"...and was under her calorie goal" irks me. You too?

saltorian
saltorian Posts: 192 Member
edited September 30 in Health and Weight Loss
Just a minor rant. I'm sure it's been done to death, but I just wanted to say this. :-)

This might seem strange, but am I the only one who isn't trying to eat -under- the calorie guideline every day? I know some people zigzag with their calories and other people are trying to gain or maintain weight, but even many of the rest of us seem to fight to stay away from those evil red numbers!

I know everyone will do things in his or her own way, and that's up to them. Still, it's just a little annoying to me that MFP goes out of its way to point out when someone was under goal, as if that was something great. Sometimes, it is. Sometimes it's a real victory, I admit, and I know some people probably really need that kind of solid, hard-line reinforcement.

For me, though, I just try to be close. I want to make sure I'm feeding my body enough, and my goal is only set to 1250 a day. Very, very difficult for me if I don't get in my exercise that day. If I go over by 5, 15, or even 50 calories on some days, I don't like feeling as if I somehow "failed" by not coming in under on calories.

Come to think of it, though, I guess I might just be projecting my own insecurities and unhappy perfectionism onto an innocent website program. Probably am. :ohwell: Well, shoot.
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Replies

  • julsofdenial
    julsofdenial Posts: 225 Member
    I think it should say something positive if you are within a certain amount of goal, like 50-100 cals. While it "congratulates" you for being under, it then says how its bad to be under goal...lol.
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
    No - You are so right - you see all these "WTG"'s when someone is under their calories - you must be joking - even when they only ate 600 calories for the day!!

    I will make a point of giving someone a WTG when they have hit their calories - or are a few over - yes - you have this figured out - you are supposed to eat your calories!!
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
    bugs me too :grumble: as if it is good to eat under...

    if anything there should be confetti thrown if we eat AT our calorie limits or perhaps slightly above.....

    just thoughts..:ohwell: from a fellow perfectionist......
  • pleasepleaseno
    pleasepleaseno Posts: 166 Member
    No I know what you mean. I hate when it doesn't say I was under my goal. I get used to seeing it and it's kind of lame that it brings me a little down to not see it.
  • CaptainMFP
    CaptainMFP Posts: 440 Member
    I get your frustration...I try to hit my targets (these days that's %'s of carbs, fats, and protein) pretty closely, and while I'm usually under, I do get a twinge of irritation that if I go over by 5 cals I don't get that little affirmation. At the same time, I think enough people are trying to stay under that it's sort of playing to a majority mentality...kinda think a system like this has to do that. In then end, I worry mainly about my goals and let the little nuances like that be the water while I'm the duck's back. :laugh:
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    I log every thing.....and I am pretty darn good about that everything...so when I grabbed handful of honey nut cheerios when I was putting the box away after my kids ate breakfast I upped the amount I ate for breakfast on my log...I NEVER submit my diary at the end of the day....even though I complete it each day I never submit...the whole what you will weigh in 5 weeks thing makes me crazy and neurotic I also don't want it celebrated for being under (almost daily) or erronously feel judged if I go over...so I just don't hit that submit button. sometimes my under day aren't that healthy...sometimes I am under but ate crap all day...one day I was over because I kept noshing on the grilled asparagus at a party that no one else wanted...I ate like 5 servings....how do you like being over for asparagus...My workouts go into the news feed when I log them so I get praise or comments on that...my diary is open for anyone to see if they want.
  • michelebelle
    michelebelle Posts: 8 Member
    Well you are obviously doing something right, so keep up the good work. Try to keep in mind that though people may strive to make the calorie goal. It will say that if you are even only one calorie under. Not much to eat for one calorie.I have to agree, I think the comment should be more generic and there should be a positive comment whether over or under the calorie goal. The fact is, If we are signing in everyday. We are being conscious of what we are eating and how much and that is a job well done. Progress not perfection. Today I was 94 calories over, yesterday I was like 13 under. Both days....success in my mind!
  • perceptualobfuscator
    perceptualobfuscator Posts: 159 Member
    It bothers me because I don't want to accidentally tell someone 'great job' when they're only eating 600 calories a day, every day. I mean, I usually check food diaries beforehand, but I often see 'good job' written on food diaries where the person is obviously eating far too little every day. I mean, what if I accidentally promote someone's eating disorder? Nobody wants to do that. It also bothers me that it punishes people for overeating by one calories ("...and was under her calorie goal" not being present) but not for undereating by 1000 calories. Seems rather lopsided.
  • complejo
    complejo Posts: 36
    If you don't eat enough it doesn't congratulate you, it tells you it is bad for you. I know this because I accidentally hit complete entry after lunch one day and instead of a congratulations it had a red warning about not eating enough.

