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slimdownt
slimdownt Posts: 105 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I weigh daily and my scale syncs with myfitnesspal. As we know the scale fluctuates. So, does myfitnesspal take the last low weigh in and subtract to get your current loss?
What I mean is let's say I weighed 305 yesterday and then 307 today then drop back down to 304 tomorrow. Will it say I lost 1 pound or will it say I lost 3?

Replies

  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
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    My understanding is that it calculates the weight loss of the most current logged weight against the starting weight. So if your starting weight is 305 and you logged the 307 and the 304, then today will say 0lbs lost and tomorrow it will say 1lb lost.

    If you haven't already, you may want to consider using a weight trending app such as Libra or Happy Scale. These are much better at showing overall trend than MFP.
  • slimdownt
    slimdownt Posts: 105 Member
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    So when using libra do u enter the average into mfp or do u continue to enter daily weight in mfp?
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
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    slimdownt wrote: »
    So when using libra do u enter the average into mfp or do u continue to enter daily weight in mfp?

    I only enter new lows (verified by a second day) into MFP.

    That's my choice, but other ways are equally valid.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    slimdownt wrote: »
    So when using libra do u enter the average into mfp or do u continue to enter daily weight in mfp?

    It is your choice. I enter all my weights into my spreadsheet but I do not enter them daily into MFP. I do not have a consistent system for logging them into MFP but it is usually sometime between 5 and 10 pounds lost.

    The only thing that is important if you use MFP exclusively for your calorie goal is that for each 10 pounds you lose you go back through the guided set-up and make sure you have an updated daily calorie amount.
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
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    There's no right or wrong way, just what works for you.

    I personally use Libra to track my daily weigh in for trending purposes but don't use that information when recording weight in MFP.

    I enter my weekly weight into MFP each Sunday. This MFP weight is a calculation based on the daily weigh ins which I record in a spreadsheet I've created.
  • slimdownt
    slimdownt Posts: 105 Member
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    Can someone explain what the diet plan line is (blue line). How do u use it? Thanks.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
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    slimdownt wrote: »
    I weigh daily and my scale syncs with myfitnesspal. As we know the scale fluctuates. So, does myfitnesspal take the last low weigh in and subtract to get your current loss?
    What I mean is let's say I weighed 305 yesterday and then 307 today then drop back down to 304 tomorrow. Will it say I lost 1 pound or will it say I lost 3?

    It will say you lost 3 pounds since your last weigh in. But it will say you have lost 1 pound overall (if yesterday was your starting weight). Your last weigh in amount will always be against whatever you put in last, so if that was higher, you will show a bigger more recent loss. But your total loss is always compared against your starting weight.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,069 Member
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    slimdownt wrote: »
    Can someone explain what the diet plan line is (blue line). How do u use it? Thanks.

    It's taken from what you've entered as your diet plan in settings, it's basically showing you the theoretical line your weight loss will take to your goal weight/date. You can then see how your trend looks vs your plan.

    For example if I choose to lose 10lbs in 10 weeks, it will plot a line from now to 10 weeks time showing a straight line of the weight loss from Start Weight entered in Diet Plan settings to Goal Weight entered in Diet Plan.

    Then your trend line will adjust itself based on your actual results and you can get a rough idea of how on course you are to your goal.

    I'll post a screenshot in a sec.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,069 Member
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    b6ppqkaszkrh.jpg
  • MercuryForce
    MercuryForce Posts: 104 Member
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    NovusDies wrote: »
    The only thing that is important if you use MFP exclusively for your calorie goal is that for each 10 pounds you lose you go back through the guided set-up and make sure you have an updated daily calorie amount.

    I hate that part! I am pretty pleased that I've lost ~12 lbs since starting (as of my weigh-in today my driver's license is not a liar, which was my second goal. Now I'm looking forward to it being a liar in the opposite direction). But, seeing my calorie amount update itself sucked. It was only ~20 calories since the last update, but it's the principle of it...I like my calories and don't like seeing them go down!

  • slimdownt
    slimdownt Posts: 105 Member
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    So from what I gather I'm below the blue line so we'll on track?
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,069 Member
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    slimdownt wrote: »
    So from what I gather I'm below the blue line so we'll on track?

    Correct!
  • slimdownt
    slimdownt Posts: 105 Member
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    Thanks for the info!!!
  • slimdownt
    slimdownt Posts: 105 Member
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    I'm still struggling with the smoothing understanding. If I change to zero it makes a line without drop down points so that's easy to read but it makes the trend weight be the same as the current weight. So, my question is what should the number be so I get an accurate trend projection?
    Sorry to be difficult just confused.
    Thanks!!!
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
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    I use 21 days for both smoothing and forecast. I have no idea if this is a good option, though. My trend line is always above all of my weights.

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,867 Member
    edited December 2019
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    I don't use Libra but we can apply some general (mathematically deficient and poor) understanding.

    First of all your trendline will NEVER be an accurate predictor of future performance.
    Never.

    It lags and it will always lag because this is why we are using the app, so that we don't panic on every small change.

    Will an inflection point or general change in direction show accurately within a few days after the fact?

    Yes, it will, so ultimately a general direction and an indication of how fast things are moving is provided.

    But reading the graph and trend line it is useful to keep in mind your more recent unders-and-overs in terms of calories. i.e. knowing what has been happening will add to your ability to interpret the trends.

    If you have a hormonal cycle, capturing most of it in your previous trend may be very useful, especially if your cycle results in a few lbs of water weight retention.

    Since I do not have one, and since I do not engage in novel and intense exercise, I find, in my case, that a 10 day back averaging is sufficient to smooth out the occasional all you can eat night out but NOT bury into complacency two or three of them in a row!

    But I do log fairly accurately and also cross reference to my resting heart rate as delivered by Fitbit (which in my case tends to increase when in a surplus and decrease while in a deficit), so in general have a good idea as to whether I should be trending up or down and how fast.

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