My progress on low-calorie

I started the diet 30 days ago after weighing myself to an all-time
record of 197 pounds. I'm 5'8. It was expected with the lack of
physical activity and increasing eating. I decided to do something
about it, and started to counting calories. I would approximate the
daily calories intake to between 2500 and 3000 calories.

I am looking at the calorie sheet I've been updating daily after the
first day of the diet, and I calculated I've been taking an average of
1920 calories a day. It's still a lot, but I decrease that average
every day. The result is that I'm now 11 pounds lighter. The first 11
days were the most remarkable with a loss of 8 pounds, result of a
daily intake of 1990 calories.

The calorie counting really helped me because I did not realize how
much I was eating.

Mike
197/185/175

I thought it would be best to make a visualization of my progress.
Please click on this link. I had to click on the image to make it
better.

http://img300.imageshack.us/my.php?image=weight9xo.png

The column number is the day and the row number is the number of
pounds. On the first day, I was weighing 197 pounds, the second day,
196, and so on. There is a number under each black square which
represents the average daily calorie intake since the beginning of my
diet. Day 1 shows 12.3 which is 1230 calories. Therefore the average is
12.3. Day 2 shows 17.7 which is an average of 1700 calories for those
two days, and so on. I'm not really sure how to work out that statistic
yet. But I'm pretty sure it will help to find the number of calories
that makes me stay in a acceptable weight range, but also will tell me
above how many calories I'm gaining too much weight.

Last point: It's remarkable how the weight can fluctuate. Notice I was
at 189 pounds on Day 11, 193 on Day 14, and back at 189 on Day 17... I
don't care about those fluctuations because it's just short term. What
concerns me is the long term.

Denis
197/185/175

mikesmith9999@hotmail.com wrote:
> I started the diet 30 days ago after weighing myself to an all-time
> record of 197 pounds. I'm 5'8. It was expected with the lack of
> physical activity and increasing eating. I decided to do something
> about it, and started to counting calories. I would approximate the
> daily calories intake to between 2500 and 3000 calories.
>
> I am looking at the calorie sheet I've been updating daily after the
> first day of the diet, and I calculated I've been taking an average of
> 1920 calories a day. It's still a lot, but I decrease that average
> every day. The result is that I'm now 11 pounds lighter. The first 11
> days were the most remarkable with a loss of 8 pounds, result of a
> daily intake of 1990 calories.
>
> The calorie counting really helped me because I did not realize how
> much I was eating.
>
> Mike
> 197/185/175

mikesmith9999@hotmail.com wrote:
> I thought it would be best to make a visualization of my progress.
> Please click on this link. I had to click on the image to make it
> better.
>
> http://img300.imageshack.us/my.php?image=weight9xo.png
>
> The column number is the day and the row number is the number of
> pounds. On the first day, I was weighing 197 pounds, the second day,
> 196, and so on. There is a number under each black square which
> represents the average daily calorie intake since the beginning of my
> diet. Day 1 shows 12.3 which is 1230 calories. Therefore the average is
> 12.3. Day 2 shows 17.7 which is an average of 1700 calories for those
> two days, and so on. I'm not really sure how to work out that statistic
> yet. But I'm pretty sure it will help to find the number of calories
> that makes me stay in a acceptable weight range, but also will tell me
> above how many calories I'm gaining too much weight.
>
> Last point: It's remarkable how the weight can fluctuate. Notice I was
> at 189 pounds on Day 11, 193 on Day 14, and back at 189 on Day 17... I
> don't care about those fluctuations because it's just short term. What
> concerns me is the long term.
>
> Denis
> 197/185/175
>
> mikesmith9999@hotmail.com wrote:
> > I started the diet 30 days ago after weighing myself to an all-time
> > record of 197 pounds. I'm 5'8. It was expected with the lack of
> > physical activity and increasing eating. I decided to do something
> > about it, and started to counting calories. I would approximate the
> > daily calories intake to between 2500 and 3000 calories.
> >
> > I am looking at the calorie sheet I've been updating daily after the
> > first day of the diet, and I calculated I've been taking an average of
> > 1920 calories a day. It's still a lot, but I decrease that average
> > every day. The result is that I'm now 11 pounds lighter. The first 11
> > days were the most remarkable with a loss of 8 pounds, result of a
> > daily intake of 1990 calories.
> >
> > The calorie counting really helped me because I did not realize how
> > much I was eating.
> >
> > Mike
> > 197/185/175

You can find out almost exactly what your maintenance calories are by
keeping good records. I make it even easier by doing the same workout
each week and eating the same number of calories each day. It just
makes the math even easier. When you get to a weight you want to stay
at or just rest at for a period of time, try eating the same number of
calories each day or each time interval such as a week. Knowing their
are 3500 cal in a pound, you can estimate really close how many that
will be. I am also 5'8" and with my exercise level, I should be able to
eat 2150 calories, but I can't. I gained a little weight at 2,000 even,
so my maintenance is something below 2,000 now, even though I lost a
lot of weight getting down to 133 from 230 on the 2,000 cal diet. As
you know, the lighter you become, the fewer calories you can have to
maintain that new weight. dkw

mikesmith9999@hotmail.com wrote:
> I started the diet 30 days ago after weighing myself to an all-time
> record of 197 pounds. I'm 5'8. It was expected with the lack of
> physical activity and increasing eating. I decided to do something
> about it, and started to counting calories. I would approximate the
> daily calories intake to between 2500 and 3000 calories.
>
> I am looking at the calorie sheet I've been updating daily after the
> first day of the diet, and I calculated I've been taking an average of
> 1920 calories a day. It's still a lot, but I decrease that average
> every day. The result is that I'm now 11 pounds lighter. The first 11
> days were the most remarkable with a loss of 8 pounds, result of a
> daily intake of 1990 calories.
>
> The calorie counting really helped me because I did not realize how
> much I was eating.
>
> Mike
> 197/185/175

