MFP says "weight" in 5 weeks-has it ever happened?

CoraGregoryCPA
CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
edited October 12 in Motivation and Support
Hi, Has anyone been able to prove or hit the weight that MFP says you should be in 5 weeks?
I know I haven't and I'm not on track to do so. I just wondered if anyone has ever challenged it?
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Replies

  • Kimmer2011
    Kimmer2011 Posts: 569 Member
    Five weeks ago, MFP told me I would weigh 236 yesterday--I weighed in at 230. It totally can work!
  • bbkohn
    bbkohn Posts: 29
    I think it only really does if you do the EXACT same thing every day
  • Justjoshin
    Justjoshin Posts: 999 Member
    That estimate is completely ridiculous. MFP has been telling me for 90 days that I would be 180lbs in 5 weeks. (I weigh 192)
  • It's been pretty accurate for me, usually within a pound or two, depending on how consistent I am with meeting my daily calorie/exercise goal. :smile:
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
    Nope, not even close.
  • BPayton27
    BPayton27 Posts: 626 Member
    I always stay honest with my food/exercise logs. I am also a consistent eater, so a lot of my days reflect the previous. For me, that number is quite accurate. I feel a sense of accomplishment when it starts dropping before I've even lost the weight lol.
  • Queen_Christine
    Queen_Christine Posts: 342 Member
    Never never never not even once for me!
  • Queen_Christine
    Queen_Christine Posts: 342 Member
    Never never never not even once for me!
  • I think it depends on how accurate you are and how consistent. One day it told me I was going to weigh 136 and the next 144. Keep your head up and you will achieve whatever goal you have set for yourself.
  • the disclaimer is this: IF EVERYDAY WERE LIKE TODAY.......

    that could only happen if you ate and exercised exactly the same for the next 5 weeks....


    but, it's a great motivator.

    Some of my MFP friends & I were just musing that we're glad it doesn't tell you (on days when you didn't do so well....) that
    in 5 weeks, you'll have gained 5 pounds.....Hmmmmmm, maybe it should? Reality check upside the head........
  • auntie_missy
    auntie_missy Posts: 113 Member
    Yep. I like to read diaries and saw that some people were recording their 5 week number, so I started doing it on weigh in days. Two Monday's ago, the first week I weighed 253 and it said I'd be 236 in 5 weeks... I thought no way, but I was 237! Pretty close. Last Monday, my first week weight was 250 and it said I'd be 237 in 5 weeks - I was 232! Basically, I don't take it too seriously... it's a fun motivator, but if I don't make it, that's okay too. It is based on the idea that you do the exact same thing everyday, so people who zigzag or take a lot of rest days or cheat days, get sick, respond to stress, etc. may see other results. It also seems like exercise calories have a bigger effect than calories eaten (don't know how true that is, it's just how it feels to me).
    Can't wait until tomorrow to see how close MFP was 5 weeks ago! :smile:
  • Nope, never happened for me.
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
    I knew about the disclaimer. I was curious to know if someone did just that.. the same exact calories and exercise calories everyday to see if the "5 week" estimate would be correct.

    I'm considering trying the challenge... I wish there was a group on here for that!

    BTW.. if you eat far over your calories, YES it will tell you "if you ate like this everyday you will be 5 lbs heavier".. or whatever the case may be!
  • Justkf
    Justkf Posts: 208 Member
    It's been pretty accurate for me.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    It depends how well dialed in your calorie target is and how consistent you are with hitting your target. Once I got all "dialed in", weight loss went pretty much like clockwork for me.
  • The number it gives me as a 5 week prediction changes almost every day. I WISH I'd be 185 in 5 weeks but history tells me ... probably not.
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
    Nice job!
    Five weeks ago, MFP told me I would weigh 236 yesterday--I weighed in at 230. It totally can work!
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
    Awesome!!! Very nice job for everyone that it worked for! I really should challenge it for myself!!
    Yep. I like to read diaries and saw that some people were recording their 5 week number, so I started doing it on weigh in days. Two Monday's ago, the first week I weighed 253 and it said I'd be 236 in 5 weeks... I thought no way, but I was 237! Pretty close. Last Monday, my first week weight was 250 and it said I'd be 237 in 5 weeks - I was 232! Basically, I don't take it too seriously... it's a fun motivator, but if I don't make it, that's okay too. It is based on the idea that you do the exact same thing everyday, so people who zigzag or take a lot of rest days or cheat days, get sick, respond to stress, etc. may see other results. It also seems like exercise calories have a bigger effect than calories eaten (don't know how true that is, it's just how it feels to me).
    Can't wait until tomorrow to see how close MFP was 5 weeks ago! :smile:
  • IronmanPanda
    IronmanPanda Posts: 2,083 Member
    When I first started I was always about right on up until the last 10 lbs or so.
  • I just started last Monday, so looking at these comments its gives me so much motivation. Everyday I have been under my goal and reached my exercise goal for the week. My "5 week" weight said that I should be around 233 in 5 weeks! So Im hoping that in 10 weeks I will lose 15 Lbs.
  • complete_tease
    complete_tease Posts: 214 Member
    there have been many times that mine has been accurate. but like many of the posters have said it depends on how close you get to repeating that day....
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    It was pretty accurate for me while I was sticking close to my target calories every day. Now I'm maintaining but haven't been logging very well so I don't pay any attention to it.

