Curious if others bother "completing" entres

privatetime
privatetime Posts: 118
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm new to MFP, and I'm really curious if people actually "complete" their daily diet entries.

Mine have all been confusing and discouraging. For example, last night I was 24 calories under and, just to see what would happen, I added a small bit of lentil soup (the dinner I'd planned to have before I realized I only had 24 calories left to target), and MFP indicated I'd miss my 5-week goal by 80%. (At 24 cal's under, I was still going to fall short by 50%, it read.) Ironically, the weight it said I'd be in 5 weeks, if I had eaten the lentil soup, was my weight this morning. So...

I finished today's diary 127 cal's over, and MFP says I'm on track to lose 3 lbs in 5 weeks. (My MFP goal is 2lbs/wk.) Yet, in reality, I've been averaging 2.5 lbs lost per week for about the past 8 weeks.

So, do most of you complete your diary entries and, if so, is it purely out of curiosity, or are yours more accurate?
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Replies

  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    I complete my diary most days. Usually if I don't it's because I was somewhere that I couldn't get service on my phone to do it.

    However, the "you'll weigh x lbs. in 5 weeks" is silly. That's only assuming every single day was exactly the same. It says "if every day were like today". Every day will not be the same.

    blessings.
  • Astrowife68
    Astrowife68 Posts: 79
    I complete my diary everyday. Some days I am in the green, but you should be in the red (from what I understand) The amount of calories it set you up for, is the minium that you are suppose to eat. You should never fall below the level. And it does not mean you need to eat exactly that number of calories. If you are a little low or a little high, it should balance out pretty close by the end of the week. You are more than welcome to check out my dairy if you would like. Warning, I do not just eat healthy food alot... I just eat less of what I used to. I still have a family to cook for and I am not cooking a different meal for myself every night. And my family has not given in to eatting healthy.

    If you were still hungry and wanted the soup, it would not have hurt you. And if you were not hunry, that wouldn't have hurt you either.

    Good Luck in your journey. :smile:

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  • PennyNickel14
    PennyNickel14 Posts: 749 Member
    I complete my diary because it shows up in my feed if anyone wants to look. The you would weigh thing is really hit or miss for me.
  • PaulKruse
    PaulKruse Posts: 12
    I'm an engineer, so what do you think?

    I treat my diary like a lab book, and make all entries as quickly and completely as possible. If I don't, I forget what I did and what I ate. I prefer to use my computer, either at work or home; but will use my phone if I'm out.
  • dakitten2
    dakitten2 Posts: 888 Member
    I post every single day, the good, the bad and the ugly. I dont pay any attention to that 5 week thing because every day has to be exactly like that do for it to be accurate. But completing the diary keeps me on track. If I had tracked calories all my life, I never would have been in this shape. So it's something I'll continue to do. I've got 135 days in and still counting.
  • WinterBlue
    WinterBlue Posts: 42
    60% of the time i actually enter it in...the remainder i estimate. it's a perfect reminder for me to get back on track as I am not seeing progress...
  • rsmblue
    rsmblue Posts: 353 Member
    I complete my diary, but I don't pay attention to that number at the bottom... It's actually a downer for me.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    I complete my dairy. However, today there was no point. I went to a buffet and consumed over 3 lbs of steak. No point in logging that today.

    I love rest days!
  • MikeG2
    MikeG2 Posts: 97 Member
    If you are talking specifically about the "Finished logging for Today?" followed by the "Complete This Entry" button, I don't think it does anything else but tell you where you'd be in 5 weeks if every day was like today.

    I don't always do it, and I always have messages about how many days in a row I've logged in (e.g. yesterday it was 90 days in a row).
  • bunnysone
    bunnysone Posts: 486 Member
    since finding this site just over a year ago I have been religiously logging my food and more importantly exercise whilst in weight loss mode. It has helped me off plateaus and kept me accountable. My husband, who was struggling to lose the last 20 odd kgs had almost given up, but with strict logging on this site he has now nearly lost it all.

    I'm in maintenance mode more than anything now, so I allow myself to slip just a little bit, but as a rule I still log EVERYTHING every day and it works.

    The most important thing for me on this site is logging my exercise. Exercising and training hard not only will get me to my fitness goals but also give me leniency on my food choices to a degree ;)
  • MikeG2
    MikeG2 Posts: 97 Member
    I complete my diary everyday. Some days I am in the green, but you should be in the red

    I'm not so sure... if you aren't hungry why eat up to that number?
  • MikeG2
    MikeG2 Posts: 97 Member
    I post every single day, the good, the bad and the ugly. I don't pay any attention to that 5 week thing because every day has to be exactly like that do for it to be accurate. But completing the diary keeps me on track.

    I agree with this entirely. Your results will show it.
  • tinkermommc
    tinkermommc Posts: 558 Member
    I try to always complete mine so it shows on the feed for all my friends to read. But sometimes I plan on having a nighttime snack and i don't and then I forget to go on and complete it ;-)
  • SandiBren
    SandiBren Posts: 33 Member
    I'm pretty religious about it.....and VERY religious about my exercise. I'm normally a couch potato and eat whatever I feel like. That's how I got up to this weight. I figured I'd rather take off 25-30 now than have to take off 80 later! If I do my diet it tells me whether I can have that ice cream or cookie I want. If I want it that bad....I jump on the treadmill for a while!
    :happy:
  • lindseykp
    lindseykp Posts: 76
    I log absolutely everything, every day! I'm going on 40 days in a row for logging in. I log everything even if I know I went over and don't want to see the numbers. Logging in keeps in on track. I am almost always in the green so seeing the red makes me rethink some of my food choices for next time.

