First Things First

Okay, so here's the part where I tell you all my starting weight (ha!) and tell you exactly what I plan on doing about that.  Justin gave Mom, Sue, and me a formula for figuring out exactly how many calories we need to eat per day to burn fat and lose weight.  And I'm going to give it to you, in case you're interested, too.

So, step one.  Go weigh yourself.

Yes.  You have to.

Step two.  Multiply the number on the scale by 13 if you have a slow metabolism, 15 if you have a high metabolism, or 14 if you're somewhere in between.  This number is the amount of calories you have to eat every day if you want to maintain your weight.  However, if you're like me, the goal is to LOSE that weight!  My goal is to prove the Beatles wrong–I am NOT going to carry this weight a long time.

Step three.  Decrease that number–the "maintenance calorie level"–by 20%.  Don't decrease it any more than that or you'll risk starving yourself.

You don't have to tell me what numbers you came up with, but since I created this blog with the intention of accountability, I want to be able to show you how far I have to go, and eventually, how far I've made it. So, here you have it, a female telling you how much she weighs.

My starting weight is 177 pounds.  Since I have a  s l o w  metabolism, I multiplied that by 13.


177 x 13 = 2301 calories per day to maintain my weight


Decreased by 20%:
2301 x 0.8 = 1841 calories per day to lose weight


I know that looks like a lot, and if you think your numbers look like a lot, too, please don't assume that just because hot fudge sundaes and Triple Threat Chocolate Meltdowns have less than 1800 calories that it's safe to eat that every day.  There has to be a balance in there.  Half of those calories, believe it or not, should be carbohydrates (4 cal/g).  30% of them should be proteins (4 cal/g), and 20% of them should be fats (9 cal/g). 


That means an ordinary day for me should include roughly 230 grams of carbohydrates (920 calories worth), 140 grams of proteins (560 calories worth), and 40 grams of fat (360 calories worth).

Are all these numbers driving you crazy, too?

Just wait.  It gets better.

Yes, that was sarcasm.

If you need a little help understanding how to get your numbers, here's a little formula:


Carbs

• (your fat loss calories) x .5 = (the amount of carbs in calories you will need to eat in one day)
• (the number you just got) ÷ 4 cal/g = the amount of carbs in grams you will need to eat in one day

Proteins 

• (your fat loss calories) x .3 = (the amount of proteins in calories you will need to eat in one day)
• (the number you just got) ÷ 4 cal/g = the amount of proteins in grams you will need to eat in one day

Fats

• (your fat loss calories) x .2 = (the amount of fats in calories you will need to eat in one day)
• (the number you just got) ÷ 9 cal/g = the amount of fats in grams you will need to eat in one day

Okay, so now you have your numbers.  Don't put away the calculators yet, though!

In order to get your metabolism going, you have to almost constantly feed it.  That is, you have to feed it the right kinds of foods.  That means at least 5 meals a day, about 3 hours apart.  So, for the amount of carbs, proteins, and fats you need per meal, simply divide those three numbers by five.

So, each meal, I need:

• 46 grams of carbs
• 28 grams of protein
• 8 grams of fats

 . . . for a total of 368 calories per meal.

I've never been much of a calorie counter (which might be why I weigh 177 pounds . . . heh), so this should be interesting!

ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE!!!

In order to keep yourself properly hydrated, you need to drink plenty of water!  The proper amount is approximately .6-.7 oz. per pound of body weight every day.  The way I figured how much water I needed is I took my favorite water bottle, a 32 oz. (or 1 quart) jug I call "Stumpy," and divided my body weight by Stumpy's volume.

177 ÷ 32 oz. = 5.53125

I then multiplied this number by .6 to get 3.31875.  So, roughly, I need to drink 3 Stumpies a day.  That's a lot of water!  But some people start losing weight just by drinking enough water, apparently.  I'm willing to slosh every time I take a step if it means cutting a few pounds.

Meet Stumpy.  Isn't he cute?

Also, try to eat 25-35 grams of fiber every day.

So now you have a basic idea of what kind of nutrition plan I'm looking at.  I'll have to train myself to carefully read labels, which will be a pain, but I think that's part of the disciplinary process.  Keep me on track, friends!