Monday is 'get on the scale' day (oh joy) and I was dreading it. I don't know why, because I believed I did really well my first week. 

I was happy to see I lost 2.4 pounds last week. While I was happy to see this, I was hoping for more of a first week loss, but I'll take this.  

I decided to do a little analytical work on my weight loss this past week. I did this because I think the math behind how we lose weight is important. I'm adamant that counting calories and understanding how our bodies lose weight is part of being able to achieve that weight loss.  This is very math-y because I want you to embrace the science of it all. Weight loss can be presented as mysterious and ambiguous. It really isn't. 

My daily calorie allowance per My Fitness Pal is 1,630 (which is determined by My Fitness Pal's calculation of my BMR, my goal of losing 1.5 pounds per week and myself claiming I'm 'lightly active').  As you can see, I ate far less than the calories they allotted me.  Here is my daily calorie intake for last week:

Monday: 1,119 calories

Tuesday: 996 calories

Wednesday: 1,090 calories

Thursday: 1,298 calories

Friday: 1,181 calories

Saturday: 1,116 calories

Sunday: 1,184 calories

Total:  7,984 calories

I lost 2.4 pounds, which means I managed to burn 8,400 more calories (2.4 pounds x 3,500 calories per pound) than I consumed.  My Fitness Pal calculates that it takes 10,353 calories per week just to maintain my basic body functions (1,479 per day x 7 days). This is their calculation of my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).  I was able to find this on the Internet. This would mean that last week, I would have used 2,369 calories of stored calories just for my body to perform its basic function. Those extra 2,369 calories I needed for my body to function are part of my 8,400 calories of weight loss because those calories are in excess of the calories I ate. Since I actually burned 8,400 calories that week, the rest of the calories burned, 6,031, must be attributed to my exercise activity, which means that I burned about 862 additional calories per day through exercise and exertion.  Here is how that was all calculated:

Total Calories Burned: 8,400

Less 2,369 excess calories burned attributed to basic body function (7,984 calories consumed - 10,353 calories burned for bodily function)

8,400 calories of weight loss less 2,369 calories burned attributed to basic body function = 6,031 calories burned due to exercise and exertion.

I logged my exercise in My Fitness Pal, but it says I only burned 1,454 calories exercising. I used Map My Walk app to log my walks, and I practiced Yoga three times last week and logged it in My Fitness Pal. The walks (6 out of 7 days) burned less than 200 calories, according to the walking app, and I only burned 223 calories for each Yoga class per My Fitness Pal. 

You can see why exercise apps are not a good estimator of calories burned.  They are clearly unreliable.

What would have happened if I had consumed 1,630 calories per day?

Total Weekly Calories Consumed (1,630 x7):  11,410

Less BMR Calories burned:  10,353

Calories left over I'd need to burn: 1,057 (11,410-10,353)

Calories actually burned through exercise and exertion (from above):  6,031

Calories burned through exercise 6,031 - 1,057 calories left to burn due to additional calories consumed = 4,974 calories burned that week

Convert calories to pounds (3,500 calories per pound) 4,974/3,500 = 1.42 pounds

That is close enough to my goal of 1.5 pounds a week that I set in the app. 

NOTE: if you see a mistake in my math, please comment in the comment section so I can fix it.

So, why did I go through this headache of a calculation? To show you that YOU can figure out what you need to do for you and how you are not helpless in this process. The bottom line is this: 

Weight loss is determined by how many calories you burn in excess of what you consume. 

It's a number's game!

BUT.... how you do that is entirely up to you.  Eat less, exert or exercise more. It's entirely up to you but you do have total control of how you do this. 

I know some of you are probably horrified at the low number of calories I ate. Below is what I ate each day, so you can see that I'm not starving myself and that what I ate was very reasonable.  Be aware that I drink hot, black Earl Gray tea with lunch and dinner. Since it's zero calories, I don't log it or mention it. When we go out for date night, I drink water, a low calorie beer or unsweetened iced tea. I didn't have a beer on date night.

Monday: (skipped lunch)

Coffee with 1 tbsp half and half, 2 eggs, 2 pieces of diet bread toast with 1 tbsp of sugar free preserves

A big family-sized green salad with every imaginable salad vegetable (I measured it all), including 5.6 oz of boneless, skinless chicken breast, 2 tbsp of balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and 2 slices of my homemade sourdough bread (very high calorie stuff)

Tuesday:

Coffee with 1 tbsp half and half, 2 eggs, 2 pieces of diet bread toast, 109g fresh strawberries,

Low-calorie wrap with mustard and 3.1 oz of boneless, skinless chicken breast, mini cucumbers, baby carrots

5.7 oz Grilled Mahi-Mahi fish, 3 oz baked red potato, spaghetti squash, asparagus and green beans

Two Good Vanilla yogurt with some fresh blueberries and strawberries

Wednesday:

Coffee with 1 tbsp half and half, omelet with 2 eggs, 3 tbsp of egg substitute, salsa, mini sweet pepper, 2 pieces of diet bread toast with 1 tbsp of sugar free preserves

Low-calorie wrap with mustard and 4oz of boneless skinless chicken breast, mini cucumbers, baby carrots, celery hearts

99% Fat free 6.8 oz ground turkey burger, 2.7 oz baked red potato, steamed broccoli

Two Good Vanilla yogurt with some fresh blueberries and strawberries

Thursday: (This is our date night)

Coffee with 1 tbsp half and half, scrambled eggs using 2 eggs and 3 tbsp of egg substitute, Sola blueberry bagel with 1 tbsp of sugar free preserves

Homemade vegetable soup (96 calories), Low-calorie wrap with 4oz of boneless skinless chicken breast

6 oz top sirloin steak, 1/2 cup mashed potato 1 cup steamed broccoli 1 small dinner roll

Two Good Yogurt blueberry yogurt single serving cup with strawberries

Friday;

Coffee with 1 tbsp half and half, omelet with 2 eggs, 3 tbsp of egg substitute, salsa, mini sweet pepper, fresh spinach, 2 pieces of diet bread toast with 1 tbsp of sugar free preserves

Homemade tuna salad 123 calories (canned tuna, celery, onion, pickles 1 tbsp mayonnaise, and dash of mustard), low-calorie wrap, mini cucumbers, baby carrots, celery hearts

A big family-sized green salad with every imaginable salad vegetable (I measured it all), including 6 oz of boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1 hardboiled egg, 2 tbsp of balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Two Good Yogurt blueberry yogurt single serving cup with strawberries and blueberries

Saturday:

Coffee with 1 tbsp half and half, omelet with 2 eggs, 3 tbsp of egg substitute, salsa, Sola blueberry bagel with 1 tbsp of sugar free preserves

Homemade tuna salad 123 calories (canned tuna, celery, onion, pickles 1 tbsp mayonnaise, and dash of mustard), low-calorie wrap, mini cucumbers, baby carrots, celery hearts

6.8 oz Baked Pork Tenderloin, Spaghetti Squash, steamed broccoli, 4.4 oz baked red potato

Strawberries, Granny Smith Apple

Sunday:

Coffee with 1 tbsp half and half, omelet with 2 eggs, 3 tbsp of egg substitute, salsa, 2 pieces of diet bread toast with 1 tbsp of sugar free preserves

Low-calorie wrap with mustard and 4 oz of boneless skinless chicken breast, mini cucumbers, baby carrots, celery hearts

6 oz baked chicken breast, red potato, green beans, spaghetti squash

Two Good Yogurt blueberry yogurt single serving cup with fresh raspberries

HINT: note how many vegetables I eat during the week. That is the trick... really.