"you will weigh xIBs in 5 weeks" are these accurate?

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Replies

  • teramae
    teramae Posts: 78 Member
    I once got a fortune cookie that said I'd be married by 21. Well...Don't put stock in projections, just yourself.


    Bummer...I got a fortune cookie a couple of weeks ago that said I wouldn't have to work for financial security, now I'm crushed!!

    Also, as far as the projections go...I haven't been on long enough to tell, or even thought to write them down. But they seem to be on par with the 1.5 lbs/week I have been losing. So, I guess I will find out soon enough.
  • irishgal44
    irishgal44 Posts: 1,141 Member
    I wish it would go by 2 or 3 weeks. Sometimes, seeing the lower number, makes me want to give up more than encourage me. I see something in the low 170's and I just want to be there NOW. Not in 5 weeks...5 weeks just feels like forever. 2 or 3 weeks would be so nice cause it feels like it's just around the corner. YET...the 5 weeks projection is probably better than none at all. Maybe some day in the future they will let us choose who many weeks out we want to project out. That would be so nice!
  • yvonnerab
    yvonnerab Posts: 21
    It hasn't been acurate for me, as durring my first 2 weeks it said I would weigh 218 in 5 weeks...well I've been on MFP for 28 days and I'm now at 214...today it says I will be 210 in 5 weeks...I'll check in again in 5 weeks and I'm betting I will be lower by a pound or 3.
  • kidtechnical
    kidtechnical Posts: 146
    It says "if every day were like today".... I'm only 4 weeks in, but I have no intention of eating the exact same foods for 5 weeks to test this out. What you eat, cals in & cals out will fluctuate from day to day, as does the projection. I have used it in the past to decide if I will have that biscuit in the evening, I can see what I would lose if I didn't have it & compare it to what I would way if I did have it and then decide if I really want it :laugh: I assumed it was a motivational tool more than an accurate predictor.
  • Delicate
    Delicate Posts: 625 Member
    I would hope it is acurate but I wish it would take more than 1 day into consideration 'if you keep this pattern for x days you will weigh x '
  • loriefolk
    loriefolk Posts: 352
    That's a great question! And I feel sure it's probably pretty accurate :) Good luck to you!
  • benitocereno
    benitocereno Posts: 101 Member
    I really hope it's not accurate I'm looking at the Goals section not the food diary since I don't log food But I changed my workouts to 6 days a week for 30 minutes (even though I really do 60 minutes) and to lose 1 lb per week and it says I'll lose 5 lbs by March 6 Goodness I hope by March 6 I'm TEN lbs lighter not FIVE

    If you don't log food what's the point of using MFP? Losing weight without a true calorie deficit means you need to burn all of those calories through exercise... in which case, good luck on those 10lbs. It's going to be a lot of running/etc!

    I would say it has been pretty accurate for me. I think the accuracy really comes down to how honest you are with recording (every_single_thing that goes into your mouth), along with your base activity levels, etc. Remember that extremes in your weight will affect it too. Heavy people tend to lose weight much faster while light people tend to lose much, much slower. MFP tries to compensate for this using your BMR, but it can only do so much when you're at one extreme or the other.

    Also remember if you're just starting your diet and eating healthy you're probably going to lose a lot of water weight, not actual fat. What it should say is "You would weigh Xlbs in 5 weeks if you were made purely from fat" :) since that's what the calculation is based on... and I promise we're all made up of more than that!
  • NewJay12
    NewJay12 Posts: 51 Member
    I started 5 weeks ago - and I actually lost more than predicted. Like any of lifes endeavors - you get out what you put in to the program. 30 more pounds to go.
  • Tammysboys
    Tammysboys Posts: 23
    I am hoping it is true, would love to loose 20 pounds in 5 weeks:flowerforyou:
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    I am hoping it is true, would love to loose 20 pounds in 5 weeks:flowerforyou:

    this would mean you had a 2000 calorie deficit for today. That is far too low and you will not lose well if you are restricting calories this low. Just FYI
  • SoldierWife99
    SoldierWife99 Posts: 75
    It says if you ate like you are today... it doesn't take into account for women at least the wonkiness our bodies go through During out T.O.M I know my body will not lose anything for at least 5 days. it doesn't matter how good i eat.

    But someone said it worked for them. I think it's a good motivator for those of us ME who get discouraged easily

    You used the word wonkiness!!! I love it! I thought I was the only one who used "wonky" as a verb!

