<p>According to that website bwsimulator.niddk.nih.gov I should eat 1488 calories to lose 15 # in 15 weeks and eat 2056 to maintain after that. It’s pretty cool. Says current body fat is 35.6 
and final will be 31.9. (a far cry from MNK’s 11%.)</p>
<p>Another shortened workout - some days/weeks are like that - 2.5 treadmill.</p>
<p>Hour aerobics class, and hour with trainer. Trainer said he’s pleased with how I’m working my weights back up again - did two sets of six reps of 115 lbs. on the incline bench press again today.</p>
<p>MOWC–there are nature trails on the Cloister grounds where you can run. I thought it was easier to just walk along the beach–I walked out and back for an hour. </p>
<p>busyparent:</p>
<p>Thanks for the link. That looks like an excellent implementation of a basal metabolic rate calculator. I like that it lets you specify your activity level for both normal stuff and exercise stuff. That makes it much easier than trying to guess at a composite of desk and exercise. Most of these calculators make you enter one number for activity. I didn’t fit any of their categories…</p>
<p>It predicted my 18 month fat loss reasonably well. I think it said I should eat 1750 calories a day. I probably averaged closer to 1850 to 1900, but given how inexact calories are to start with, that’s not a bad estimate.</p>
<p>The onty thing I wouldn’t do is is make the adjustment for “added exercise”. Just figure that as a bonus, a cherry on top, not as permission to eat more.</p>
<p>And, at the end of the day (week? month?) you are either losing or not. If not, then you’ve got to adjust the food, notwithstanding the calculator.</p>
<p>Teri. Sent you a pm. Hope you got it. Not totally sure how the new system is working. </p>
<p>I am glad you thought the numbers were close on that calculator. It gives me 200 calories more than fitness pal but I bet that’s because of the exertion at work versus leisure function.</p>
<p>I pulled out some old lab results and my triglyceride/HDL is 1.5 average for about 5 testings so ok there. I am going to make some casseroles this weekend and figure the nutrition info so it will be easier to do a daily count. Boy this takes time.</p>
<p>Calories. 1394
44% fat
34% carb
25% protein
56 g fruit/sugar
20 g fiber</p>
<p>Two 3 mile walks, not at a terribly fast pace. % don’t add up but close enough. Need more vege. I guess if you sautéed vege like zucchini in a tablespoon of oil you have to count the oil, right?</p>
<p>For those talking about The Biggest Loser:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed/23404767”>www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed/23404767</a></p>
<p>BTW, thx for all of the encouragement and kudos to the big losers here 90+. Wow.</p>
<p>Nice job, busyparent.</p>
<p>I finally started using the “recipe” function of LiveStrong, so when I make a big recipe, like the pot roast tonight, I just put all the ingredients in and it spits out 1 serving on my daily tracker. I have most of my regulars in there now.</p>
<p>Yeah, you have to count the oil. But, that’s a good thing if it’s olive oil. If you eat a big pile of fresh green beans, sauteed in a TBS of olive oil, doused with a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar, you will be getting big bang for the buck,.Very filling. Tons of fiber. Maybe 150 calories. Investing a little fat to make veggies really good is a good strategy in my book. My usual salad dressing for one of my monster salads has an ounce of blue cheese and 2 TBS of olive oil. So, there’s 360 calories, but I end up with a massive dinner (or lunch) salad.</p>
<p>Idad, I was never aware of the other ratios and the significance of low HDL until after all of this. Foes to show that the total cholesterol number is not necessarily indicative of the real deal.</p>
<p>I find that the mileage I accrue on the elliptical vs. the recumbent stepper vs. the treadmill vary wildly. Not sure why, but I rack it up on the recumbent stepper (3.25 miles in 20 minutes) vs. one mile on the elliptical vs. 1.25 on the treadmill for the same amounts of time.</p>
<p>Just got back from TJ’s. Got hungry as I was trolling the aisles. ^%$# carbs were calling my name. Got some flaxseed chips that are low in fat and sodium and munched in the car on the way home. Have been really, really hungry the past two days.</p>
<p>Teri, am writing you a PM.</p>
<p>Thanks, Bromfield. I looked at a map. I want to do about 8 miles Friday morning, if I can.</p>
