Curious if others bother "completing" entres

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  • Jezebel_Barbie
    Jezebel_Barbie Posts: 198 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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.
  • kimrae3
    kimrae3 Posts: 11 Member
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    Yes, I blog everyday. I think you'll find that you will stay with the program if you track everyday. I have been doing this since the first of the year and hope to do this forever. It keeps me in touch with reality with what I am really eating.

    Good Luck
  • liog
    liog Posts: 347 Member
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    I complete mine because I like to see what I'm eating. I'm a snacker...a little bit here and a little bit there which of course adds up. Having to account for everything cuts down my snacking. Logging helps me to make better choices.

    I also ignore the weight goal. I'll get there when I get there.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    I've never "completed" an entry other than a couple of times to see what people were talking about on here.

    But I've logged everything I've eaten for almost two full years (on March 15th), except for one six day period of time in April of 2010 when I was in Mexico without service.
  • 1996gtstang
    1996gtstang Posts: 279 Member
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    yeah i always complete them.. today was my first day over cals since i started logging over a month ago, it was red across the board
  • onyx1972
    onyx1972 Posts: 133 Member
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    I complete my diary on here daily regardless if I am going to be over or under my calorie goal just so I know how well I am doing for the day/week. I want to keep track of myself and what I am doing. I make sure I enter everything. If for whatever reason I can not add something on the computer or on my blackberry (I have the mobile app too) I write it down and add it later. For the first time in my life I am 100% dedicated to myself and my success
  • carwashman06
    carwashman06 Posts: 3
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    I have wondered the same thing. I have been logging everything I eat. Really has helped me on snacking because after a while you can look at it and automatically know what the calorie cost will be. I did go back 5 weeks on my food log for grins and hit the complete entry again and my weight was within 2/10 of a pound of what it said I should be in 5 weeks. I guess it does work.
  • Hannova
    Hannova Posts: 50
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    I log everything for food. Just logging it forces me to be aware of what I'm eating and avoid eating for reasons other than hunger.

    And I do hit that "Complete" button at the end. I'm a button pusher. Can't help it.
  • jorowling
    jorowling Posts: 54 Member
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    I have been on MFP for 30 days and have logged everything during that time. Thats the whole point of this for me. Keeping me on track, I can see where I am slipping up and where I am doing well. It has been a real habit for me and I am loving it.....almost 20 pounds down in a month!!
  • gagesmom314
    gagesmom314 Posts: 101 Member
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    I log every day and complete it every day. I print mine out and take them to my nutritionist. Good, bad or ugly I need to see it so I can lose this weight!
  • privatetime
    privatetime Posts: 118
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    Thanks for all the replies, everyone! :-)

    I, also, log all my food and dedicated exercise time. But I was mostly curious about the "complete" button. So far, the best use of this app. for me is the breakdown of my diet. I'm trying to lower my carb's, and increase my protein a bit, for a better ratio. It's already helping me do that. Love that pie chart!

    But, from what I read about others' exeriences with the "complete" button, I'm curious what value it actually adds to the app.

    Everytime I've done it, it's comically implausible, and always demoralizing. I thought maybe it was just me, but apparently others don't give too much credence to the 5-week forecast, either.

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