    But I agree, the message is a great motivator, but rely on yourself, not what it tells you. I've almost been here 5 weeks, but I don't remember what it said I would weigh by now!:laugh:
  • exercisarah
    exercisarah Posts: 37
    it actually is pretty accurate. the reason many people's probably is not accurate is due to eating unhealthy foods that can stand in the way of weight loss, or not logging everything they ate throughout the day - calories add up fast!
  • kidtechnical
    kidtechnical Posts: 146
    After I completed my logging yesterday I put the weight it predicted into my diary in 5 weeks to test it out :-)
  • melly424
    melly424 Posts: 23
    If you had a really good day and were under several hundred calories from your daily goal, it is going to give you an unrealistic goal. You can't (and shouldn't) eat that little everyday. The realistic ones are on days that you hit your goal. I think it is pretty accurate at that point.
  • melly424
    melly424 Posts: 23
    I am going to do that too! That is the only real way to see how accurate it is. Everyone should do that and then report back in 5 weeks!
  • kidtechnical
    kidtechnical Posts: 146
    Melly424, I have actually set an alarm for 5 weeks from yesterday saying:

    "well, do you weigh xx lbs. If not why not? Have you been cheating? Your not going to lose weight if you don't stick to your calorie goal. Hows the 10K training coming along, the race is in X amount of weeks. If you' have lost, well done, keep it up!"

    I'll report back on 13th March when I should weigh 171 lbs!
  • helenamonks
    helenamonks Posts: 176
    Honestly, I don't think it's completly accurate, but I don't really care if it is. It makes you feel good knowing that its plausible, its based on statistics and so of course as you variate, it will.

    After a really good day it feels good to see, "you will weigh 10lbs less in 5 weeks" LOL. Even though you may not. Its like "oooh I almost accomplished it!"
  • GorgeousMani
    GorgeousMani Posts: 45 Member
    it has ben accurate for me...but if everyday was like that day..if u switch it up.. then no
  • CuteMommy88
    CuteMommy88 Posts: 538 Member
    nope!! Mine is always like 10-15lbs lighter and I have only lost 3lbs the whole month of january
  • Sporty98
    Sporty98 Posts: 320 Member
    It is not accurate for me either.....It always gives me these crazy low numbers (like that I will lose 12 lbs. in the next 5 weeks). When you're down to your last 10 lbs. to lose, your body (well, mine anyway) fights back and doesn't want to lose! It's always a struggle to shed the last 10!

    I don't buy it.....but it doesn't mean that I don't enjoy seeing that number associated with my weight! It's fun to predict and shoot for!
  • LaurieKPhoto1972
    LaurieKPhoto1972 Posts: 43
    The less I eat the less it tells me I will weigh in 5 weeks which to me is odd because everyone says how important it is to get all your calories in and if you don't your body will go into starvation mode. But if I eat all my calories the weight it gives me that I will be in 5 weeks is WAY higher then the one they give me when I have tons of calories left over like today.
  • abyt42
    abyt42 Posts: 1,358 Member
    I keep track of my 5 week projected #'s. Every couple weeks I take note of the number thats projected on my iPhone.

    Surprisingly I have met almost all of them!

    Me, too
  • wrn1979
    wrn1979 Posts: 27
    I think it's probably based on the notion that every 3500 calorie deficit you create is supposed to equal one pound of weight loss. So if you have your goals set for 2 pounds off per week, the calorie goal is designed to give you 7000 calories of deficit every week based on your projected BMR + calories burned from normal daily activity. When the device gives you the random number it's figuring out what your total calorie deficit would be if you ate that precise number of calories every day for 35 days. That's why the number is different every day when you complete your diary.
  • M_lifts
    M_lifts Posts: 2,218 Member
    i would just use it to motivate you. :)
  • mtwd65
    mtwd65 Posts: 51
    Mine varies daily so today it may say 53kg and tomorrow 51kg. I can't eat exactly the same amount every day so I will never get a consistent value to aim for. As it is so variable it is not a measure I can use.
  • LD6686
    LD6686 Posts: 77 Member
    Well, I planned to lose 2lb per week...my first week I lost 7lb! Let's see what I lose this week, and then I shall report back on the 5 weeks mark to say how much I lost. It's probably pretty accurate though if you stick to it. It does change each day, depending on the exercise done and what you have eaten...so bare that in mind. However, if you have said you want to lose 2lb per week and have stuck to the plan, then you might just do it. Also depends on your metabolism etc, what foods you are eating.
  • jesshall281
    jesshall281 Posts: 219
    i think it would work....but its all down to you!
  • AFitasticYou
    AFitasticYou Posts: 170
    I just started. When I filled out my initial info about how much I weigh, how much u plan on exercising, etc..it said tha I will loose 7.5lbs by March 7th. I made that my first mini goal. It's only been 1 week and I'm almost half way there. I think you should be able to make it happen. I will have a few days a week where I'm going to do more exercise than I said I would, maybe I will loose more, that would be nice! But for me 7.5lbs in 5 weeks sounds like a big number. We will see!
  • mmorrow476
    mmorrow476 Posts: 2
    I've been on the program 2 weeks and have lost 10 pounds. It's all mathmatics so you have to count accurately your calorie intake each day. The average human body consumes 1500 calories per day just for normal daily functions like breathing, heart beat, ETC.. You have to burn 3500 calories to lose a pound. Their calculators are based on these numbers and other variables.

    Search the internet for foods that actually help you burn calories naturally. I posted little signs around my house and office. "Hunger is good!" When you are hungry it is your body telling you that it is using reserve energy (fat) and you need to eat more.

    Good luck:smile: javascript:add_smiley('smile','post_body')
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