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

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  • bens_mommy
    bens_mommy Posts: 219
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    It doesn't bug me all that much, because I try to read my friends' diaries and see how far they were under. If it was significant, I'll point it out. I'm proud of myself when I'm under, but I try to not be any more than 150 calories under my goal. This is coming from someone who was normally a stress-eater and an emotional eater, and like you said, for some people it's a big deal that they stay under. I don't think MFP necessarily is congratulating anyone on being under or promoting it. I use the numbers as a guideline, if I know where my goal is set at I try not to go over, and so far I've been eating enough and losing weight.

    I guess it's all a matter of how you perceive it?
  • wildon883r
    wildon883r Posts: 429 Member
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    I'm generally 6 out of 7 days a week under my calorie goal. I think i eat more then i normally would because of MFP trying to get close to my goal of 2400 and some change. For what its worth calorie tracking is not 100% accurate even if you measured everything you eat. It's a close guesstimate no matter whats printed on a box or package.
  • Justjoshin
    Justjoshin Posts: 999 Member
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    I eat under my calories pretty much everyday. I don't see it as a big exciting deal. I just don't FEEL like I need to eat that much.
  • Neondg
    Neondg Posts: 5
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    I just signed up for myfitnesspal, and I'm surprised that it has my goal set to 1200 calories a day! I can't imagine, but isn't that starving myself? I haven't done exercise yet today (about to go now), but I have been trying to get motivated in working out/walking the past few weeks. It's only the past week or so that I'm trying to watch what I eat. 1200 just seems impossible! I'm way over for today, but I'm hoping that I can come within 100-200 of my daily calorie intake goal (after exercise) once I get familiar with a program and track myself for a week.
  • Shabumbler
    Shabumbler Posts: 3
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    Im posting this as a reply to the OP, admitted I only went through about 2 pages of comments due to time constraints. I just wanted to say how interesting it is to see/hear this from the perspective of others. I have just recently started to lose weight and every time I get the "was under his calorie goal" message I actually saw that as a negative thing. I know that its probably unlikely that my calorie goal is as personalized to me as it needs to be, but I strive to meet my calorie goal using healthy foods and find it very difficult.

    I have taken to eating vegetables, raw typically because I like most, and find that I would have eat large quantities to make up a 400-500 calorie meal. It seems like I almost have to go out of my way to add in some sources of more concentrated calories. Couple tablespoons of ranch for the veggies, tablespoon of miracle whip on my sandwiches, etc. Anyway, just thought it was interesting that people see those announcements as a congratulatory statement instead of negative reinforcement
  • lipglossjunky73
    lipglossjunky73 Posts: 497 Member
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    I dunno. One time I was under my goal and it chastised me about being too under and how I won't lose weight if I do that. I'm like, huh? Personally, if it's a heavy workout day for me, and the thing is saying I should consume over 2000 calories because of what I burned... I Just can't do it. That is actually why I stopped logging..... I see it as annoying more than anything else.... Lol
  • julsofdenial
    julsofdenial Posts: 225 Member
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    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.
    Just FYI, "walking the dog" is a preset term under cardiovascular exercise. I am not really walking my dog when I use it. It is just what term it gives for walking 3.0 mph. Today for example, I was proud of myself for doing day 2 of c25k to learn how to run. So it was only a half hour workout and although I jogged 8 times during it for 60 seconds a time, I logged it as 3.5 "Brisk pace" walking and "only" burned 153 calories. I don't have an HRM yet so that is what I use.
    Personally, if someone comments that I did "awesome" I think I deserve it because that half hour walk/jog is more than I have done in years and is "awesome" compared to sitting on the couch... and if I am able to complete the program, I will be running a 5K in a few months or so... pretty awesome to me.
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
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    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.

    Seriously?! :noway:

    There's days when I burn more than 500, but they're the exception anymore, not the rule. I think the three hilly miles I ran today was a good enough workout, even though I "only" burned 300 calories.
    I completely agree with this. When I was heavier I was able to burn 500+ calories. But now that I'm lighter, it would take around 2 hours to burn 500+ doing most exercises. Also, I work a lot. I have one day off a week. When I do some heavy cleaning, it's not an everyday occurance. So I'm going to log it.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    "under your goal" typically means that you didn't make your goal. i don't view it as glorifying undereating - it is quite the opposite: you DID NOT make your goal. you failed. if you were under your goal for production at work, that's a failure. under your goal for the amount of weight you lift at the gym: failure. under your calorie goal: failure...

    sorry to use such a harsh word like "failure" - i'm just trying to emphasize the point that it isn't a good thing to be under your goal...


    OK, so if I have 1,200 calories a day as my goal, I burn 700 and eat 1,500, I'm "under my goal," but it's not like I'm starving myself. I'm not going to force food down my throat to meet a calorie goal when 1,500 is a perfectly fine amount of food. Good grief!