Congrats on the 11 lbs! Counting calories can be a real eye opener to many
of us
I've been at this so long and have a tendency to eat the same foods that I
don't track calories 100% of the time. But when the weight starts creeping
upward it's back to Fitday for me.

Beverly
177/142/~140 since 1996

Thanks, Beverly. Your expression "Eye opener" is excellent. Now I need
to eat more vegetables. I started today taking multi-vitamins. I have
no idea if it's a good idea or not. Is there someone who felt so much
better after starting taking them compared with not taking them? In
other words, did they make a noticeable difference? Thanks.

mikesmith9999@hotmail.com wrote:
> Thanks, Beverly. Your expression "Eye opener" is excellent. Now I need
> to eat more vegetables. I started today taking multi-vitamins. I have
> no idea if it's a good idea or not. Is there someone who felt so much
> better after starting taking them compared with not taking them? In
> other words, did they make a noticeable difference? Thanks.

I've always taken a multi-vitamin but can't say that it's made a noticeable
difference. I take it just to be sure I'm not deficient in any
vitamins/minerals I'm not getting through my diet.

My doctor suggested I take the multi-vitamin and calcium after I was
diagnosed with osteopenia. I can see why he would recommend the calcium but
don't see the relationship between the osteopenia and the multi-vitamin.

mikesmith9999@hotmail.com wrote:
> Thanks, Beverly. Your expression "Eye opener" is excellent. Now I need
> to eat more vegetables. I started today taking multi-vitamins. I have
> no idea if it's a good idea or not. Is there someone who felt so much
> better after starting taking them compared with not taking them? In
> other words, did they make a noticeable difference? Thanks.


I think it makes a difference for me. I take a Women's Multi-Vitamin,
along with glucosamine-condroitin, Estroven (organic estrogen
replacement), and St. John's Wort.

I don't get colds or sick like I used to. I think I'm (literally) the
only one at work who hasn't been sick this winter.

I check on www.fitday.com every day to make sure I'm meeting all my
nutritional requirements.

On Sun, 21 Jan 2007 08:41:21 -0500, in alt.support.diet, "Beverly"
<bowens@home.woh.rr.com> wrote:

>I've always taken a multi-vitamin but can't say that it's made a noticeable
>difference. I take it just to be sure I'm not deficient in any
>vitamins/minerals I'm not getting through my diet.
>
>My doctor suggested I take the multi-vitamin and calcium after I was
>diagnosed with osteopenia. I can see why he would recommend the calcium but
>don't see the relationship between the osteopenia and the multi-vitamin.
>
>
>
Beverly
I think some of the other minerals in the multivitamin help with the
calcium absorption. I'm in the same boat- doctor diagnosed me with
osteoporosis this past october, so I have been doing a lot of research
on it....
Karen

Karen Officer wrote:
> On Sun, 21 Jan 2007 08:41:21 -0500, in alt.support.diet, "Beverly"
> <bowens@home.woh.rr.com> wrote:
>
>> I've always taken a multi-vitamin but can't say that it's made a
noticeable
>> difference. I take it just to be sure I'm not deficient in any
>> vitamins/minerals I'm not getting through my diet.
>>
>> My doctor suggested I take the multi-vitamin and calcium after I was
>> diagnosed with osteopenia. I can see why he would recommend the calcium
but
>> don't see the relationship between the osteopenia and the multi-vitamin.
>>
>>
>>
> Beverly
> I think some of the other minerals in the multivitamin help with the
> calcium absorption. I'm in the same boat- doctor diagnosed me with
> osteoporosis this past october, so I have been doing a lot of research
> on it....
> Karen

I believe it's the vitamin D and magnesium that help with the absorption but
my calcium supplement has the D.

Are you on any medication for osteoporosis? I took Evista for a few years
but my doctor switched me to Actonel a couple years ago and the test results
were slightly improved the last time

Beverly

On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:42:10 -0500, in alt.support.diet, "Beverly"
<bowens@home.woh.rr.com> wrote:
>
>I believe it's the vitamin D and magnesium that help with the absorption but
>my calcium supplement has the D.
>
>Are you on any medication for osteoporosis? I took Evista for a few years
>but my doctor switched me to Actonel a couple years ago and the test results
>were slightly improved the last time
>
>Beverly
>

Yes I am taking Fosamax, a multivitamin and also the extra magnesium
and vitamin D3. I started taking it in October. I don't know yet
whether it is helping. I don't get another bone scan till October of
2008. I will say it has made the exercise portion of my weight
control seem much more important now. I'm not just doing the exercise
for weight loss or maintenance. It is now also for the osteo...
Karen