After completing diary and it says "in 5 weeks you will weigh..."

How accurate have you found mpf to be when it says that in 5 weeks if every day were like today your weight would be...?
Also, I have lost 21 lbs at a 1200 calorie limit. I am now between 147-149 lbs. I really don't know how much more I will lose although I would love to get down to at least 140! I know that's a lot for some people but I'm @5'6 and 44 yrs old. I would be happy with that

Replies

  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 423 Member
    Not sure why it didn't send the rest of my message. My second question is how many calories should I allow myself to eat now? I'm starved and feel like 1200 and even going over that isn't enough! I crave peanut butter! Help!!
  • Ohjeezitskim
    Ohjeezitskim Posts: 129 Member
    edited April 2016
    Not SO accurate since I'm in the beginning.. First month I lose faster than the second month and I'm just starting my second month tomorrow. I was set at 1lb per week but in the first 4ish weeks since March 21, I've lost 10.8, double of the estimate. I expect slower now because I started walking (Like hell walking SO many hills, burning about 650-750 in an hour with a Polar FT4) so I am probably growing muscle mass in my legs after being very, VERY lightly active for over 2 years. I expect little to no weight loss this Friday but it's welcome regardless lol

    When I find myself more hungry with little to no calories left, I walk/other exercises to burn calories to make up for it.
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
    What's your weightloss rate? Lower it until you're satisfied with the calorie range - i'm at about 200g per week loss - it's slow but i'm happy!
  • missycats2004
    missycats2004 Posts: 16 Member
    Sounds pretty much like what I did. I started at 1200 calories daily and I would swim about an hour to 90 minutes a day and was losing about 2 pounds a month and in 2 months I lost 22 pounds .. Then the hunger started setting in everyday. So I raised up to 1400 calories a day and haven't lost any weight in 2 weeks, but I am ok with that for now. I know losing 2 lbs a week was a lot and raising my numbers was smart and I will start losing again . Right now my body needs more calories .. I can always go back down to 1200 again if I want to .. Listen to your Body ..
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    edited April 2016
    The should change it so it is based on a week or month, not one day.

    But for me it seems fairly accurate, I haven't tested it like writing the prediction and comparing to actual results, but my days, weeks are fairly much the same.
  • Heirgreat
    Heirgreat Posts: 262 Member
    Not accurate for me
  • SoulPuncher
    SoulPuncher Posts: 1 Member
    Joobey/Missy: 20 pounds! Congratulations! That's nothing to sneeze at. 1200 calories/day is quite low though. Probably lower than your BMR. Don't hurt yourselves.

    Jeez: Every year when I start my getting-ready-for-the-summer diet, I lose a bunch of water weight. My diets include increased proteins/fats and very low carbs and in general cleaning up my diet (no more sugars/dirty carbs) , so it may be due to lowering inflammation in my body. It might be the same for you.
  • lioness2307
    lioness2307 Posts: 16 Member
    Hi Joobey, first of all WELL DONE!

    For what it's worth: I have learned the hard way that "diet" in the sense of drastic calorie restriction with me feeling hungry on it doesn't work for me and I keep yo-yoing and putting the weight back on.

    I lost about 8 kg in 2014 in a gentle manner, by keeping a very modest calorie deficit of about 200-300 per day (I would need around 2200 to maintain, and went with 1900ish). That worked super-well! I lost the weight very slowly, stayed active, got my sleep, spot-on!
    My diet was low- to moderate carb and no-sugar, whereby I aimed for between 100 and 150 grams of carbs per day and no added sugar (apart from fruits and veggies of course).

    Then I went into what I call a diet craze: I became so enamoured with my new weight I wanted to go further and restricted myself more severely - on the other hand, I thought "hey great, now I look fine, I can endulge a bit more, can't I?"
    Bad idea. I stopped tracking my calorie and instead of 1 cheat, I would have 3 during the week. Inevitably, the weight kept coming back throughout 2015. I didn't go back to my original weight but was noticeably heavier - and very unhappy!

