Calculating the Burn

I’m just parking this here so I can refer to it later:

My BMR at my current weight requires 1447 calories. This is the amount my body needs just to breathe and keep my heart beating. Can’t go below this number without interfering with metabolism. The equation for women is BMR=655+[4.35*weight in lbs.]+[4.7*height in inches]-[4.7*age]. For men the equation is BMR=66+[6.3*weight in lbs]+[12.9xheight in inches]-[6.8*age]. I did not look up the equation for children because I don’t believe children should be calorie counting unless they are under medical supervision.

Maintenance (sedentary) is 1,736 calories. This is the number of calories I need to maintain my current weight.
Sedentary = BMR*1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly Active = BMR*1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. Active = BMR*1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very Active = BMR*1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6/7 days/wk)
Extr. Active = BMR*1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2x day training, i.e. marathon, contest, etc.)

In order to lose 1 pound a week I need a deficit of 500 per day, or 3500 per week.

1736-1447=289. If I eat 1447 calories each day, my deficit is 289, or just over ½ a pound a week with no exercise. Therefore, I need to burn an additional 211 calories each day to lose 1 pound per week. Burn needed for 1.5 pounds per week is 461. Burn needed each day for 2 pounds per week is 711.

I did yoga last night for the first time in a year. It was a bit humbling finding out that I am too fat to touch my toes. I am not flexible any longer, and I have no upper body strength. At least my legs are still strong. Squats and warrior poses were no problem at all.

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words

It’s amazing how telling a picture can be.  A friend of mine came out to the archery range yesterday and took a number of photos of the folks that were at practice.  He did a great job.  The pictures were wonderful – great composition, color, and subject matter.  But the way I looked in those photos was eye-opening.  I can avoid a mirror, but I can’t lie to a camera.

(Photo by D. Travis Brandel)

So here’s the thing.  The last six months have been fairly rough.  I have had to deal with a lot of anxiety, some depression, and a certain amount of parenting drama.  Instead of doing what I could to counteract all of that, I sank into it.  You can tell in the photo.  My hair is several weird colors because I stopped dying it.  I’m wearing unflattering clothing- mostly to cover up the weight I have gained from eating my feelings and moping around.  And frankly, I just don’t look like I’m enjoying myself.

Things need to change.

I decided that I need to take care of myself.  It always feels selfish when I do, but I know intellectually that the opposite is true.  Sitting on the couch eating potato chips and ice cream in a daze is selfish.  Getting up and working towards better health and happiness is not.  So I recruited my sister to lose 10 pounds with me.  Then I posted about it on Facebook.  Within minutes, I had a ton of support via “likes” and several folks who wanted to join in.

Maybe I’m not the only one dealing with issues.  True or not, it helps to know that I’m not alone.  So folks, let’s do this.  Eat more healthy food than unhealthy food and focus on the right portions.  Drink enough water.  Get enough sleep.  Move more.  Do something for your mental health.  Enjoy the longer days, warmer sunshine, and moments of freedom, because we aren’t going to be any younger tomorrow.  The days are going to pass anyway.  Don’t wait until you see a picture of yourself looking frumpy and miserable before you decide to make a positive change.

I am committing to make a real attempt at losing 10 pounds by April 15th.  I chose the date because that is my birthday and birthdays always seem like a new beginning to me.  Losing 10 pounds in 36 days is not an easy goal, but an attainable one all the same.  I’m worried about how difficult it is going to be.  I will probably not be satisfied if I succeed.  But if I still have 40 pounds to lose at the end of this, at least I will be able to say that I made a great start.