical equation that my make sense if you're Rocky! Lol
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
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    CONGRATULATIONS on reaching your weight loss goal!!!! You are awesomeness personified!!
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
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    For me its an underestimate. But then again, I've never eaten all the allotted calories and I workout a lot. Havnt bothered to update my ticker in a month, but I'm beyond the estimate from five weeks ago
  • ksearles625
    ksearles625 Posts: 5 Member
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    It's always been pretty accurate for me. I love it! I remember when I was in the 200's and it finally started showing me as being in the 190's it was surreal to not see that projected # to be 200-something. It made me cry hahaha
  • StrongHealthyPowerful
    StrongHealthyPowerful Posts: 98 Member
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    Good to know I'm not the only one who feels this way, although props to those of you out there who have found it to be accurate! Obviously you're kicking *kitten*. :)
  • sarafischbach9
    sarafischbach9 Posts: 466 Member
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    I wouldn't pay too much attention to that. I found when I began losing weight, it was more in align with the predictions. But as time went on, it became more overestimates. You reach your goals when you reach them.

    There are a lot of variables anyway... like underestimate or overestimation of exercise/calories burned and calories consumed, a woman's time of the month, water retention, etc etc that actually effects what you weigh in on a certain day.
  • FitOldMomma
    FitOldMomma Posts: 790 Member
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    The only time it seems unrealistic to me is on the days I do my swim workouts and don't eat back the calories. When I complete my entries for that day it tells me I'll be almost 20 pounds lighter in 5 weeks, lol!
    MFP over estimates that I've burned 1300+ calories during my 2 hours of lap swim and water aerobics.
  • FitOldMomma
    FitOldMomma Posts: 790 Member
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    Hey....congratulations on reaching your goal today! That is awesome!
  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
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    Mine seems to be accurate. My calories are set for me to lose 1 pound a week so when I stay within my calorie goals it tells me I will weigh 5 pounds less in 5 weeks which I usually do
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
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    I like to read the in 5 weeks, you'll weigh this, it keeps me motivated, but as far as being spot on, it isn't.
  • zenhiker2014
    zenhiker2014 Posts: 84 Member
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    If every day really were like the current day - in other words if you hit the same deficit day in and day out - it would be accurate. It''s just math. Most people don't hit exactly the same deficit every day so actual results vary. I guess you could say it's unrealistic since it's based on consistency, but then again, it's just intended to motivate us and they clearly say YMMV.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Well the past couple of weeks, if I closed it out, mine would have said I was going to gain weight. :laugh:
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 792 Member
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    its a fairly accurate for me but i tend to drop weight really easy

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