    So, lesson learned. I am now back to tracking my calories and watching the carbs/sugar - I am not a preacher of low-carb/Paleo etc etc., but for me (I am an apple shape), going lighter with the carbs makes me feel better! My IBS is pretty much gone.
    I currently work with a very light calorie deficit, aiming for about 1900 calories per day, and roughly 100-150 grams of carbs.
    On days when I exercise, I obviously eat a bit more, and don't mind adding some more carbs to "fuel" the whole engine.

    Long story short: Peanut butter is great! :D so is coconut milk. I love peanut butter with yoghurt or as a home-made fudge with raw cacao and coconut oil...yummy!
    Make sure you don't go too low with the calories...if your body is hungry and starving it is trying to get you to listen. Don't starve your body, love it and work with it.
    Satiety comes from fats and protein, too. So maybe look into that.

    Good luck!
  • GraceAnneU95
    GraceAnneU95 Posts: 18 Member
    joobey wrote: »
    Not sure why it didn't send the rest of my message. My second question is how many calories should I allow myself to eat now? I'm starved and feel like 1200 and even going over that isn't enough! I crave peanut butter! Help!!

    I think if you're hungry you should be eating more (that's not very much anyway). If weight loss has made you more active, change your settings to reflect that, which will allot you more food. It also matters how you're eating your calories. 1200 calories of white bread won't leave you satisfied all day, but if you eat more fat and protein, the fullness feeling might stick with you longer. Good luck and congrats on your progress so far!
  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 423 Member
    joobey wrote: »
    Not sure why it didn't send the rest of my message. My second question is how many calories should I allow myself to eat now? I'm starved and feel like 1200 and even going over that isn't enough! I crave peanut butter! Help!!

    I think if you're hungry you should be eating more (that's not very much anyway). If weight loss has made you more active, change your settings to reflect that, which will allot you more food. It also matters how you're eating your calories. 1200 calories of white bread won't leave you satisfied all day, but if you eat more fat and protein, the fullness feeling might stick with you longer. Good luck and congrats on your progress so far!

    Thank you! I haven't been eating any white bread. I do notice that my fat and protein are very low. I think what my problem is, is that I probably don't eat enough throughout the day to save room for snacks later. Although, now that I think about it, I did eat a white hamburger bun with 1 oz of sloppy joe for dinner last night. I had made this for my daughter because she had been wanting it and I had to try it, lol! I think that was not a good idea because I do think that white roll sent me hungry for more! There is something to this I think as far as white bread! Ugh. Normally I would only have fiber one whole grain bread (2 slices for 100 cal) but I gave in. See where that got me! I do exercise every day and burn anywhere from 400-600 calories. I had not been "eating back" my calories with my weight loss but feel that now I need to as hungry as I get. Not sure if I will take off weight this way though. Thanks for your help!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Not accurate at all unfortunately....
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    joobey wrote: »
    Not sure why it didn't send the rest of my message. My second question is how many calories should I allow myself to eat now? I'm starved and feel like 1200 and even going over that isn't enough! I crave peanut butter! Help!!

    You're doing great and there really is no need to starve yourself - up your cals a few hundred calories, you will still lose even if at a slightly slower pace but its not a race anyway :smile:
    All the best!
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    it's just a math equation based on that current days intake. Take it with a grain of salt. If every day you performed the same activity, ate the same, etc. you would probably hit that number pretty dang close to the prediction. :)


    Anyways, adjust your calories by lowering your weight loss goal to 1lb or .5 pounds if needed.
  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 423 Member
    Hi Joobey, first of all WELL DONE!

    For what it's worth: I have learned the hard way that "diet" in the sense of drastic calorie restriction with me feeling hungry on it doesn't work for me and I keep yo-yoing and putting the weight back on.