    So it only does it when you are under a certain amount, not when you are starving yourself. I do think a better system would congratulate you if you were within a certain percentage of your goal either way (say 5 to 10% up or down) since it is impossible to ever hit your goal exactly. Honestly it should congratulate you even if you go over as long as you are still achieving your goal. Say I go over every day a week and only lose 1 pound instead of the 2 pounds I set, it should still congratulate the person.

    But at the end of the day, I just use the diary for my own tracking purposes and not to get any support or motivation from a computer program so it doesn't bother me as much as it might others.
  • TheYoungRetiree
    TheYoungRetiree Posts: 84 Member
    What I almost find more obnoxious is when it tells you "If everyday were like today you would weigh x in 5 weeks".

    Really? I ate a whole P'zone and a coke for dinner... yet that number looks pretty good because I was just under my calories. Seriously, so I should eat that everyday?

    I think it's just for positive re-enforcement, but I too entirely get where you're coming from!
  • maria1993
    maria1993 Posts: 112
    I understand what you mean, because quite a few people on here live by the 1,200 calorie rule.. But for someone like me who still has a higher goal of 1,800 (still much less than I used to eat!) it is nice to see the little message on my account
  • perceptualobfuscator
    perceptualobfuscator Posts: 159 Member
    If you don't eat enough it doesn't congratulate you, it tells you it is bad for you. I know this because I accidentally hit complete entry after lunch one day and instead of a congratulations it had a red warning about not eating enough.

    This is true, but that's a private message. It doesn't show up for any of your friends, so it's not a readily apparent issue. On the other hand if you are over by one calorie, it's public. Everyone knows. The red message is private. No one knows but you, unless they check your diary. As well, (correct me if I'm wrong) it only appears if you're under 1200.
  • complejo
    complejo Posts: 36
    I'm not sure what the threshold is where it appears, but I wouldn't want it to appear for everyone to see as that would have the opposite effect of potentially embarrassing people publicly who are already fighting other issues.

    On my wall I either see a "Completed food diary for the day" or a "completed food diary for the day and was under goal" message. so it doesn't criticize you for going over either.

    I mean, I understand why it irks people because just because you went over doesn't mean you shouldn't be congratulated and just because you go under doesn't mean it's good, but at the end of the day the site could say anything it wants but all that matters is what you think of yourself.
  • KimmyEB
    KimmyEB Posts: 1,208 Member
    Nope. I honestly love seeing it, since I know I used to eat like crap every day, and probably went WAY over what I should have, probably on a daily basis, too. Now that I've adapted my lifestyle, the daily goal it gives me (without exercise, 1700-something) is MORE than enough. If I go over it, then I definitely want to be called out on it. Sure, I went over on my birthday (how can you not at the Cheesecake Factory?!) but I was aware of it, and realized I don't eat like that every day anymore. If for some reason I go over that again, in a situation where there's no call for it, then yeah...I wanna be told that I funked up that day! And on the flip-side, I'll never be irked that I didn't eat too much.

    I do agree though, with the poster who mentioned they ate something super bad for you, but was "still under the calorie goal"...I've just started paying more attention to my sodium and sugar, which are the things I go over the most.
  • MissTomGettingThin
    MissTomGettingThin Posts: 776 Member
    Could it not be seen that MFP goes out of its way to point it out as it's a BAD THING?
    It's the users who are congratulating people - not MFP.
  • JThomas61
    JThomas61 Posts: 892
    I am guilty of being one of those who is ALWAYS under my calorie goal. Consider the factors, my calories are set at 1400 per day. I workout 6 days a week and burn between 1000-2000+ calories per workout. There is no way that I am going to eat my 1400 per day plus my workout calories so I will always be under my goal.

    Now what irks me is the WTGs & awesome comments on peoples workouts that burn less than 500 calories. Things like walking the dog, cleaning the house, washing the car and even more so when I see its a younger person.
  • bjalter
    bjalter Posts: 43
    What it should really do is announce when you go OVER your calorie. That way, your friends can give you encouragement when it's needed most!
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
    I used to have my calories set to "lose 1 pound per week" and I recently switched it to "lose half a pound per week", so now I know the net calories for both (1310 and 1530) and I try to stay between those, so I'm usually under my net calorie goal by a bit. And that actually is what I aim for, to be "under".

