Diary of a Loser: Weight Today

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Weight Today

Well I had expected a little more loss than the 218 that I weighed this morning at 8:15 AM. But that is the problem with weighing everyday. If I didn't have the experience of yo-yo dieting throughout my life this could be discouraging. The trend is still down. I created a Xcel spreadsheet some time ago, that graphs my progress relative to the idealistic trendline of losing .286 per day(2 pounds a week). My weight is bouncing up and down above the line and I have only touched it once. (I had to adjust the line as I got too far behind last month when my wife had an operation. I didn't get to exercise and I wasn't successful adjusting my diet to compensate. Excercise has the added benefit of increasing the endorphine levels which helps control hunger. I thought I was eating correctly on average but evidently that was not so. ) I'm beginnig to think, it may be more realistic to adjust the line to 1 pound a week.

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Some Basics (changes in review)

There is no such thing as a quick loss diet with lasting results. Forget about the fads if you want to lose weight and keep off the fat in a healthy way. There are a few inescapable facts concerning weight loss.

First of all, a pound of fat contains 3500 calories. If you want to lose a pound of fat, you must burn 3500 more calories than you consume. Here's the equation : Fat lost or gained = (Calories consumed - Calories burned) / 3500. If you want to lose a pound fat a week, you must on average burn 500 calories a day more than you consume.

Second, you must consume enough calories each day to keep your body from thinking it may starve. If you don't get enough calories your metabolism will slow down thereby burning less calories and you'll just feel tired and hungry. Also, if the deficit is too large and last more than a few days, your body will start consuming muscle, the organ that burns the calories. The accepted wisdom seems to be 1200 calories for females and 1800 for males. One to three pounds a week is a healthy rate of fat loss.

Third, muscles burn the calories (your brain burns some also but for some people its negligible :) ), therefore exercise is a important part of any weight loss effort. It does not have to be strenuous. Walking is wonderful, it will burn extra calories and build muscles in your legs. Try to work up to at least 2 miles a day. If you walk 2 miles in 34 minutes (3.5 mph), you'll burn approximately your weight in extra calories. Use the calculator below. I strongly suggest you lift weights at least twice a weak. Try to increase or maintain all your muscles.

Exercise Calculator (click in box to select Pace)

Calories Burned Calculator
Estimate calories you burn walking:
Pace:
Weight:
Time:

BMI =	(weight in pounds * 703 )
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	height in inches²