Weight Loss Program

My weight tends to creep up when I'm not paying enough attention to how much I eat, so I have decided to drop a few pounds. My goal weight is 160 lbs (I'm 6 ft. tall), and my target loss rate is 1 lb. per week, so at my current weight (I was around 175 when I started), I estimate that reaching my goal will take about 4 months. Just in time for Thanksgiving!

My weight loss progress is shown in the figure above. (I don't know how to use Blogger well enough to properly position the photo, so it's stuck above at the top of the post.)

I do my weigh-in every Monday (I have a digital scale at home, that reads to 1/2 lb. of precision), so expect a post once per week from me on the subject of my weight loss progress.

I am a computer programmer, so I'm rather sedentary, and I estimate my BMR at about 1800 calories per day. To lose one lb. per week, one must maintain a calorie deficit of about 500 calories per day (one lb of fat is about 3500 calories), which I do with a combination of calorie restriction (a fancy way of saying "dieting") and exercise (either treadmill, stair-stepper, or cycling to work).

I do need to do more strength-training. During my weight loss program, I have been giving priority (my time is limited) to cardio exercise.

I don't go crazy attempting to count calories. I guesstimate that my current caloric intake is in the 1200-1300 calorie range. (The exact value doesn't matter much, because I'm estimating my BMR too. The important thing is to maintain a deficit, so you figure out by trial-and-error how much food you can eat such that you lose about 1 lb. per week. I make a rough plan about what I'm going to eat during the day, and then stick to the plan.)

More info here about weight loss. See you next Tuesday!