<p>MOfWC, how are your legs doing - are they recovered after that hilly run? I found that taking a capsule of magnesium supplement daily made a huge difference for my recovery. Mr B says that he has not had any of the nasty leg cramps that he used to get at night - since he started taking the supplement. Maybe a coincidence, but I’m inclined to think it is not. </p>
<p>I don’t think the body fat numbers are too accurate in that calculator.</p>
<p>For the numbers I tried, the %ages of body fat it gave me meant that for a 20 pound weight loss, almost half would be lean body mass.</p>
<p>BB- I need to try that magnesium. I was REALLY sore for a couple of days. It was marathon-level soreness. I’m finally OK and keeping the pace slow. It’s been a tiring week. It’s really cold here again- under 20. I’m glad I have the treadmill. It’s just a better option right now. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That sounds about right. I think the rule of thumb is that about half of dieting fat loss is lean body mass. That’s water, muscle, bone mass, etc. I’m sure the percentage varies, but the order of magnitude is probably in the ballpark.</p>
<p>That’s the catch-22 of dieting and why it is so important to keep the protein and resistance strength exercise up in order to preserve lean muscle. If you diet away the muscle, it is nearly impossible to maintain the lower weight. It highlights the underlying problem of starvation diets.</p>
<p>Some interesting news:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/27/health/nutrition-labels-changes/index.html?c=homepage-t”>http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/27/health/nutrition-labels-changes/index.html?c=homepage-t</a></p>
<p>The label is a bit easier to read, but still recommending that I triple my carbohydrate consumption to 308 grams per day (based on my 2000 calorie a day diet). Carb loading every day, whether running a marathon or not…</p>
<p>To put that into perspective, I ate 89 grams of carbs today – all from fresh veggies in a monster salad, a few croutons, some balsamic vinegar, and the veggies/tomatoes with my pot roast. </p>
<p>Lunch: blue cheese salad with olive oil dressing
Dinner: pot roast with tomatoes, onions, red peppers, carrots, celery, and green beans
Snacks; coffee with half n half, 1 ounce Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese
Other: Fish Oil and Psyllum Husk fiber</p>
<p>To get to the government recommended carb intake today, I would have needed to eat the 89 grams of carbs I ate today plus:</p>
<p>2 cups Kelloggs corn flakes
1 Thomas english muffin
2 slices Pepperidge Farm Seeded Rye bread
1/2 California Pizza Kitchen Pepperoni Pizza
6 inch Subway sandwich
1 Dunkin Donuts glazed donut</p>
<p>Breathtaking. I would literally have to stuff myself with carbs at every meal to get there. Honestly, it would probably be hard to do day after day without drinking soda or eating candy and desserts.</p>
<p>I could be wrong, but I think that if that if I substituted that carb load for some of the cheese, olive oil, pot roast, and cream I ate today (and tomorrow and the day after and so on), I would have a very difficult time fitting into my 32 inch pants. I have a hard time believing that I would be “healthier”.</p>
<hr>
<p>Or, I could eat 2.75 cannisters of Pringles every day to meet the government recommended carb load! Now, that I could probably do. Or, maybe one can of Pringles and a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos… Wait a minute… I tried that. 44 inch jeans…</p>
<p>Good morning. Didn’t mean to but I made the government happy yesterday…well-meaning but idiot work neighbors brought over a box of “goodbye” donuts and left them within reach…stressed and starved I caved and had my first glazed donut in a year. I managed to send the rest of the box home with an employee, but then while working late and no pre-planned dinner on hand, ate Jimmy Johns. Strike two on the wheat/carb front.</p>
<p>Somehow…likely since I didn’t get home until after 10 pm, I was still under my caloric budget…but man, clearly this moving thing has me out of sorts on the clean eating front. Might as well have had a few pints at my desk…at least I would have FELT happier.</p>
<p>Long day ahead…7 am meeting and full day of more meetings, but studio has to be packed tonight for movers in the morning. Packing tai chi is on tap :)</p>
<p>KMC:</p>
<p>You’ll survive the donut and the sub sandwich! Packing and moving is just hard physical labor, you’ll probably end up dropping a couple of pounds before it’s all said and done.</p>
<p>Swim and trainer. It was one of those days when I was so beat up from the trainer I thought I might drown.</p>
<p>Then Indian food buffet! I crave curry like a drug.</p>