    It's not witchcraft, it's just doing a calculation on the deficit that you have in your diary each day, so I think that if you have realistic goals set up (ones that are right for you) and eat close to your net calories each day then it will be fairly close.

    If you have been logging for more than 5 weeks and you want to test it out you can go back and "close out" your diary again to see what it predicted 5 weeks ago.

    I just checked my diary for 5 weeks ago and I had a day where I was WAY over calories so it predicted that I would weigh 1.5 kg more than I do today. Luckily every day was NOT like 25 October :)
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
    this isnt true that if you go back 5 weeks, then close out your diary as you say below. If you go back 5 weeks and close the diary it will compute the future using how much you weigh today, not what you were 5 weeks ago. I keep track of it in my notes for this reason.

    It was pretty accurate for me while I was sticking close to my target calories every day. Now I'm maintaining but haven't been logging very well so I don't pay any attention to it.

    It's not witchcraft, it's just doing a calculation on the deficit that you have in your diary each day, so I think that if you have realistic goals set up (ones that are right for you) and eat close to your net calories each day then it will be fairly close.

    If you have been logging for more than 5 weeks and you want to test it out you can go back and "close out" your diary again to see what it predicted 5 weeks ago.

    I just checked my diary for 5 weeks ago and I had a day where I was WAY over calories so it predicted that I would weigh 1.5 kg more than I do today. Luckily every day was NOT like 25 October :)
  • Follow up : the tickler is accurate. I started last month at 241. The tickler said ill be 232 in 5 weeks. I'm 230! Amazing :)
  • katieteetee
    katieteetee Posts: 19 Member
    it has worked for me when ive eaten the same , or similar each day. Not just in calories, but in fat intake etc.
    I suggest you find some recipes and then create a meal plan, add it all up (calories and fat intake etc) and then plan your days so your effectivly doing the same thing, but you eat a variety of things.
    Its also important to excersise the same as well.

    Remember it says 'If every day were like this' ....not 'youve had a good day' :)
  • I chase that thing all the time and I can never catch it lol.
  • shivaslives
    shivaslives Posts: 279 Member
    The closer you are to your target calories each day, the more accurate it is. Since I can be as much as 300 under or over, it's not always the most accurate. When I'm close, though, it's about spot on.

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  • loved1
    loved1 Posts: 206 Member
    MFP is telling you what you will weigh if you ate like you did on that one day. So if you're consistently eating at the same level it should be accurate. But if your net calories are all over the place, then the 5 week prediction will be too.

    When I used Dietpower for tracking it had a graph that went out into the future & showed you what your weight would be based on your historical data - how your weight was changing in relation to your net calories & the future line moved just slightly on a daily basis.
  • MFP does nothing except estimate based on what YOU do.

    The weight loss is by YOU and calories in vs calories out, MFP is just a database to help YOU.

    The estimates are realistic and work but only if YOU do things right, MFP is not feeding YOU, training YOU or entering your data.


    Cheers

  • Some of my MFP friends & I were just musing that we're glad it doesn't tell you (on days when you didn't do so well....) that
    in 5 weeks, you'll have gained 5 pounds.....Hmmmmmm, maybe it should? Reality check upside the head........

    Really? It's done it for me before. On xmas day it told me if I hate like that for the next 5 weeks I'd weigh 9lbs more.
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