You will weigh _ in 5 weeks
GCatz
Posts: 9 Member
Does anyone else use the “you will weigh such and such in 5 weeks” when logging weight as motivation? Has it kept you on track? I’m keeping my calendar close to me so I can remember why I’m not eating my son’s chocolate donuts.
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Replies
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I think it's kinda gimmicky and way over simplistic. It assumes every day is going to be exactly like today...which it never will be...it also assumes that weight loss is linear, which it is not.3
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I know it’s not perfectly accurate, or maybe not even close to accurate. It’s a good visual for me to keep me on track and help me remember that weight loss takes time.
At least I hope it’s going to help keep me on track! :-)2 -
I hate that thing. I think it does a huge disservice. Lasting weight loss requires a livable downward trend. It has nothing to do with what happens in 5 weeks.
Our brains seem to be constantly on the lookout for evidence that our program isn’t working. It’s how folks twist “not fast enough” into its total disaster. Shame on MFP for encouraging that kind of thinking.5 -
I use it as a motivation tool, but then it's frustrating when it's time to weigh in and you're up 2 lbs.3
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Just don't put too much stock in it and let it get you down...weight loss looks like this:
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I find it pretty funny. Not once have I ever been CLOSE to what it says I will be "in 5 weeks". Of course, I'm also not the most accurate logger, lol. I tend to stop counting when I go over
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So what you all are telling me is that I may be disappointed and demotivated. I hear ya. Gives me even more reason to stick to my daily calorie and exercise goals. I have a competitive nature and this is starting to sound like a challenge to me. ;-)5
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It's not accurate and not even helpfu0
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Yes I love and use it and luckily for me I weigh less than what it says in five weeks. And yes the scale fluctuates on the way down, but I'm dropping the pounds and it definitely motivates me more than a lot of other things.
Gimmicky no just a fun tool.
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I think it is very helpful. I have hit my 5 week goal a few times. Like most have said, it's not the end all be all, but it is a useful tool. You can't measure goals if you never set them.
In my experience, it's just like the regular scale. It's a tool to keep pushing ahead, be consistent, and stay the course. Just treat it as such.1 -
MostlyWater wrote: »It's not accurate and not even helpfu
I'm sure that's true for a lot of people. But it's a helpful tool for others.
The prediction is only an estimate of your progress if you continued to hit the same calories every day for the entire 5 weeks. I'm very accurate with logging and consistent in getting my calories right on goal every day. I've found that the prediction holds mostly true for me, personally. If your logging behavior changes from day to day or you aren't accurate or consistent, then the prediction will be totally meaningless.
I appreciate this feature. It's trying to show you that if you continued to do what you did on that day, every day for the next 5 weeks, this is where you are headed - good or bad. It doesn't mean it will happen, because many people aren't that consistent in being able to replicate similar behaviors daily for long periods of time. 2 -
I like it. Even when I have date nights and go out to eat and load up on beers, it reminds me how much more I will weigh if I continue on that trend. STAY THE COURSE!3
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I don't take it as gospel, but it's a good visualization tool for me. I like it.
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It keeps me motivated in the sense that i COULD lose that amount if I stayed on track. But that is an estimate, and with all things I try not to maintain true belief without the work behind it.0
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MostlyWater wrote: »It's not accurate and not even helpfu
"It is a poor craftsman that blames his tools."
It's only as accurate as the person using it. If you find its predictions not accurate, it's because YOUR habits are not predictable.1 -
For me it works better the other way around, like „Overboard tonight? Then how would you like to be 1.5 kg heavier in 5 weeks?”. Yikes. Thanks for rubbing my nose in tonight's party, I'm gonna get right back on track.5
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AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »MostlyWater wrote: »It's not accurate and not even helpfu
"It is a poor craftsman that blames his tools."
It's only as accurate as the person using it. If you find its predictions not accurate, it's because YOUR habits are not predictable.
I was pretty predictable and very accurate in my logging...I found it to be more accurate early on...the further along I was dieting, the less accurate it was because I had a lot more fluctuations and stalls. Towards the end I should have still been losing about 1 Lb per week, but I was only losing about 1/2, if that.
I'd say my first 5 weeks was more than predicted...then for a couple of months it was pretty close...after that it was all over the place with the same habits and logging.2 -
I like it as well. It is a little bit of a motivator for me because I like visual things, but I also know it's just a tool and won't always be 100% accurate.1
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I usually use it, but only as a curiosity thing, and I rarely do it if I've gone over my calories. I never have checked to see how close I am at the end of 5 weeks.0
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Normally weight loss is not linear over a period of time. Weight will gain some small amount due to so many variables that it seems like you are doing everything but it happpens.
Look at a month to month comparison to see the end of month a loss. Then add 10 to 12 consecutively months to get a big total!0 -
It’s great to hear that some of you have had a positive experience with this. Thank you for sharing.1
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I never close out my diary but I do like the projections on Trend Weight and find that information much more useful. I especially like that it shows an estimated date when I should reach my goal and am average of how many calories I'm over/undery goal.1
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I once accidentally input that I ate 1kg chocolate instead of 1 chocolate - it calmly told me I would be 105kg in 5 weeks - I am now 68kg lol!!2
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