Diary of a Loser: Entry 1/19/09

Monday, January 19, 2009

Entry 1/19/09

Weight: 236.5 It takes at least four days to spot a trend in weight. This is for all the reasons I have mentioned in previous entries - change in hydration levels, change in muscle vs fat mass, weight of food eaten etc. It appears I'm holding steady. I have been sick off and on for the past weeks. With my two granddaughters living with us and bringing home every germ and virus from the daycare center, we've had more sickness in the house this season than I can remember. Hydration levels really fluctuate when you have the flu or cold. It is important to consume a lot of liquids. If you're not eating much I would suggest a sports drink to keep the electrolytes balanced. I prefer Powerade over Gatorade because Powerades contains less sodium and more potassium. If you monitor your nutrition closely you'll find that you get plenty of sodium from the food you eat. I usually get more than my limit everyday.

Breakfast: Three strips of Turkey bacon, 2 scrambled eggs (started out as fried but I have not mastered the art of the Waffle House flip. Some of the yolk went on the burner)2 slices of sugar free whole wheat toast, 2 cups of coffee with tablespoon of cocoa sweetener and creamer and 2 fish oil capsules. Cocoa is a great antioxidant and it produces nitrous oxide in the blood causing them to dilate, which result in lowered blood pressure and pulse rate. Also improves the mood. Ever had nitrous oxide at the Dentist?

Snack: 2 Walnuts 6 oz. skim milk

Lunch: Baked chicken thigh, leg and 2 oz. of breast. Diet Fresca.

Snack: 2 Walnuts

Dinner: Twelve lemon pepper chicken wings, celery and carrot sticks with bleau cheese dressing. Diet Fresca

1 comment:

mw said...: Thank you for all the details. I agree wholely about needing several days to spot trends. I bought a scale that had a computer port, and I read all my weighings and run a statistical trend analysis. Even 7 day trends are a little wonky.

One thing I think I've noticed is that I can tell a cold is coming on when my weight loss flattens out or even reverses for no obvious reason. When I see that, I dose up with zicam and such and hope for the best.

Great posts - very inspiring and informational - thanks!; January 20, 2009 at 10:48 AM

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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