    I would be over my net calories quite a bit when I had it set to "1 pound" but now that I set it to "1/2 pound" I'm almost always under. But I'm still eating a healthy amount. So... don't be so quick to judge, look at the food journal first.
  • Kalrez
    Kalrez Posts: 655 Member
    I would definitely like to see the message changed to reflect being within 5% of your goal.

    For 1200 calories, you would have a range of 1140-1260. Gives you a little wiggle room for the "WTGs" to happen.
    For 1500: 1425-1575
    For 2000: 1900-2100

    It's not a huge window. You can't eat a whole pizza and get under, but some days you go over by just a few. The 5% window would give the WTG message when you get close to your calorie goal for the day. You would no longer see WTGs for people who eat less than half their calories. We shouldn't be encouraging that at all.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    What I almost find more obnoxious is when it tells you "If everyday were like today you would weigh x in 5 weeks".

    Really? I ate a whole P'zone and a coke for dinner... yet that number looks pretty good because I was just under my calories. Seriously, so I should eat that everyday?

    I think it's just for positive re-enforcement, but I too entirely get where you're coming from!

    lol, this thread is dead on. I especially hate that as well. No, myfitnesspal, I do not eat the same calories and exercise the same every single day so no two days or 5weeks for that matter will be the same.
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
    I actually like the "If every day was like this..." thing! I figure that as long as every day it says a (reasonable) lower number than I currently weigh, I'm going the right direction.
  • IMYarnCraz33
    IMYarnCraz33 Posts: 1,016 Member
    I'm almost always under my calorie goal but
    that's bcuz i don't eat back my exercise calories. (200-600)
    I usually reach my regular calorie goal though.
  • iAMaPhoenix
    iAMaPhoenix Posts: 1,038 Member
    What irks me is that there are so many people who are irked by a computer program. Healthy living is an individual thing, not a cookie cutter computer model that does not recognize you from Adam. I never eat back my calories unless I want to, have eaten only 600 calories on one or two occasions, and don't believe that 5 week you will weigh this much thing. It is a computer model folks, and not the Bible of healthy living. Most people use this just to log in their meals, while other use it to exercise, and some others are just trolling(Not me though...I would never troll on a website...Ahem!!!)

    And I know I am not where I need to be, but a lot healthier than where I started from. I think I would have even without MFP telling me I am "bad", or congradulating me when I do "good".
  • JFamilo
    JFamilo Posts: 22 Member
    I get it. I'm very similar and somehow feel a bit disappointed if it doesn't say I was under my goal. Sometimes, I'm contrite because I went WAY over but other times I may have only been a few calories over.

    Then again... I delete the update in my news feed when it says I lost weight and really it was just part of the lose/regain the same amount/lose again cycle. I don't want people congratulating me for losing weight I already lost and shouldn't have gained again!
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    I have my MFP settings set so it doesn't announce if I was under to my MFP friends. Problem solved.
  • tammykoon
    tammykoon Posts: 298 Member
    I removed them from my settings about a week ago. I don't comment on my friends calorie goal for the day or their exercise. It drove me nuts getting WTG's when I felt like I hadn't eaten as well as I should have, so I took it off of my news feed. My friends probably think I've been on a binge and that I am WAY over my calorie limits! LOL :laugh:
  • Dtrmnd86
    Dtrmnd86 Posts: 406 Member
    That doesn't bother me too much, but the other day I hit my calorie goal exactly, and all it said was that I completed my food and exercise diary for the day.... I was like wtf? Where is the "..and met her calorie goal"
  • Irene8509
    Irene8509 Posts: 381 Member
    I set myself at 1200 cal a day/ sedetary setting even though I am active and exercise daily. I did this to lose the 40 pounds I have been carrying and get back to being healthy. If I eat under 1200 calories I am struggling, so how do people eat under that is beyond me?
  • ingeh
    ingeh Posts: 513 Member
    mine is set a 1200 and I try to meet that everyday. Last week I STS as I was only having 6-700net calories a day as I was working out so much! and not eating my calories back which I know I should (didnt know it then) Im now usually 20-100cals under but usually in the 1100cal range at the end of the day now and feel better at meating my goal each day.
  • PeachyKeene
    PeachyKeene Posts: 1,645 Member
    Why should my not eating all my calories for the day be a problem for any of you. I workout a lot and I am rarely over or on my calorie goal. I also have an enlarged spleen that makes me feel full all the time, so it is hard to get more than 1200 calories a day eating the healthy foods I try to eat. Personally, the WTG and positive comments on everyone's feeds are a way to say, hey I see you completed it and you are aware of your daily intake. And I do have friends that look in my diary because mine is available for them to view and they make comments about what I ate.
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