Thursday, October 28, 2010

How a Fatty started counting calories

Did you know that one pound of fat is roughly 3500 calories?
That means to lose a pound of fat you have learn roughly how many calories your body burns in a day. According to various online calculators I can consume somewhere in the neighborhood of 3200 to 3800 calories a day to maintain my current weight. I am guessing that I've been consuming somewhere north of that for quite some time to get to the size I currently am.

Anyway when my foot started acting up I started examining all the other factors that need to be considered for a healthy lifestyle. I've never EVER been interested in counting calories, I've always frowned on it in much the same way that I frowned on running but, as you already know, I have changed. I own a pretty nifty Android phone and I found a really sweet app on Tuesday, it's called MyFitnessPal - the website is totally free and they have an iphone app for you weirdos too. I've been using it for a few days and I'm really impressed with it so far. I've not eaten anything that it hasn't had in it's database and it's proving to be a really great way for me to track calories in AND out, since it also has an exercise tracker. Its proving to be really astonishing how fast 2,000 calories can add up, a "green tea with mango" here, a chicken burrito there BAM! 900 calories. Putting all this science into what a healthy lifestyle should like, both active and digestive is very informative.

So what I am learning? Eat more fruit and veggies. We can consume all the calories we want from those and our bodies will thank us for it.

5 comments:

  1. I use the "Lose It" app on my Ipod touch...(since I'm a blackberry girl)it's roughly the same idea, and I love how it doesn't look like I'm tracking my calories, it just looks like I'm txting!!!

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  2. Hi there - Saw your post on MyFitnessPal and decided to check out your blog. I'm a female fattie wogger! And I can relate to just about every post in your blog! I joined MFP about 6 weeks ago and have lost 11lbs. (wahooo!!) I stopped wogging about 2 weeks back when I got a really bad cold, and I've had trouble starting again. After reading your blog. I'm starting tomorrow. Thanks :) I'm be checking back! Keep up the good work!

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  3. Thank you!
    jenexfit - I hear you. I love it too, it is just so convenient!

    Meghan - Congrats on the loss! Get back into it and don't quit!

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  4. Love your blog, Dude! Someday, we definitely will do a run in the desert. Should we find one in 2011 to do together? 5k is comfortable for me now, so 10k could be a good goal for Feb or March.

    What do you think?

    Big Clyde
    Bigclydesdale@gmail.com

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  5. jennexfit- myfitnesspal has a blackberry app too... Just sayin.

    LOVE the blog!!

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