    I lost about 8 kg in 2014 in a gentle manner, by keeping a very modest calorie deficit of about 200-300 per day (I would need around 2200 to maintain, and went with 1900ish). That worked super-well! I lost the weight very slowly, stayed active, got my sleep, spot-on!
    My diet was low- to moderate carb and no-sugar, whereby I aimed for between 100 and 150 grams of carbs per day and no added sugar (apart from fruits and veggies of course).

    Then I went into what I call a diet craze: I became so enamoured with my new weight I wanted to go further and restricted myself more severely - on the other hand, I thought "hey great, now I look fine, I can endulge a bit more, can't I?"
    Bad idea. I stopped tracking my calorie and instead of 1 cheat, I would have 3 during the week. Inevitably, the weight kept coming back throughout 2015. I didn't go back to my original weight but was noticeably heavier - and very unhappy!

    So, lesson learned. I am now back to tracking my calories and watching the carbs/sugar - I am not a preacher of low-carb/Paleo etc etc., but for me (I am an apple shape), going lighter with the carbs makes me feel better! My IBS is pretty much gone.
    I currently work with a very light calorie deficit, aiming for about 1900 calories per day, and roughly 100-150 grams of carbs.
    On days when I exercise, I obviously eat a bit more, and don't mind adding some more carbs to "fuel" the whole engine.

    Long story short: Peanut butter is great! :D so is coconut milk. I love peanut butter with yoghurt or as a home-made fudge with raw cacao and coconut oil...yummy!
    Make sure you don't go too low with the calories...if your body is hungry and starving it is trying to get you to listen. Don't starve your body, love it and work with it.
    Satiety comes from fats and protein, too. So maybe look into that.

    Good luck!

    Wow thank you so much for all of your great insight! I totally get what you're saying about yo-yoing. I've lost weight 2 other times and did the exact same thing and REALLY want to get it right this time around! 3rd times a charm, right? ;)
    I feel that I could easily start binging again when I feel defeated and hungry. I was in bed last night and I felt starved. It makes me think of those who have nothing and why would I be so hungry when I do eat. It puts me to shame :(
    I want to be healthy is the bottom line and eat in moderation. It seems like you have learned very well and are taking great care of yourself and know what your body needs. Great job! I love the suggestion of the pb and coconut oil and cocoa. Do you have that recipe that you wouldn't mind sharing? So what calorie limit should I have instead of 1200 to be able to at least lose 5-10 more lbs? I do exercise daily and burn between 400-600 calories and had not been eating back these calories but feel like now I have been with my 1200 calorie limit. It does no good to exercise by eating these back I wouldn't think...but maybe if I raised my number up, it could help. I don't know. Thanks again for your encouragement!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    joobey wrote: »
    How accurate have you found mpf to be when it says that in 5 weeks if every day were like today your weight would be...?
    Also, I have lost 21 lbs at a 1200 calorie limit. I am now between 147-149 lbs. I really don't know how much more I will lose although I would love to get down to at least 140! I know that's a lot for some people but I'm @5'6 and 44 yrs old. I would be happy with that

    we are almost the same stats...I lose on 1600 a day easy but I have it set to 1/2 a week.

    I thought about getting to 140 not sure if I want to now.
  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 423 Member
    Joobey/Missy: 20 pounds! Congratulations! That's nothing to sneeze at. 1200 calories/day is quite low though. Probably lower than your BMR. Don't hurt yourselves.

    Jeez: Every year when I start my getting-ready-for-the-summer diet, I lose a bunch of water weight. My diets include increased proteins/fats and very low carbs and in general cleaning up my diet (no more sugars/dirty carbs) , so it may be due to lowering inflammation in my body. It might be the same for you.

    Thank you! From what I'm hearing so many of you say is to increase my protein and fats. I have to say that those have been pretty low and that's probably why I'm so hungry. Do you change the parameters that mpf sets for the goals?
  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 423 Member
    pebble4321 wrote: »
    I don't treat that as an accurate prediction, for me it's more about a comment on my day:
    - If I've eaten way more than my calories then it shows me the possible outcome if I keep eating this way - which is not what I want.
    - If I eat around the right amount, then it lets me know that this is a good course to keep on to keep losing weight.
    - If I eat less than my calorie allowance I can see that I could lose weight faster... but I also know that I'm not likely to keep that up, so it's not really very helpful.

