"...In Five weeks you'd weigh 'x'"

K_M_O_C_K
K_M_O_C_K Posts: 32 Member
edited November 11 in Health and Weight Loss
For those of you who've been around a bit, how accurate do you find these MFP predictions as you complete your daily entry?

I am seeing a trainer who wants me at 1200-1300 calories a day and trying NOT to eat any extra calories I get from exercise (this was because of my particular goal, nomally he'd probably tell me to have more calories). My question comes from the fact that every day I do this, and every day I get told I will weigh MORE five weeks from now, then I was told the day before. I have to admitt this is p@*#$() me off.

The first day I was all excited by what it said I would weigh in five weeks, the second day when it went up I was dismayed but figured it must have been too much sodium or something. Each day now (10 in total), it has increased. At this point I am wishing that little sentence was a human so I could poke it in the trachea.

What's the deal?

Replies

  • DaughterOfTheMostHighKing
    DaughterOfTheMostHighKing Posts: 1,436 Member
    are you eating the calorie intake that they recommend or what your trainer is telling you?
  • Roni_M
    Roni_M Posts: 717 Member
    "If everyday was like today" is the key part of that statement. It guestimates based on your net calories for that specific day. If your net calories for yesterday were lower than today your weight at the five week mark would of showed lower yesterday.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    This is extremely hard to respond to.

    You want to circumvent MFP's system (refusing to fuel your body while expecting it to perform thru exercise), but you still want MFP to be able to accurately predict your results? That doesn't compute.
  • teacherkatz
    teacherkatz Posts: 101 Member
    This ticks me off too!
  • Somerandomchick
    Somerandomchick Posts: 2
    Are you normally accessing the website from a desktop computer? This same thing happened to me a couple of times when I tried to use the myfitnesspal phone app, so I quit using it b/c it made me really angry too! If your trainer is telling you that you're on the right track then maybe it is an error with the site, maybe try contacting the site administrator?
  • knapowell
    knapowell Posts: 230 Member
    It calculates off of your last weigh-in, even though you are losing weight during the week. So if you ate 1200 calories today, it will tell you x in 5 weeks, if tomorrow you eat 1215 tomorrows number will be higher, and so on. During the week, you are losing weight, but unless you are logging a weight loss everyday, MFP is not taking that into account.

    Over my first year with MFP, I found the x in 5 weeks to be pretty accurate. Now it is a little more difficult.
  • deekaydee
    deekaydee Posts: 158 Member
    I pay no attention to it.

    It's a mathematical formula only, and is only based on calories. (It doesn't care about your sodium levels.)

    It makes a few assumptions:
    1) a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories equals exactly one pound of weight loss, all the time.
    2) you net the EXACT same amount of calories as you did that day EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT FIVE WEEKS. That's just not possible, even if you ate the exact same thing every day, your activity level wouldn't be the same every day for five full weeks.

    If you've been seeing the number go up, it sounds like your net calories consumed has been increasing. Even if you are under your goal -- this calculation is just taking your calorie deficit (or surplus) for that day, multiplying it by five weeks' worth, and dividing that by 3500 to come up with a pounds lost (or gained) estimate.
  • K_M_O_C_K
    K_M_O_C_K Posts: 32 Member
    are you eating the calorie intake that they recommend or what your trainer is telling you?

    Both. I have it set for 1.5lbs per week and it equates to the same calories as my trainer suggested.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    ...
    I am seeing a trainer who wants me at 1200-1300 calories a day and trying NOT to eat any extra calories I get from exercise
    ...

    Um, find a new trainer.
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
    are you eating the calorie intake that they recommend or what your trainer is telling you?

    Both. I have it set for 1.5lbs per week and it equates to the same calories as my trainer suggested.

    Yes, but MFP wants you to eat back the calories you burn. Your trainer doesn't. There's the problem.
  • K_M_O_C_K
    K_M_O_C_K Posts: 32 Member
    This is extremely hard to respond to.

    You want to circumvent MFP's system (refusing to fuel your body while expecting it to perform thru exercise), but you still want MFP to be able to accurately predict your results? That doesn't compute.

    I don't think I am though. I have it set for 1.5lbs per week which equates to my trainers suggestion and on the days I've excercised, I've eaten about half of the exercise calories, so I don't think I am circumventing their system.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    are you eating the calorie intake that they recommend or what your trainer is telling you?

    Both. I have it set for 1.5lbs per week and it equates to the same calories as my trainer suggested.

