Top: Kcal on left scale Bottom: Kgs on left scale. Though time is not shown, it’s actually Day 90 for the monitoring. And Day 58 for the exercise program goal. The purple star marks the point when I began exercising. You’ll note that there was a dramatic fall-off and then regain. That’s when I had flu!
So after lots of machinations, I’ve been able to work out BMR, excess calories, and apply that to my weight. It’s fascinating… but I keep wondering if I’m doing some sort of circular calculation!
Average BMR is 1760+/-20. Excess calorie consumption is 190+/-5 per day over BMR. So total food intake is averaging 1950+/-30. I wonder if I cut out the milk in my coffee & tea whether that would have a significant impact. I’ll have to do the math on that.
In short, the True Calorie Deficit is only 175~185 calories per day over the period. Quite small so you can see that cutting out that additional 185 would double the deficit! Over 90 days, well let’s say that is close to an additional 2.2kgs or I’d be 84.7kgs right now! Sobering thought.
So all of these things are all simultaneously true:
- a) What you do today doesn’t matter, but what you do every day does;
- b) Little things (whether the same or different) add up, if repeated more than a few times;
- c) Weight loss/gain is a marginal activity: it only occurs when you push the limits of what you can do;
- d) The more you push, the more you lose: benefits are given progressively if you do it more. Vice versa is also true.
On July 5th, I checked in at 87.1kgs, which means I added about .3kgs +/-x in about 3 weeks. Fast forward to August. During August I was knackered. I didn’t want to do much of anything. I weighed in at 88.1kgs.
In fact, on September 1s, my weight had bounced back to 89kgs. So that’s what inspired me to double down. I’ve now come back to the weight I was at the end of June. But it feels like my wheels are just spinning right now.
The weird thing is that the totals aren’t totally crazy. Just a deficit of 180kcals a day over 60 days ( 60 * 180 kcals = 1.5kgs) and boom! the weight is back! Of course, I didn’t exercise much in August. Do that for 1 year. That’s 9kgs a year extra every year. No wonder that people get fat and don’t realize how insidious and slow the process is.
For example, 3 cookies are 180 cals. 1.5 bananas. 3 slices of bread. 1 7-11 salad with oil dressing. a small KitKat bar (which btw are SMALLER than ever!). Each day. Every day. That’s all.
Proof then that little things make outsize differences!