Saturday, August 9, 2008

Caffeine does not equal REM...

Oh man, totally screwed up today on sleep. Took a nap in the afternoon and couldn't wake up, went back to sleep in the evening. This morning I went out with Rob. Didn't eat very healthy but I was under 2,000 Calories I think.

If I'm going to lose a pound a week I need to consume/burn 3500 calories less than I do right now.
Turns out I weigh more like 250. So I put in that weight at the following website:
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

And if I run at 5 mph for 20 minutes, I burn 320 calories
If I walk at 3mph for 40 minutes, I burn 330 calories
TOTAL: 650 calories. (730)
Edit: Weightlifting in general for 15 minutes equals about 90 calories. So if I include calisthenics it should tack on another 80-90 calories, for a total of 730 calories minimum!

If I do that 5.38 days a week, I'll have burned 3,500 calories. Now I have to burn 3,500 calories more than I take in to lose a pound a week. So I guess I'd have to know how many calories I burn in every day activities eh?

http://www.radicalbehavior.com/how-many-calories-should-i-eat-a-day/
according to this website, I should consume 3,246 calories a day to maintain my weight, considering myself sedentary right now. If I create a deficit of 3,500 by week's end, I'll lose a pound.

So I should be eating 22,722 calories a week to maintain my weight. Eating 19,222 calories a week should be no problem. That translates to 2,700 calories a day thereabouts. I tend to eat less than that, or so I thought--maybe I'm extraordinarily inactive? I'm going to give myself two weeks and then reassess my lifestyle and weight. If I eat below 2,000 a day I can lose 1.5 lbs a week, but I think I should be smart and just try to be as active as possible. After all, I want to enjoy food.

My official goal is to eat 2,400 calories a day, with a maximum allowance of 2,700. I will try to eat below 2,400, but only if the day's meals were particularly nutrient dense (i.e. low-fat, high fiber, fruits and veggies, no processed foods). This should get me started losing weight through diet alone. If I do the prescribed workout 6 days a week, I will burn more than 3,500 calories a week. My desire to do any more complex math than this has waned, so I'll be satisfied with that assessment.

It will be very important to burn the appropriate amount of calories along with the healthy diet. I'm going to try to maintain other areas of my life as well: If I'm organized and not sleep-deprived, I tend to be more willing to be physically active.

When did I become reluctant to get sweaty? I need to prepare to be active, with clothes and a gym bag and such--THAT'S WHAT I NEED! A GYM BAG!
---

I got very strange sleep the past few days. I got 7 hours in the evening last night, so I'm going to stay awake today and try to have a good day. I'll see if I'm up for running, but I'm definitely going to put some mileage on my feet.

I'm trying to own this. That's so important. I need to own it. I saw a post on Bullshido--someone said "hey man, you look good, what have you been up to?" The guy just replied, "started working out again, eating right." Not hard, you just have to be conscious.

I need a good symbol to remind me how to live well. Not Livestrong. That's been done. For some reason I was never a huge fan of Lance. Funny how doping allegations can do that. That's really not fair either, he's a cool guy.

Time for some coffee! And a good breakfast I hope! We'll see what Dad has to offer...

3 comments:

PaxPandora said...

I support you!! :)

And in doing so, I feel unable to bite my tongue, because doing so would not be supporting you. Please don't be irked!!

The equation you used is a version of the Harris-Benedict Equation, an equation often used by dietitians to estimate RMR for patients and clients. I learned about it in F&N 310. It's a perfectly good equation to use for people with a regular BMI. However, with a BMI of 33.9, you fall into a heavier set of people. For people who are overweight or obese, the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation is used.

First of all, your math doesn't work out. 3200 calories a day is waaaaay more than you need to maintain your current weight. Using the Harris-Benedict Equation you used on that website you cited (which uses feet and inches) and using the actual Harris-Benedict Equation (using the metric system)comes up with the same number of calories needed to maintain your weight after factoring in a sedentary lifestyle: about 2835 calories per day.

However, I would suggest using the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation unless your BMI dips under, say, 27 or so (which would put you at 200 pounds). Anyway, using this equation, you need 2585 calories each day to maintain your weight, factoring in your lifestyle. More information is at the following website.

http://www.iowaavenue.com/profiles/blog/show?id=774881%3ABlogPost%3A19571

Like you said, subtract 500-1000 calories a day from diet or exercise to lose 1-2 pounds a week.

Do whatever you want with this information. I just figured it was sabotage if I didn't let you know.

Good luck!
I support you!! :)
~Anna

Matt said...

Hey Anna, thanks a lot! That's great info--I thought that was a little high....

I appreciate it!
--j.

PaxPandora said...

The food journal is a great idea--that usually works really well for people. I'll be reading this week, but not with judgment, just for motivation and support!