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

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  • complete_tease
    complete_tease Posts: 214 Member
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    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....
  • sunrise611
    sunrise611 Posts: 1,868 Member
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    Yes, it's been pretty accurate at times. The accuracy can be thrown off if you change your diet or routine.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    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
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    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 :)
  • ddran143
    ddran143 Posts: 34
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    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
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    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' :)
  • lilbigginz
    lilbigginz Posts: 36
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    I chase that thing all the time and I can never catch it lol.
  • shivaslives
    shivaslives Posts: 279 Member
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    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
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    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.
  • judgejava
    judgejava Posts: 88
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    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
  • raindropwishes
    raindropwishes Posts: 182
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    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.
  • fh1951
    fh1951 Posts: 441 Member
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    i think this thread makes a sound argument for weighing yourself every day. the 5 week estimate is based on your last entered weight and your current day's calorie surplus or deficit. logging your weight along with your food and exercise every day keeps the information feedback loop tight imo...
  • glenbabe
    glenbabe Posts: 303 Member
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    I only ever take that as a booster to my motivation and as everyday is different for me I dont really take that much notice my weigh-in is the important time for me.
  • glenbabe
    glenbabe Posts: 303 Member
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    I chase that thing all the time and I can never catch it lol.
    [/quote


    love it thats so true lol
  • cajmanthei
    cajmanthei Posts: 51 Member
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    Very good question! I've never been consistent enough to really see if it is accurate. I'm hoping this time I'll stick to it better.
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
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    I would like to challenge this for real starting Jan 3rd!

    Maybe I should start a group, but I dont know how to do that.
  • stayxtrue
    stayxtrue Posts: 1,190 Member
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    This is quite simply a basic math equation that MFP has used and by no means is accurate

    For example Today I logged my diary in an unrealistic manner this is my result

    "You'd weigh 4.5359702440352e+25 kg in 5 weeks"

    this quite simply shows that its working on a basic math equation and should not be relied upon. It is only bells and whistles added to an application which is completely inaccurate and is on here just to make it a little bit more interesting. I do not think we should be paying much attention to this at all, what we should be paying our attention to is eating healthy and exercising and maintaining a healthy consumption of calories on a daily basis.
  • TamsinEllis
    TamsinEllis Posts: 293
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    I'm around .5lb heavier then MFP suggested for me on the 1st of December (so I could hit what it suggested but not overly interested in doing so). As other people have said it's based on every day being exactly the same and because it uses (as also stated) a basic math equation to work out what you "would" weigh it doesn't allow for any error, you would have to burn the same amount of calories and eat the same amount of calories every day, but not only calories your sodium, fat etc intake would have to be the same every day, and unless you eat the same foods all month long it's never going to be a realistic weight suggestion. If you eat similar stuff every day then it's going to be slightly more accurate compared to if you ate erratically. Me I eat similar stuff every day (protein shakes, salad and big cooked dinner of chicken/fish/pork with veg), but there are plenty of days when I go out and have coffee at Starbucks, or lunch in a cafe and everything changes because of that. At the end of the day it is possible to hit that weight and I'm sure plenty of people have, but I just keep track of what it says to see if I'm staying on track, like at the moment say it's telling me most days I'll be around 140lbs in 5 weeks (not saying it does just giving an example here), but in 5 weeks time I'm still at 150lbs, well that would either mean I'd hit a plateau, been gaining muscle mass or just been pigging out, so I keep note of what it suggests for me purely as guidelines so I can see if someone like that is happening.
  • Piloteer2009
    Piloteer2009 Posts: 39 Member
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    Uh, no. By now I was supposed to be about 188, but I am at 193. I log my foods and I exercise 5-6 hours per week. I am not discouraged. I am going to stick with the plan. Things will be fine. Everyone is different.

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