    As to how much you should be eating - that's really a personal thing. 1200 calories would be very, very hard for me to stick to, I just would not sustain that without being miserable. If you find you are too hungry on this amount, then you can re-enter your details in the MFP goals section and choose a more realistic amount of weight to lose per week - eg, set it for 0.5 or 1 pound a week rather than the maximum

    And, adding some exercise can increase the cals you can eat too. Many people say you shouldn't eat all of the cals because of perceived inaccuracy but I think the best way is to try it out - if you eat them all and aren't losing weight, then drop to half or 3/4 and see how you go.

    In my opinion, there is no point in picking an unrealistic goal and setting yourself up to fail. Better to find something that works for you, that you can sustain.

    I love your way of thinking! Thank you!! Yes. I'm feeling like I won't be able to sustain this for the long term. I don't want to get "hangry" and frustrated and then just binge on whatever because I'm so hungry. I think I will go ahead and adjust my calories. Thanks again.
  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 423 Member
    Sounds pretty much like what I did. I started at 1200 calories daily and I would swim about an hour to 90 minutes a day and was losing about 2 pounds a month and in 2 months I lost 22 pounds .. Then the hunger started setting in everyday. So I raised up to 1400 calories a day and haven't lost any weight in 2 weeks, but I am ok with that for now. I know losing 2 lbs a week was a lot and raising my numbers was smart and I will start losing again . Right now my body needs more calories .. I can always go back down to 1200 again if I want to .. Listen to your Body ..


    Thank you for your suggestion. This really helps me and I will listen to my body and adjust my calories and re-evaluate. I don't want to get so hungry that I binge out of frustration and I can see how that could easily happen.
  • DonM46
    DonM46 Posts: 771 Member
    Good job on your weight loss so far.
    The key words are "if every day were like today." The chances of that happening are extremely remote. You'd have to eat the same amount of the same food, expend energy at the same rate, drink the same amount of water, experience the same elimination of bodily waste, etc.
    Use it as a guide, not gospel.
  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 423 Member
    KateTii wrote: »
    What's your weightloss rate? Lower it until you're satisfied with the calorie range - i'm at about 200g per week loss - it's slow but i'm happy!

    So is that a 0.5 lb weight loss? I've had it set to 2 lbs a week but think I need to change it :smile:

  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 423 Member
    joobey wrote: »
    Not sure why it didn't send the rest of my message. My second question is how many calories should I allow myself to eat now? I'm starved and feel like 1200 and even going over that isn't enough! I crave peanut butter! Help!!

    You're doing great and there really is no need to starve yourself - up your cals a few hundred calories, you will still lose even if at a slightly slower pace but its not a race anyway :smile:
    All the best!

    Thank you! You're right. It's not a race and I need to be patient. :smile:
  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 423 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    joobey wrote: »
    How accurate have you found mpf to be when it says that in 5 weeks if every day were like today your weight would be...?
    Also, I have lost 21 lbs at a 1200 calorie limit. I am now between 147-149 lbs. I really don't know how much more I will lose although I would love to get down to at least 140! I know that's a lot for some people but I'm @5'6 and 44 yrs old. I would be happy with that

    we are almost the same stats...I lose on 1600 a day easy but I have it set to 1/2 a week.

    I thought about getting to 140 not sure if I want to now.

    You look great! Is that your up to date photo? You look like you'd be in your 120's! So do you eat back your exercise calories with your 1600 calorie diet?

  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 423 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    it's just a math equation based on that current days intake. Take it with a grain of salt. If every day you performed the same activity, ate the same, etc. you would probably hit that number pretty dang close to the prediction. :)


    Anyways, adjust your calories by lowering your weight loss goal to 1lb or .5 pounds if needed.

    Sounds good! Thanks!!