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  • bzmommy34
    bzmommy34 Posts: 229 Member
    I've only been at this for close to two weeks but I log every single thing that goes in my mouth. Whether I'm over, under or right on - it's all logged. This is the only way I have an accurate record of what works for me and what doesn't. For example - I've been able to figure out that if I go over 2000mg of sodium, I am up several times throughout the night to pee. Below that and I sleep right through.

    As for the blurp at the bottom after every entry completion - I ignore it. Like many said, it will change day to day and that's just not worth paying attention to as far as I'm concerned.
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
    Complete mine every day. Good , bad and ugly. My diary is open for all to see. its not perfect but I do it daily no matter where I am.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    curiosity, because everyday I don't eat the same
  • iuew
    iuew Posts: 624 Member
    i complete them daily. just part of the routine, and that's what helps me.
  • PinkEarthMama
    PinkEarthMama Posts: 987 Member
    Mine is never accurate. Last week, it told me I would be 188 in five weeks. I'm 188 now?
  • Jezebel_Barbie
    Jezebel_Barbie Posts: 198 Member
    When I first started this a year ago I'd log religiously 'til I ate something horrific (like an entire bag of Chocolate Buttons) then miss that out and stop recording for a few days. Then I'd go back and do the same thing... then I eventually stopped altogether.

    I've only been back for a week but I've recorded everything and I think I'm finally in the frame of mind to make the right changes to my diet. Eating an entire packet of biscuits and seeing it's damage to my daily total hasn't shamed me to the point of quitting, I got annoyed at myself but I carried on, which once I wouldn't have done. Logging everything helps me understand my food choices better.
  • ShifuYaku
    ShifuYaku Posts: 504 Member
    I barely get mine completed now because the foods I eat sometimes are not in the database. I mean, there might be food close to it, but it takes too long to search for that kind of recipe. I did make my own recipes sometimes, and I'm sure they're still not close to real ones.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    Here's the thing: you can't expect to solve a problem if you don't know WHY the problem exists. Guessing doesn't work.

    Problem: too fat. Desired goal: less fat. Now: WHY are you too fat???

    Eat too much? Eat too little? Starve/Binge? Eat bad food? Eat good food but don't exercise? Don't exercise enough?


    If you want to succeed, you must be honest and log everything. Then you see what you're eating compared to how much you're burning and you can START working. You need your log to see where you are and what must be changed.

    Once you decide on something to change, then you have to keep logging to make sure you're implementing that change.

    THEN you have to figure out if you made the right change. You have to give it time to see if it's working--at least a month. If it's not working after a month, you have to try something else. And you have to keep logging.

    Really, people, you are NOT going to just start dropping weight just by signing up for this site or any diet.

    There is no magic pill. You must work at it, and you must log.

    Think of yourself as a scientist. Would a scientist just guess at what they're doing? Not if they want to keep their job . . .
  • MikeG2
    MikeG2 Posts: 97 Member
    Here's the thing: you can't expect to solve a problem if you don't know WHY the problem exists. Guessing doesn't work.

    Problem: too fat. Desired goal: less fat. Now: WHY are you too fat???

    Eat too much? Eat too little? Starve/Binge? Eat bad food? Eat good food but don't exercise? Don't exercise enough?


    If you want to succeed, you must be honest and log everything. Then you see what you're eating compared to how much you're burning and you can START working. You need your log to see where you are and what must be changed.

    Once you decide on something to change, then you have to keep logging to make sure you're implementing that change.

    THEN you have to figure out if you made the right change. You have to give it time to see if it's working--at least a month. If it's not working after a month, you have to try something else. And you have to keep logging.

    Really, people, you are NOT going to just start dropping weight just by signing up for this site or any diet.

    There is no magic pill. You must work at it, and you must log.

    Think of yourself as a scientist. Would a scientist just guess at what they're doing? Not if they want to keep their job . . .

    100% agree
  • CoffeeNBooze
    CoffeeNBooze Posts: 966 Member
    I do complete my entries, just as a completion for myself too that i am done for the day and did not go over
    I don't think the weight thing is completely accurate but it CAN'T be...it doesn't know us and how we are uniquely structured to lose weight and at what pace. It's not that scientific, lol. But I still like to see what it projects for me.
  • mohanj
    mohanj Posts: 381 Member
    I complete the entry every day but I do not pay too much attention to the numbers. I know I eat healthy food. I also know my calorie calculating is not completely accurate and hence numbers do not make too much sense to me. How ever it is discipline and I know how much my food intake is approximately for that day.
  • kristinL16
    kristinL16 Posts: 401 Member
    I just started a few weeks ago, but I do complete every day. It keeps me on track and keeps me honest. I don't pay attention to the "If every day was like today" numbers because it is only an estimate. I don't put much stock into it.
  • kmbrleykay
    kmbrleykay Posts: 79
    I have only been using this site since the beginning of January, but yes I log everything and yes, I complete my day every day. It lets friends know you are done for the day and if you have your diary open to others gives them a chance to see what you did and comment on your diet or even learn from it. I like the feedback and encouragement. As for the # they give, my days are never the same. And it is based on if your calories in and your exercise expenditure were the same every day for the next 5 weeks. Well, we all have good days and bad days, so that # will change accordingly. I've gotten to the point that I have fun with it and based on what I ate and how much I exercised I can usually guess pretty close to what it will tell me.
  • Christinesyear
    Christinesyear Posts: 100 Member
    I'm really meticulous about logging in everything. I've completed my entry, then eaten something else and it will nag at me until I add it in and feel things are "right" even if it throws me over the edge. I eat when I'm hungry and log it all!
  • Darkskinned88
    Darkskinned88 Posts: 1,177 Member
    I do...but i've learned quickly to ignore the 5 week projection (it assumes that every day for 5 weeks you will be at the same number, not considering the days prior). I actually like logging prior to eating sometimes it scares me out of a bad choice.
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