    Besides, when I first started this and WAS meeting my calorie goals every day, I was GAINING.

    i don't disagree with what you are saying. i have been averaging about 1,100 calories UNDER my goal every day (mfp says my goal is over 4,500 cals/day - i am trying to gain 10 lbs...), but i have been maintaining my current weight of about 165 lbs. so it is pretty accurate in my case. all i was trying to say in the above post was that MFPs "you were under your calorie goal today" prompt is not saying "great job! starving yourself is what fitness is all about!" all MFP is doing is taking an average and trying to help people meet their long term goals. it seems fairly accurate in my application - if i want to gain 10lbs, i really do need to eat 4,500 calories a day instead of the 3,400 i am eating currently... i'm a failure :(

    I disagree. You say someone is a failure because they did not meet "their" goal. The fact is it may not be that persons goal. The "goal" shown is MFP's goal for that person, for that day only. Each of us individually need to be able to set our own goals as MFP is a guide to use, not a absolute. In my case, I burned 2127 calories on this past Sunday. That added with MFP goal for me called for me to eat almost 4000 calories that day. Anything less in your eyes would be considered a failure, since I did not reach "the goal". It does not take into account that the day before, I may have went over on calories and tomorrow I plan on being under as I will be travelling on a business trip. My goal for myself is to lose 2 pounds a week which calls for a calorie deficit of 7000 each week. I have achieved this consistently for the past 4 months following my formula. Some days I go over and some days I am under, but my average is consistent. Someone looking at "...and was under his calorie goal for today..." may be irked, but that is their problem. Each of us have to walk in our own shoes. I only wear a size 10 so it is hard to fit another foot in here, and with my Athletes feet problem, you should not want to.

    i specifically said in my original post that the word failure was harsh...

    you say "it may not be that persons goal" but in reality it is that persons goal... a person's MFP calorie goal is a guideline to get where they want their weight to be based on the info that they put into MFP. if the goal is wrong, then the original weight loss/gain goal that the person put on the site are the real reason to blame.

    MFP will not set a goal lower than 1,200 calories a day. I was gaining when I was meeting that goal (net, not gross). So, your statement is not accurate and very misinformed.
  • cassondraragan
    cassondraragan Posts: 233 Member
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    I totally get what you are saying. Though, I really wish there were a way to set different Daily calorie goals because some days I want 1200 calorie goals and somedays I want 1300- 1500 calorie goals. If you set it differently each day, it just messes up your previous logs. I just leave mine set at 1200 and if I eat up to a goal of 1300 and it says I'm over, I don't care. If I exercise and add 100 calories and I eat my goal of 1200 calories (and it says I'm under) then I don't care. I guess I just don't care! haha! Plus, sometimes it is hard to eat EXACTLY the amount of your goal. So I don't care if my log (or someone elses) says 10 under or 10 over.
  • FireSwan
    FireSwan Posts: 170 Member
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    Wow, this has been an interesting thread. It's amazing how different each person's approch is to weight loss. Which is okay, because we are all different.

    I work out twice a day most days and sometimes burn 1500 - 2000 calories a day. So, some days it may only look like I ate 100 calories when in reality I ate about 1700 calories. Some days I go a little over, some days I'm under. I'm still trying to see what works best for my body and that's all that matters.

    I like the little WTGs, but I don't really pay attention to it. I also like the "if each week were like this..." message. I don't think it is accurate (at least for me) but it doesn't bother me and it helps keep me motivated.

    :laugh: ON A SNARKY NOTE: :laugh:
    I think it would be funny if when you ate -100 calories that the message would read: "WTG! If each day were like this you would be DEAD in 5 weeks!" :noway:
    -or-
    if you go 100+ calories over your goal the message would read: "Wow, really? What a pig!? Don't you know there are starving kids around the world? Did you HAVE to eat the entire buffett? If everyday were like this you would explode in 5 weeks!!" :sad:

    Actually, I just wanted to make silly, snarky comments and lighten up the mood! Have a great day everyone! :laugh:
  • dsak
    dsak Posts: 367 Member
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    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.

    This is a good idea.... DON'T SUBMIT! I like it. I am usually under my calorie goal, but not by much, and I worry that people will start to comment about my eating habits. I try not to comment on people's diary and end of day submissions... and concentrate more on their exercise and calories burned.
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
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    :laugh: ON A SNARKY NOTE: :laugh:
    I think it would be funny if when you ate -100 calories that the message would read: "WTG! If each day were like this you would be DEAD in 5 weeks!" :noway:
    -or-
    if you go 100+ calories over your goal the message would read: "Wow, really? What a pig!? Don't you know there are starving kids around the world? Did you HAVE to eat the entire buffett? If everyday were like this you would explode in 5 weeks!!" :sad:

    Actually, I just wanted to make silly, snarky comments and lighten up the mood! Have a great day everyone! :laugh:

    Have a "Snark On" button in the options! LOL. This would rock. :drinker:
  • gingersnap901
    gingersnap901 Posts: 5 Member
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    To julsofdenial - Personally, if someone comments that I did "awesome" I think I deserve it because that half hour walk/jog is more than I have done in years and is "awesome" compared to sitting on the couch... and if I am able to complete the program, I will be running a 5K in a few months or so... pretty awesome to me.

    I think that is AWESOME!!! Good for you!!!! I'm REALLY in old age - 53. I use the 3.0 mph for my walking gauge to. In fact, I took my dog on Sunday and commented to my husband when I got back that after 7 smell stops, 9 pees a poop and a rib theft , obviously they were not walking OUR dog! It took 24 minutes to go a mile. hahahaha Congratulations on all your hard work and success! Keep it up!
  • Bluestar083
    Bluestar083 Posts: 146
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    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!

    I agree! It tells me in 5 weeks I will be 50kg. Really? At 5'9'' is 50kg healthy? No. It is a BMI of 16.2 which is underweight. The only time I was 50kg was when I was borderline anorexic.
  • queenbeaumont
    queenbeaumont Posts: 19
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    You know what is really weird? I can eat all my calories except for maybe having 5 or so calories left and it tells me that I am "eating to few calories" and could go into starvation mode. Really? from not eating the last 5 calories?:huh:

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