    No, not both. You're creating a larger deficit by NOT eating the calories you've burned through exercise. MFP's number is a NET calorie goal. You're not following that.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    This is extremely hard to respond to.

    You want to circumvent MFP's system (refusing to fuel your body while expecting it to perform thru exercise), but you still want MFP to be able to accurately predict your results? That doesn't compute.

    I don't think I am though. I have it set for 1.5lbs per week which equates to my trainers suggestion and on the days I've excercised, I've eaten about half of the exercise calories, so I don't think I am circumventing their system.

    eating half is not following the system. Eating the calories you've earned, and netting your calorie goal is following the system.
  • K_M_O_C_K
    K_M_O_C_K Posts: 32 Member
    This ticks me off too!

    :) Glad I am not alone
  • K_M_O_C_K
    K_M_O_C_K Posts: 32 Member
    This is extremely hard to respond to.

    You want to circumvent MFP's system (refusing to fuel your body while expecting it to perform thru exercise), but you still want MFP to be able to accurately predict your results? That doesn't compute.

    I don't think I am though. I have it set for 1.5lbs per week which equates to my trainers suggestion and on the days I've excercised, I've eaten about half of the exercise calories, so I don't think I am circumventing their system.

    Okay, so you're saying I'm not eating enough calories then. I won't argue with having to eat more, I'm just trying to get the gaining part :)

    eating half is not following the system. Eating the calories you've earned, and netting your calorie goal is following the system.
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,359 Member
    I eat back my exercise calories, (from HRM), and the predictions have been very accurate.
  • K_M_O_C_K
    K_M_O_C_K Posts: 32 Member
    I pay no attention to it.

    It's a mathematical formula only, and is only based on calories. (It doesn't care about your sodium levels.)

    It makes a few assumptions:
    1) a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories equals exactly one pound of weight loss, all the time.
    2) you net the EXACT same amount of calories as you did that day EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT FIVE WEEKS. That's just not possible, even if you ate the exact same thing every day, your activity level wouldn't be the same every day for five full weeks.

    If you've been seeing the number go up, it sounds like your net calories consumed has been increasing. Even if you are under your goal -- this calculation is just taking your calorie deficit (or surplus) for that day, multiplying it by five weeks' worth, and dividing that by 3500 to come up with a pounds lost (or gained) estimate.

    Okay! Gotcha, thanks :)
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    The trainer gave pretty bad advice. But what do you expect? He's a trainer, not a dietitian.
  • K_M_O_C_K
    K_M_O_C_K Posts: 32 Member
    I pay no attention to it.

    It's a mathematical formula only, and is only based on calories. (It doesn't care about your sodium levels.)

    It makes a few assumptions:
    1) a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories equals exactly one pound of weight loss, all the time.
    2) you net the EXACT same amount of calories as you did that day EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT FIVE WEEKS. That's just not possible, even if you ate the exact same thing every day, your activity level wouldn't be the same every day for five full weeks.

    If you've been seeing the number go up, it sounds like your net calories consumed has been increasing. Even if you are under your goal -- this calculation is just taking your calorie deficit (or surplus) for that day, multiplying it by five weeks' worth, and dividing that by 3500 to come up with a pounds lost (or gained) estimate.

    And I should also say thanks for explaining it. As a newbie, it helps to have someone willing to take a sec and break it down. :)
  • Kimharbath
    Kimharbath Posts: 29
    All of these tools are an estimate. Everyone is different. Ultimately, you have to figure out your own body.
  • mixedfeelings
    mixedfeelings Posts: 904 Member
    I've been using this site for a couple of months. I'm losing weight slower than it predicts even though I'm always on target with cals/carbs/sodium/fat but I knew I'd have problems, I've never lost weight easily. I am still losing weight but it's just a lot slower. I wouldn't take the predictions seriously really they are there to encourage.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    I have jotted the number down a few times, but like most people here, I also take one day a week and eat a few extra calories so my body doesn't think I am going to starve it. On those days, it's like "yikes!.. that's too much". So, I always look at it, but I don't take it seriously. In order for it to mean anything, you'd have to eat the same net calories every day, which just isn't practical. Besides, if you did that, you would be able to figure it out in your head and wouldn't need MFP to tell you.
  • mama2evanabby
    mama2evanabby Posts: 4
    .
  • Ianultrarunner
    Ianultrarunner Posts: 184 Member
    I wish there was an option such that at the end of the week it would average it out and say "If every week were like this week you'd be " X " in five weeks" instead of daily.
    It's the law of averages in the end.
    You always have the option not to close the Diary at the end of the day of course.
This discussion has been closed.

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