Halfway there

Half way there. It is hard to believe, but I have been on my mission for 50 days. It has been an enlightening journey. Enlightening and satisfying.

One of the most surprising things has been my diet. I have lost 21 pounds in 50 days and I have not given up any foods. I have had cookies and wine and lots of other stuff that you would think wouldn’t work. So, how have I been able to lose weight? A calorie cap with macros.

One of the things I have learned is about the difference between my basic caloric needs and my basal metabolic rate. Have you heard of these? They were new to me as well. Let me explain:

From what I have read, you need to eat approximately 15 calories per body pound to maintain your weight. Currently, I weigh 264 pounds. If I wanted to maintain my weight I would need to eat approximately 3850 calories per day. Yes, you read that right. Almost 4000 calories. That is a bunch of food.

The next thing I have come to understand is the basal metabolic rate. This is essentially the number of calories that you burn by being alive, just laying around watching TV. This is approximately half (or a little more) of your daily calorie load. My BMR is 2300 calories, give or take a few.

So, when taking this into account, I burn 2300 calories per day. To maintain my weight, I have to eat nearly 4000. If I want to lose weight, I have two options: I can exercise and increase the number of calories I burn per day, or I can consume fewer calories. I really start to win when I do both.

I may be oversimplifying these two numbers, but the point is still the same. Burn more calories and eat less calories. Both of which I have done over the past 50 days. Every time I eliminate 3500 calories, I may lose a pound. The math is a little more complex than that, but it definitely has you headed in the right way.

Learning the lessons above has been very valuable. I wish that I had learned them sooner. However, no looking back. I have to keep marching forward and keep refining that deficit. This is how I have been losing and it has been a lot of fun.